Confirmed: New Land Rover Defender Coming to America in 2020 [Video]

U.S.-spec model will go on sale in 2020, marking its return to America after a two-decade hiatus

Land Rover promises this Defender will be the “most capable, durable yet”

It’s official — the 2020 Land Rover Defender is coming. Yes, it is the 2020 Land Rover Defender, meaning it will be revealed in 2019 and go on sale in 2020. Kim McCullough, Land Rover’s North American VP of Marketing, announced the new Defender would undergo testing next January in North America, prior to its 2020 launch date.

The 2020 Land Rover Defender. [Photo: Land Rover]

In testing the 2020 Land Rover Defender, engineers plan to subject the vehicle to on- and off-road tests at high elevation, as well as extreme temperatures ranging from -40 to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the company’s release. Apart from the testing regimen and statements this will be the most capable Land Rover yet, we don’t have too much official information yet. No word on powertrains, pricing, nor do we have un-camouflaged photos at this point. However, these give us a much better idea of what the new model will look like, and we can infer a few different points from its reveal.

The good? The 2020 Land Rover Defender retains the boxy shape that made the previous model an icon of the brand. This particular prototype is a four-door model — naturally aligning the Defender with the rest of the brand’s lineup. There will almost certainly be a two-door version, but whether we’ll get it in the U.S. isn’t a dead lock just yet.

One controversial point of the 2020 Land Rover Defender is its suspension. In the spy shots we’ve seen as well as Land Rover’s official media, it seems the Defender has dropped its solid-axle suspension for a fully independent setup. If that makes it through to production, that will likely turn off some die-hard off-roading and Defender enthusiasts. We’ll know more about the 2020 Land Rover Defender in the coming months as we get closer to its reveal. Land Rover did not officially announce a reveal date just yet, but we know it will be sometime in 2019.

Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more updates!