The Land Rover Defender has just arrived in U.S. and Canadian showrooms.
Minor changes across the product lineup for 2021.
An all-new EV platform is rumoured to be in the works for Land Rover.
Like most automotive brands, Land Rover had a tough year on the sales charts, for reasons we all know. However, an important all-new model with a very old name was launched in North America, and so far, consumers and the media have responded well to its arrival.
As for the rest of the lineup, things have been challenging, obviously, but it certainly could have been worse. Looking ahead, the brand seems to be forecasting a future with electrified products, although no such models have been officially confirmed yet. Here’s what to expect from the Land Rover brand in 2021.
The aforementioned all-new model is the Land Rover Defender, of course. This modern-day reboot of a timeless classic is available in two body styles, the three-door Defender 90 and the five-door Defender 110. They’re equipped with either a 296-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0L inline-four or a 395-horsepower, mild hybrid turbo 3.0L inline-six, and though a plug-in hybrid powertrain is offered in Europe, it has yet to arrive in America. It also offers a capable AWD system with a two-speed transfer case, in addition to an optional air suspension and plenty of other off-road goodies. Officially launched as a 2020 model, it gets no significant changes for 2021. There are rumours suggesting a three-row Defender is in the works, but nothing confirmed so far.
Another rumour stipulates that Jaguar Land Rover is working on an all-new EV platform, which will underpin a new Land Rover—or Range Rover—utility vehicle. The latter would be a fairly big ute, as its Jaguar-branded counterpart would be positioned above the current I-PACE as a larger model. Also officially unconfirmed is a new subcompact Land Rover crossover, which would be a new entry-level model for the brand.
The flagship Range Rover gets minor changes for the 2021 model year, which is still available with two wheelbase lengths and a choice of MHEV and PHEV inline-sixes, a turbo-diesel six and two supercharged 5.0L V8s with up to 557 horsepower. Meanwhile, the Range Rover Sport benefits from a similar engine lineup, although the top-shelf supercharged V8 belts out 575 horsepower in the performance-infused SVR variant. The current generation of these two utility vehicles are aging well, but aging nonetheless, and we should be seeing a redesign pretty soon.
For 2021, the Range Rover Velar receives a plug-in hybrid powertrain in some world regions, but for now, the midsize crossover gets mild hybrid 3.0L inline-six engines for the U.S. and Canada with 335 and 395 horses, in addition to new Pivi Pro infotainment system with crisper graphics and more processing power. As for the Range Rover Evoque, it gets a P300e plug-in hybrid powertrain, two new diesel engines and a turbo 1.5L inline-three in Europe, but none of them have been confirmed yet for North America. The Evoque will receive new Pivi infotainment in our market, though.
The Land Rover Discovery midsize three-row crossover is available with 296-hp turbo 2.0L four and 335 hp turbo 3.0L mild hybrid six engines, and for the 2021 model year, it benefits from new LED headlights and taillights, bumpers as well as a R-Dynamic trim level. It also gets the Pivi Pro infotainment system with an 11.4-inch touchscreen. The compact Land Rover Discovery Sport gets the same infotainment enhancements as the Evoque, and the choice between 246- and 286-horsepower turbo 2.0L fours.
