Exclusive Land Rover Defender: We Chat With One of the Designers
The Land Rover Defender is the brand’s most legendary model around the world, with origins that date back to 1948. An all-new generation was introduced for 2020 and it’s safe to say designers and engineers showed more boldness and innovation than ever before.
Clearly, the latest Defender is a unique creature within the Land Rover lineup—and it’s not made for everybody. In order to understand this model a little better, we recently had a chat with Chloe Lefevre, creative specialist in charge of colours and materials at Jaguar Land Rover.
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First, let’s do a quick recap. The 2020 Land Rover Defender is available in two main configurations. The Defender 90 is a two-door, short-wheelbase model with a retractable soft top option, while the Defender 110 is a four-door, long-wheelbase variant with seating for up to seven.
This Land Rover allows customers to personalize their vehicle with more choice than ever before. There are five trim levels (S, SE, HSE, X and First Edition), four accessory packs (Explorer, Adventure, Country and Urban) and no fewer than 170 individual accessories.
The most striking—or shocking—aspect of the new Defender is arguably the look and finish. Lefevre explained to us how the company drew inspiration from both nature and the industrial world when developing and combining the various design elements.
The exterior palette includes colours such as Pangea Green, Tasman Blue and Gondwana Stone. Also, for the first time on a Land Rover, a polyurethane-based, satin-finished protective film can be added for extra style and durability. Developed to meet rigorous standards and deliver the highest performance in extreme conditions, it can be removed at any time, making it significantly quicker to repair than standard paint finishes.
Inside, Lefevre talked about the “reductive design” approach that guided the team, emphasizing functionality and discarding non-essential features. “The biggest challenge was to remain true to the values and heritage of the brand and the Defender in particular while creating an interior that would be equally modern and desirable,” she said.
Hexagonal patterns (inspired by the strength of honeycombs, another element of nature) mix with several boxy shapes and exposed structural elements, including a powder-coated magnesium cross car beam on the dashboard (available in a range of finishes) which is integral to the overall strength of the body architecture, plus door casings which partially expose the painted doors. The bolt-on look in some places also reinforces the industrial theme.
Customers can also choose from three interior colours (ebony, brown, khaki) and a curated range of veneers and finishes, including a rough-cut Walnut or Natural Smoked Dark Oak Veneer, both of which are open pore to give a more natural haptic feel. By the way, did you know the centre console with armrest and storage can be replaced by a jump seat that accommodates a third passenger in the front row?
Another thing the Land Rover designer insisted on was the integration of tough materials throughout, ensuring Defender users won’t be concerned about stains and abuse. Durable rubber flooring with flush-fitting sills in the footwells and cargo area (including the back of the rear seats) allows you to brush or wipe the interior clean after muddy or dusty adventures.
There are many options when it comes to the seats, too. Lefevre highlighted the combination of grained leather with a robust woven fabric (featuring microfibers made from recycled polyester) in areas subjected to the most wear. Another possibility is high-grade Windsor leather combined with Kvadrat fabric containing 30 percent wool for increased durability and comfort. Mother Nature’s best friends will likely opt to reject leather entirely, instead choosing a mix of Kvadrat and suedecloth.
Considering all of the above, and many more unique features of the 2020 Land Rover Defender, it’s easy to see why Lefevre summed up the vehicle with those three words: functional, modern, durable. Don’t miss our photo gallery!
