Land Rover's indestructible Defender has been substantially revised for 2012 with a new turbodiesel engine and two new option packs, depending on just how rugged your favourite playground is.
But first, a new 2.2-litre diesel will replace the current 2.4-litre engine in mid-November - just a few weeks after it goes on sale in the UK. Despite its smaller capacity and reduced emissions, Labd Rover is quoting the same power (90kW at 3500rpm) and torque (360Nm at 2000rpm).
Fuel-injection and combustion chamber design have been updated, says Land Rover, as has the engine management system, to deliver a higher top speed (145km/h versus 130km/h), while CO2 emissions on the combined cycle are down to 266g/km for the 90 and 295g/km for the 110 and 130 models.
Euro-spec models also have a diesel particulate filter, making them the cleanest diesel Defenders yet, and the first to meet EU5 emissions standards.
A new, full acoustic engine cover also replaces the previous splash cover, reducing audible engine clatter and improving driving refinement.
The GFT MT 82 six-speed gearbox has been retained for 2012, with a slightly lower first gear for easier towing on and off-road, and a longer top gear for smoother cruising and lower open-road fuel consumption - hence the higher top speed.
The gears in most gearboxes are cut and then hardened; those in the Defender's gearbox and transfer case are hardened first and then precision ground for greater durability and smoother, quieter running.
The Defender can trace its roots back to the original Land Rover of 1948 and it has earned an enviable reputation for ruggedness and versatility. As old-fashioned as it is, since the current model's introduction in 2007, the Defender has averaged of 25 000 sales a year worldwide to armed forces, NGO's, utility and retail customers who value capability above fashion.
Land Rover brand director John Edwards said: “The substantial improvements to the Defender in 2007 transformed its on-road comfort whilst retaining its traditional off-road capability. With the introduction of the new 2.2-litre diesel engine and two option packs, the Defender for 2012 now offers still more customer choice.”
The COMFORT PACK is for customers who use their defenders mainly on-road, and includes aircon, a CD player with auxiliary input, electric windows and remote central locking.
The OFF-ROAD PACK is for serious bundu bashers, with ABS, heavy-duty rims shod with MTR tyres, a tow ball and under-ride protection bar.
All 2012 Defenders will come with tinted glass all round, and a one-piece dashboard moulding, supported on a robust steel rail, to reduce squeaks and rattles. Two styles of dashboard stowage are available for driver and passenger: a practical open-tray design, or a seven-litre lidded compartment on either side.
The short-wheelbase Defender 90 Station Wagon's individually folding rear seats now face forwards instead of inwards and they're now big enough for most adults. The same seats are also available as a third-row option on the 110 station wagon, accessible either through the rear door or by folding the second-row seats.
That's possible, says the maker, because of the Defender's unique, ladder-frame/aluminium body, modular architecture, which allows three different wheelbases and a total of 14 body styles - bakkies, double-cabs and stations wagons - to be built on the same production line.