The New Defenders

The 2021 Land Rover Defender range is due in february, with new six-cylinder engines and two-door 90 models.

- Matt Raudonikis

The new Land Rover Defender has only just lobbed on Australian shores, but the 2021 model will be here soon and bring with it new six-cylinder diesel engines and short wheelbase Defender 90 models.

All of the diesel Defender 110 models that landed in 2020 were sold prior to arrival, creating a shortage of them and, as a result, only the petrol-fuelled P400 110s are currently available.

This was in part due to the COVID-19 factory shutdown and global demand for the diesels. Land Rover expects no such shortages when the 2021 rangelands in February.

“The factory should be back up to 100 per cent (production) when our 2021 cars are built in November,” Land Rover Australia’s James Scrimshaw told 4X4 Australia. “There will be no supply issues with the 2021 model.”

As expected of a vehicle that is just six months old, any changes to the 2021 Defender are minor and, in fact, limited to the level of standard safety equipment. All 2021 Defenders have Blind Spot Assist, Clear Exit Monitor, Adaptive Cruise Control, Rear Collision Monitor and Rear Traffic Monitor as standard. New colour choices will be available, as well as the X-Dynamic option package.