When customers choose a vehicle, they may not realize that their chosen model is the end result of years of technological and cultural changes. One model which embodies this is the Land Rover Defender, which stemmed from decades of improvements and consumers’ changing needs. Learn more about this classic Land Rover SUV with the experts at Land Rover Northfield.
The Land Rover Series
Starting in 1948, the Rover Company created the Land Rover Series I, a utilitarian car with four-wheel drive and multiple body style types, wheelbase lengths, and door counts. It also lacked luxury materials, distinguishing it from the company’s prior specialization in luxury cars.
Land Rover Series II and III, released in 1958 and 1971 respectively, included additional features and aesthetic changes. Series II added side mirrors, while Series III Land Rover models had headlights closer to the fenders instead of their grills.
The Land Rover 90 and 110
In the 1980s, the Rover Company’s dedicated American arm called Range Rover North America, redesigned the Land Rover with technology from its Range Rover SUVs. The most important change in the Land Rover 90 and 110 models came from replacing the leaf-spring suspension with a coil-spring design, increasing driver comfort.
Simultaneously, American consumers began demanding cars with greater off-roading features than the luxury SUVs the company currently sold there. After announcing the Land Rover Defender line in 1990, Range Rover North America released it in 1993 and periodically updated it until its interior redesign in 2007, which remained until the firm ceased production in 2016.
Modern Iterations
In 2020, Land Rover revitalized the Land Rover Defender with the L663 model. Possessing wheelbase and body style customizability like its prior incarnations, the Land Rover Defender L663 has a unibody frame, which increases its fuel efficiency and decreases weight. It also has an independent multi-link front and rear suspension for the first time.
Experience the 2023 Land Rover Defender in Northfield, IL
To experience the standout qualities of the Land Rover Defender for yourself, book a test drive at Land Rover Northfield. You’ll be thrilled by the way years of development and refining have resulted in one of the best SUVs on the road. Contact us today to learn more!