New Land Rover Defender Sport spotted tearing it up on the Nürburgring
The new baby 4x4 is now likely to be revealed in 2027, and our exclusive image previews how it could look
The all-new, feverishly anticipated Land Rover Defender Sport has been spotted being put through its paces once again, but rather than fording a river or climbing a mountain as we might expect, it’s been captured lapping the Nürburgring.
Land Rover has been toying with the idea of a ‘mini Defender’ for seven years now, and it feels like it’s been testing near-production prototypes for almost as long. Hopefully, this blast on Germany’s ‘Green Hell’ means that it is approaching the final stages of testing; if so, we could see the Defender Sport make its world premiere next year.
The camouflage sported by this latest prototype still manages to conceal many of the finer styling details, but there’s no disguising the boxy, upright shape that people know and love from the full-size Defender.
Minimal overhangs at the front and rear will help deliver the necessary approach and departure angles when off-road, as is the case with its big brother. However, we can see that there is a more rounded, sleeker angle to the nose, and an ever-so slightly sloped rear windscreen, endowing the newcomer with a unique style that means it doesn’t simply resemble a shorter version of the regular Defender with some length chopped out from the middle.
We’re sure it was no easy task for Land Rover’s designers to transfer the Defender’s iconic design and charming personality into a new, more compact package, but our exclusive image shows what we expect the production model of the baby 4x4 to look like.
Black-coloured lower bumpers and wheelarches will give it an off-roader look, and our spy pictures show the car fitted with rugged-looking wheels and off-road tyres. However, just as with the full-sized Defender, buyers will also be able to choose a more road-biased appearance, with larger wheels and body-coloured panels.
The tailgate will be side-opening, and while there’s no spare wheel attached on the prototype we spied, there’s a good chance we’ll see one on the production car.
Land Rover knows its customers love customising their cars, so contrasting roof colours, decal packs, wheelarch extensions and off-road gear such as chunky roof racks will all be part of the offering.
Is the new Land Rover Defender Sport going to be electric?
Originally the plan was for the new SUV to be all-electric. However, earlier this year JLR announced that models based on its groundbreaking EMA platform, including the Defender Sport, will also be offered with hybrid power in response to “demand for increased choice in global markets”.
The British marque has confirmed that the next addition to the Defender family and the new mid-size Range Rover SUV are going to feature its first-ever full-hybrid powertrain. JLR still hasn’t revealed any technical information about this new petrol-electric set-up, though, or whether it’ll be arriving at the same time or after the EV versions of the two hugely important SUVs.
The company did commit to sharing more details about the dramatic new Velar-sized SUV later this year. This will be the first model based on the new EMA platform, and introduce a fresh design language for the luxury brand.
Another likely reason for the change of heart is that the United States is the priority for JLR at the moment, and demand for EVs over there has cooled significantly. CEO P.B Balaji said: “Apart from accelerating our existing offerings, we are also exploring new high potential segments for our Defender brand, which will allow us to offer tailored luxury products and experiences for even more of our US clients.
“Our aspiration, in the coming years, is to grow our US business to the size of the entire JLR business as it exists today.”
While the new Defender Sport will offer the same sort of chunky styling and off-road capability as the iconic original, prices are set to be lower, and when it does arrive it will effectively replace the ageing Discovery Sport.
Regarding the future of the best-selling Discovery family, JLR said there are “plans to evolve [Discovery] but stay true to its roots as a truly aspirational and ingenious lifestyle brand – designed for real life, well lived. It will be brought into the future with propulsion flexibility and innovations in product design with announcements on confirmed plans to come.”
How many miles will the electric Defender Sport cover on a single charge?
The electric Defender Sport will feature dual motors and a new battery pack, which we expect will sit somewhere around the 70-90kWh mark. It could eventually be available in various sizes across different models in the JLR group, including the new Range Rover Velar, but the baby Defender will likely stick with just one battery size to start.
With such an upright body, efficiency is not expected to be the new car’s strongest asset. It should have a range around the 300-320-mile mark, given the battery size and latest e-motor technology.
Will the Land Rover Defender Sport be a proper off-roader?
Despite mainly running on electricity, the baby Defender will still be four-wheel drive, and come with most of the off-road capability expected from the brand. Its overall proportions will limit elements such as the approach and departure angles, but we do expect a full Terrain Response system to be available.
Land Rover will also take full advantage of the electric powertrain for off-roading, with the ability to distribute power more precisely to the front and rear wheels than is possible with a combustion engine. Elements including locking differentials could be fitted at the axles, but with no mechanical connection between them, a centre-differential is no longer required.
What is known about the interior?
The baby Defender will differ from its big brother largely in terms of proportions, which come courtesy of the new EMA platform. The new architecture, which was originally designed exclusively for electric vehicles, but is now getting a hybrid option, too, is packaged more efficiently. This is better for cabin space, but means having a longer front overhang.
Inside, expect a more digitised take on the relatively simple and hard-wearing full-sized Defender. Displays will grow in size, and they’ll introduce a new user interface that will also be found on JLR’s future models. There will only be two rows of seating, with no seven-seat option. However a sixth jump seat between the driver and front-seat passenger could be integrated.
When will the new Land Rover Defender Sport arrive?
The Land Rover Defender Sport probably won’t be unveiled this year, which is hardly surprising given how much time and attention JLR invested in the spectacular launch of the new Jaguar Type 01. The hope is that the covers will be torn off sometime next year.
The most direct rival to the Defender Sport will be the baby version of Mercedes’ own all-terrain-conquering icon, the G-Class, which we’re also expecting to be launched in 2027. The incoming Jeep Recon could challenge it, too, but the zero-emissions 4x4 is not going to be available in the UK, even though it will be sold in Europe.
Pricing for the Defender Sport is expected to start somewhere just under £50,000, positioning the new car below entry-level variants of the full-sized Defender. However, Land Rover hasn’t been shy with pricing in the past, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see high-spec variants rise to quite a bit more than that.
Of course, the Defender isn’t the only rough and tough SUV on the market at the minute. There are plenty of 4x4s to choose from via the Auto Express Buy a Car service, ranging from the mighty Toyota Land Cruiser to the affordable Dacia Duster.
What other cars is Land Rover planning?
Although the current Defender has been a sales success, an extra iteration of the iconic 4x4 could further eat into the sales of the Discovery, which has struggled to match the Defender’s appeal. However, JLR says it has “a distinct place” in its portfolio and is working on plans for the future of the Discovery line.
We’ll have to wait and see how the company approaches reinventing the Discovery, although it claims that EMA is flexible enough to accommodate a three-row, seven-seat family vehicle.
As you will be aware, the Freelander name was recently resurrected by the Chinese firm Chery, as part of a joint venture between it and JLR. Auto Express has confirmed the all-new Freelander 8 is coming to the UK, and it’ll arrive some time in the second half of next year. However, very importantly, it’s not a Land Rover.
P.B Balaji recently clarified this relationship to Auto Express, saying: “From a design perspective, we’ll take ownership of it, but thereafter in terms of engineering, manufacturing and of course selling it, it’s Chery’s car, and we wish them well on that.”
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