2019 Land Rover Defender - The Chassis, Engine, And Driveline
With the introduction of the 2020 Defender, Land Rover provided us with several cool infographics about its new rig. Usually manufacturer supplied material like this is kind of lame but this is an exception. Let鈥檚 take a look at the chassis, suspension, and the four wheel drive system of the new Defender. Like other large Land Rover, the Defender is an all-aluminum unibody design, as opposed to that of body-on-frame of Jeep or Toyota. But it also has separate steel subframes in the front and back. Land Rover says that this architecture is much stiffer and stronger than typical BoF, if perhaps heavier. The new chassis shares no components with other Land Rover products and was designed with minimal overhangs in mind. As is typical for many large Land Rover vehicles, air suspension is present in each corner of the fully independent suspension. Stick axle lover can go back to your Jeeps now.
An epitome of power and durability, Land Rover has endured the toughest conditions on the face of the Earth for the past 60 years. Their vehicles have undergone numerous conversions from a farm vehicle to an amphibious craft, an off-road race car to the Popemobile of ? 82. Now, the British-made vehicle is still going strong with technologies to sustain Mother Nature, and efforts to help the human race. Take a seat and journey with Land Rover's towards the future. The Intelligent Stop/Start System is Land Rover's standard feature for Freelander 2 vehicles. It works when an idle car is turned off, and it will automatically turn on when the car is ready to accelerate. Thus, the system actually lessens emission, and reduces fuel consumption. This is part of Land Rover's ? 800 million investment to improve their vehicles, and provide a cleaner environment. Because of their commitment to conserve nature, Land Rover has released a powerful 30mpg diesel engine for the Range Rover model. The engine is a 4.4L TDV8 twin turbo capable of emitting 253g/km CO2 on a EU5 combined cycle. That is already 14% lesser than the previous 3.6L TDV8 engine.
Again, if you plan to do lots of off-road workouts, the LR2 has the goods to keep you happy 鈥?it鈥檚 ready for snow and muck, yet lean enough for easy city running. More versatile rivals exist, though. Land Rover has done a fine job with the styling. The LR2 looks fully at home against its larger LR4 and Range Rover stablemates. Lots of glass and an upright driving position make maneuvering easy. At just 59 cubic feet of space with the rear seats folded down 鈥?the competition has the LR2 covered. You鈥檒l find the same 鈥渟tadium seating鈥?(higher rear bench) of its siblings and a full suite of electronic conveniences. For 鈥渞egular extreme鈥?driving 鈥?say, runs to the ski chalet and slow crawls to idyllic camping sites 鈥?the LR2 won鈥檛 even break a sweat. On tarmac, it displays a confident, compliant ride free of the harshness of some of its rivals, though it probably lacks their ultimate handling tenacity. Steering feel is good, engine sounds are muted, and wind noise is minimal. Dual front and front-side airbags, an airbag for the driver鈥檚 knee, and side curtains for both rows are standard. The LR2 also includes enough electronic traction and stability systems to keep you on course in any weather.
The all-new Land Rover Freelander 2 redefines the compact premium 4x4 class. New from the ground up, Freelander 2 delivers outstanding on-road performance as well as the class-leading off-road ability of a true Land Rover. A dynamic design, purposeful stance, smart and spacious interior, and an abundance of advanced technologies complete the package. No other compact 4x4 has anything like its total breadth of capability,鈥?says Phil Popham, Land Rover鈥檚 managing director. The 233 PS (171 kW) i6 petrol engine provides a top speed of 124 mph (200 km/h) and 0-60 mph acceleration in 8.4 seconds (0-100 km/h in 8.9 seconds). Combined fuel economy is 25.2 mpg (11.2 litres/100 km). The engine is matched to a new six-speed automatic transmission, with Land Rover鈥檚 CommandShift offering manual sequential gear changes when required. There is also a driver-selectable sport mode, for livelier performance. Straight-six engine configurations are ideal for delivering engine smoothness, and the very compact new unit in Freelander 2 is small enough to mount transversely, a first in the compact 4x4 sector and one of the vehicle鈥檚 many innovations.
