The 2012MY Land Rover Defender was revealed today and according to the British manufacturer the most important modification is the addition of the new EU5 2.2-litre diesel engine. This engine replaces the EU4 2.4-litre diesel, and delivers 122PS@3,500 rpm and 360Nm@2,000rpm. With these numbers, the 2012 Land Rover Defender can sprint from 0 to 60 mph or 96 km/h in 14.7 seconds and has a top speed of 90 mph or 144 km/h. The engine is mated to the same GFT MT 82 six-speed gearbox found on the current model due to its excellent ratio spread, high top gear for cruising and enhanced low-speed crawl capability.
For those who don’t know, the Land Rover Defender received a major upgrade back in 2007, which included a new facia and six-speed manual transmission. The 2012MY Defender comes with five new option packs, new alloy wheels, ventilated discs on all variants and a number of detail improvements to the interior. Moreover, three speed-limiting options will be available. According to the manufacturer, the new option packs introduced on the new model offer more bespoke combinations including, for the first time, part leather seats and leather steering wheel across the model range.
These are the option packs: 1. Comfort Pack – this includes Air conditioning, CD Player with auxiliary input and convenience pack; 2. Interior Pack - Brunel grille and headlamp surrounds, body coloured roof, wheel arches and side runners; 3. Interior Pack- Carpeted floors, high line cubby, part leather seats and leather steering wheel. Rear stowage net is included in Station Wagons and Hard Tops and the roof appointment pack is included in 90 Hard Tops; 4. Leather Pack-Part leather seats and leather steering wheel are available on all body styles for the first time; 5. Off-Road Pack- ABS, heavy duty rim and MTR tyre, tow ball and under-ride protection bar. Furthermore, in response to customer feedback, Land Rover will offer a plain black Pick Up hood will be available as an option, while a plain beige hood will be introduced for the 110 Double Cab Pick Up. Other improvements for the 2012MY Defender are the addition of tinted glass on all models and the option of part leather seats. A new gloss black, Saw Tooth alloy wheel with MTR tyre is also being introduced as an option on Station Wagon and Hard Top body styles.
