To serve and protect
King of the countryside to become swanky urban vehicle-around-town
FRANKFURT, GERMANY—All my life, I’ve adored the singer Mario Lanza. After Enrico Caruso, he was the greatest tenor to ever live, and that includes Luciano Pavarotti.
Although Lanza could break crystal by hitting high “C” when he sang the aria Vesti La
Giubba from Pagliacci, he also performed more popular fare, and the music from Sigmund Romberg’s The Student Prince is one of my favourites, particularly the song Summertime in
Heidelberg. I got thinking about that the other day when I arrived to cover the unveiling of the 2020 Land Rover Defender at the Frankfurt Motor Show, which opened to the public on Thursday.
Because of that song, I always wanted to go to Heidelberg, and here I am, only 90 kilometres away. But when you’re on the job, and on a tight schedule like my colleague Jim Kenzie and I are when we travel to car shows and unveilings, you can’t just pick up and go somewhere that’s not on the schedule.
My cousin, Judy Kucera, and her family had no such restrictions (or not as many, anyway) when they lived in Germany for two years in the early 1970s. Judy’s husband, Henry, was a school teacher (since retired) and he worked at the school on the former Canadian Forces Base Lahr, which is between two and three hours from here by car.
Every weekend, or just about every weekend, Judy and Henry would load their three kids into their car and head out to explore Europe, which they pretty much covered over the course of the two years they were there.
It was an educational experience like few others, and left a lasting impression on their children about how to be good parents. Every time I think of The
Student Prince and Heidelberg, as I am right now, I think of them and I always say to myself that I should ask if they ever made it to the city in the song. But then I forget; I’ll try to remember the next time I see them. And the next time I come to Germany, I’ll have to try to build in some time to go see that place for myself. Meantime, here’s the lowdown on the Land Rover, which is, after all, the reason I'm here.
The Land Rover Defender was the original off-road vehicle. When you think about it, the picture in your mind is of a big green box with clunky tires and a monster engine that was able to go anywhere and do anything. Kind of like a small tank.
You know, up hill and down dale, bumping along through muddy creeks, splashing water everywhere, and all this with a couple of sheep in the back. And Crocodile Dundee at the wheel.
It’s been a few years since we’ve seen an updated Defender, but that’s all changed now. This week at the Frankfurt show, which is one of Europe’s biggest automotive extravaganzas, Jaguar Land Rover introduced a new and vastly improved Defender and served notice that what was once the king of the off-road has its sights set on becoming one of those swanky urban vehicles you see around town these days.
That’s right, Defender is no longer restricted to fields and streams. This automobile has gone upscale and uptown. But just to remind people of its heritage, Land Rover did something completely unexpected at its launch on Tuesday.
MCDONALD from W1
At most auto shows, cars to be introduced are literally kept under wraps.
When the time comes, the president of the company, or some of his/her subordinates, will pull a cover off the car and, voila! Not this time, though.
The 2020 model descended from the ceiling of Hall 11 — did I mention this was a big auto show? — on a 15-metre ramp. It was almost straight down and the driver had to be very careful keeping the brakes on. One false move and it could have been a disaster.
Fortunately, everything worked out. I must say, being a veteran of auto shows, that I have never seen anything as unique as that before, and all you needed was one look to know the car was as special as its entrance.
This British four-wheel-drive vehicle was first designed and built in 1948 and refreshed in the 1980s. This time around, we’re talking about a rebuild and a relaunch (although the company likes to say reimagining). And although just about everything you can find on any modern vehicle can be found on this one, Defender hasn’t strayed all that far from its roots.
For instance, the short front and rear overhangs, as seen from the side, give the vehicle an instantly recognizable appearance.
There’s no mistaking it’s a Land Rover. And a new — and I’m taking this directly from the company’s PR handout — configurable terrain response, twin-speed transfer box, locking centre differential, active rear and locking differential allow drivers to optimize the Defender for use on various terrains.
OK, so now that we have that out of the way (it can still do what every legendary Defender ever made can do) here is some of the new stuff.
Defender is introducing the new “PIVI Pro” infotainment system that features an intuitive interface. And softwareover-the-air updates allow customers to access the latest software updates remotely — which is kinda neat.
A10-inch touchscreen has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but also delivers enhanced user experience and a broader range of functions. This, of course, is in addition to the 12.3-inch driver screen directly behind the steering wheel.
There are two body styles — the Defender 110, with optional five-plus-two seating, which will go on sale early next year, and a shorter wheelbase Defender 90 (not yet ready, but coming) that will be able to seat six.
Five models are coming to Canada — the S, the SE, the HSE, the First Edition and the X; manufacturer’s recommended retail price for each ranges from $65,300 for the S on up to $93,600 for the X.
There are two engines — a 2.0-litre turbocharged fourcylinder gas engine I (296 hp, 295 lb.-ft. of torque) and a mild hybrid in-line six (395 hp, 406 lb.-ft. of torque), which has a 48-volt “belt-integrated starter motor.”
The mild-hybrid powertrain collects energy normally lost during deceleration and redeploys it to the lithium-ion battery, where it’s stored to help optimize performance under acceleration. The transmission is eight speed and automatic and you cannot order a stick. The manufacturer says a plug-in hybrid is coming next year. Wheel sizes range from 18 inches up to 22 inches.
There are four distinct accessory packs available (and the ones with the gear carrier, which looks like a motorcycle saddlebag, caught my eye):
The Explorer pack is ideal for off-road adventures and comes equipped with a lightweight roof rack (you can get up there via a deployable roof ladder, and you can even pitch a tent up there), exterior sidemounted gear carrier (that saddlebag I mentioned), wheel arch protection and a spare wheel cover. A matte black hood decal, featuring “110” or “90” cut-out detailings, completes the Explorer pack’s appearance.
Ideal for time spent outdoors, the Adventure pack features a portable rinse system with a 6.5-litre pressurized water reservoir, trunk-mounted air compressor and an exterior side-mounted gear carrier.
Designed for time spent off the beaten track, the Country pack features wheel arch protection, a rear scuff plate and a load-space partition.
The automaker says that to stand out in the concrete jungle, the Urban pack adds a rear scuff plate, a spare wheel cover, a front undershield and bright metal pedals.
The Land Rover brand plans to continue its long-term partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Defender will play a large role. The roof rack that can handle up to 300 kilograms of static weight and 168 kg of dynamic load, a towing capacity of more than 3,600 kg and a wading depth of just under a metre will provide support for search and rescue missions.
During the presentation, Land Rover had a contingent of its top executives on hand to answer questions and explain things to reporters, and I particularly enjoyed talking to Nick Collins, vehicle line director, for two reasons: he grew up on a farm in the U.K. where there was a Land Rover, and his job encompasses just about every aspect of the manufacturing process. In short, it’s his job to make sure everybody else is doing theirs at the same time — to synchronize everybody — so that the car gets built on schedule and the work is done correctly.
“You don’t get many chances in your career to reinvent an icon,” he said. “So, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to join the company and to lead this team to reinvent this car.”
Collins said the best thing about the “new” Defender, for him, is how it makes people feel when they drive it.
“I remember as a small child, driving in my godfather’s car through a big park, and I remember climbing out the back and standing on the box and holding onto the frame. I would have been eight or nine years old. It gives you a spirit of adventure. Back then, I was this adventurous little kid, and what I love about what we’ve done with this car is that it makes you feel like an adventurous little kid again.
“So, whatever surface you drive this on — extreme offroad, loose gravel, even on the road — where it’s fast, it’s fun and it’s precise, you drift away from the trials and tribulations of modern-day life and the inner kid comes out of you again. “And you’re on an adventure.” Just like Judy and Henry Kucera and their kids, nearly every weekend way back when.
Norris McDonald is a former Star editor who is a current freelance columnist. Follow him on Twitter: @NorrisMcDonald2