2023 Land Rover Defender 80: Is the British brand set to launch Suzuki Jimny and Ford Bronco-rivalling baby SUV?

Land Rover has long talked about the idea of creating a ‘family’ of Defender models - and it seems a new baby is due in the near-future. A new, smaller version of the popular off-roader is tipped to launch within the next two years and expected to be known as the Defender 80.

As the name implies it will slot beneath the three-door Defender 90 and five-door Defender 110 in an expanded line-up for Land Rover. This would give the British brand an entrant into the booming compact SUV market, pitching it as an alternative to the likes of the Suzuki Jimny as well as the BMW X1 and Volvo XC40.

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It will feature the trademark utilitarian look of a Defender, albeit in a smaller package. It’s part of a wider plan to expand the ‘Defender’ nameplate into a family of models, with a larger, more luxurious Defender 130 also rumoured to be on the way.

Land Rover hasn’t publicly revealed any details about the project, but there have been several reports from Europe that indicate what we can expect.

4x4 no more?

A smaller Defender might lose its four-wheel drive.

There have been varying reports on what Land Rover will base this new model on, with some indicating it will use a shrunken version of the Defender 90 platform while others state it will be based on the Tata Harrier. The latter makes sense from a cost point-of-view, with Land Rover’s Indian parent company able to take advantage of an existing platform to save money on its development.

However, given Land Rover’s premium image, using a smaller version of the existing Defender’s underpinnings would make for a more polished finished product, more in keeping with the brand’s reputation.

Whichever platform sits underneath this new model it’s possible it could ditch one of Land Rover’s most iconic features - four-wheel drive. While still very much a rumour at this stage, at least initially, the Defender 80 is tipped to arrive as a front-wheel-drive model. While very much not ‘on brand’, going two-wheel drive would save weight and complexity to create a more affordable model that will appeal to the urban-based clientele Land Rover is chasing.

Die-hard’s need not worry that Land Rover is completely abandoning its roots though, with four-wheel drive definitely likely to be an option if it isn’t standard.

New baby, same heart

The Evoque's plug-in hybrid system could make its way into the Defender.

Motivation for this new model is expected to come from the ‘Ingenium’ family of engines that most Land Rovers these days. The relatively new 1.5-litre three-cylinder plug-in hybrid seems like the most likely option given its compact size.

This petrol-electric hybrid makes either 118kW or 147kW (depending on the tune) from the internal combustion engine with 80kW of performance available from the electric motor. It’s currently available in Land Rover’s smallest models, the Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport, making its use in the Defender 80 a very strong possibility.

The larger 2.0-litre four-cylinder Ingenium motors are also an option, being available in various states of tune, from 147kW for a single-turbo version up to 297kW for the twin-turbo hybrid version in the Defender 110 P400e.

Coming soon

The Defender 80 could arrive in 2023.

Exact timing for the arrival of this new ‘Baby Defender’ isn’t locked in, as the brand is engaged in an wide-ranging overhaul and expansion of its line-up. With the all-new Range Rover launched in 2021 attention now turns to the next generation Range Rover Sport, which is expected to hit the road in 2023.

An all-electric version of the Range Rover is due in 2024, while the long-rumoured ‘Road Rover’ is tipped for a 2025 launch.

So where does that leave the Defender 80? Well, initial reports back in 2020 suggested it was on course for a 2023 arrival. The pandemic and focus on other models may push that back a year or two, but this new addition to the family is coming sooner rather than later.