New Defender reaches 1.2 million kilometre test and development milestone
Tested to extremes
For those that didn’t celebrate (and why not) World Land Rover Day was on April 30, and to mark the occasion, the new Land Rover Defender reached a development milestone as the prototype fleet hit the 1.2 million kilometre landmark.
For its next challenge it will be put to the test in the field, supporting operations at the Borana Conservancy in Kenya, with Tusk Trust, as part of the brand’s 15-year partnership with the charity.
A Defender prototype wearing a unique camouflage will tow heavy loads, wade through rivers and carry supplies across unforgiving terrain in a series of real-world trials at the 14,000 hectare reserve.
By the time the new Defender makes its public debut later this year, it will have passed more than 45,000 individual tests in some of the most extreme environments on earth from the 50 degree heat of the desert to the sub 40 degree cold of the Arctic, and up to 10,000 ft altitude of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
As if that wasn’t enough, on-road dynamics were honed at the Nürburgring facility in Germany while all-terrain credentials tested on the muddy roads of Eastnor in UK (obviously), the rocky trails of Moab in Utah and the sand dunes of Dubai.
Nick Rogers, Executive Director Product Engineering, Jaguar Land Rover, said: “In addition to the extensive simulation and rig testing, we’ve driven new Defender 1.2 million kilometres across all terrains and in extreme climates to ensure that it is the toughest and most capable Land Rover ever made.”
Dynamics were honed on Eastnor’s muddy roads
