During its tenure, the Land Rover Defender has always been the ultimate offroader. Even the name suggests sturdiness as the Land Rover was designed to rove the land regardless of the terrain. The first Land Rover rolled off the assembly line in 1947 as the initial mule prototype, which was to be an all-purpose vehicle that would function as a post-war Jeep. Two million units have since come out of production from the debut of the Series 1 Land Rover in 1948. The first iteration at this time channelled the spirit of the American Jeep. The Rover was discontinued after 2016 but again restarted for the 2020 model year as a complete redesign.

Series I (1948-1958)

Land Rover had problems after the Second World War considering that Europe was still reeling from the destruction brought by the war. The first Land Rover rolled off the assembly line as a four-wheel-drive truck with an aluminium body and steel frame. The first engines for the Rover at this time were a 1.6-litre four-cylinder option providing 37 kW at 4,000 rpm and a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with an output of 39 kW at 4,000 rpm. The second engine alternative came in 1952 along with improvements to the gearbox so that the four-wheel-drive was engaged automatically when low range was selected.

Series II (1958-1971)

The series 2 debuted with an improved exterior design entailing a longer wheelbase than before. It featured the same inboard headlights along with the boxy profile, but it added a pronounced shoulder line along the length of the Rover. The result was increased cabin space. The same 2-litre engines would carry on at first, but it was discarded for a 2.24-litre four-cylinder replacement churning 50 kW at 4,250 rpm. A diesel option was added with similar specifications. It was a 2-litre cylinder unit with an output of 39 kW at 3,500 rpm. In 1966, there was an option for a 2.6-litre IOE six-cylinder petrol engine. 

Series III (1975-1985)

For this iteration, the headlights were moved toward the fenders. Land Rover also moved the gauges, positioning them at the front of the steering wheel. The engine options included a 2.25-litre unit producing 52 kW and 2.6-litre six-cylinder petrol engine outputting 60 kW. From 1979, though, the Stage 1 V8 was released in the market with the same components as the Range Rover and the LT95 gearbox. The displacement was 3.5 litres though it was a petrol unit. The engine was detuned to 86 kW so that it was dissimilar to the contemporary Range Rover.

Land Rover Defender 90 and 110

The design of the series III carried into what many would call the official Defender series, badged as the 90 and the 110. The 90 and 110 monikers referred to the 90 and 110-inch wheelbase alternatives. It marked the time when Land Rover utilised coil spring suspensions from the Range Rover to replace the leaf spring design. The cars also came with an improved cabin and a better engine lineup. Powertrain options included 2.25-litre 11H petrol, 2.25-litre 10J diesel, 2.5-litre diesel turbo I4, and a 3.5-litre Rover V8. The transmission options available for the 90 and 110 were 4-speed manual, 5-speed LT77 manual, and 5-speed LT85 manual gearboxes. In the early 80s, Land Rover followed through with the introduction of the 127 and 130, which were reflected in the wheelbases. It was designed for utility and military use. They were only available with the 2.5-litre turbo diesel units producing 63 kW and the 3.5-litre options giving 100 kW.

Land Rover (1990-2016)

The Defender tag became official following the introduction of the Discovery model in the market. It came with a new turbo-diesel option, which was the 200TDi. It was a bit similar to the then 2.5-litre turbo-diesel though it had a new cylinder head, improved turbocharging and intercooling, as well as direct injection. It was suitable for 80 kW, which was quite an improvement on the turbo-diesel unit. In 1994, a new model debuted, the 300TDi, which was virtually different from the previous iteration but had the same displacement. At the time when the BMW owned the Rover Group, the Defender 90 and 110 were available with a BMW option alongside the TDi alternatives. It was an M52 unit with a displacement of 2.7 litres. It was also a straight six-cylinder engine capable of 143 kW. The final modification of the 90s came in 1998 with the TD5 engine. The Defender had an all-new 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo-diesel unit. It was a move to replace the TDi, which until then was not meeting the emission regulations. The TD5 was more advanced, using electronic control modes, and had an output of 91 kW.

In 2007, there were some significant updates to meet the euro emissions guidelines. A Duratorq 2.4 litre four-cylinder unit replaced the TD5 engine, the last Land Rover engine to be built in-house. The seating layout was also changed from the four inward-facing seats to two forward-facing seats making the Rover a four-seater. The last Defender went off the production line in 2016 January.

Land Rover Defender L663 (2020 to present)

Land Rover came up with a reintroduction of the Defender entailing a complete redesign for 2020. It was dubbed the L663. The all-new Defender has an aluminium unibody platform, which is the same as what is used by the Range Rover Sport. The first engine options for the Defender include a D200 2.0 litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel option with an output of 143 kW and fuel consumption of 8.8 litres per 100 km. There is another D240 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine capable of 177 kW and the same fuel efficiency. At the high end, there is a P400 3.0-litre 6-cylinder turbo petrol mild-hybrid option capable of 295 kW. The L663 did away with the traditional axle suspension and adapted the multi-link option for the front and rear. Land Rover defends its new iteration as a capable offroader much like its earlier siblings.

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