After 68 years, 2015 marks the final year of U.K. production of the Land Rover Defender,and Land Rover is celebrating its iconic off-roader with a limited run of three different special editions of the Defender. Called Autobiography, Heritage, and Adventure, these models will be available in limited numbers and will be available only in the U.K. starting this spring.

The Autobiography edition Defender is a luxury-focused version of the usually rugged and utilitarian SUV, featuring a full Windsor leather interior, with upgraded aluminum interior accents, including the dials and climate controls. While all three special editions are powered by Land Rover’s 2.2 liter four-cylinder diesel engine, the Autobiography edition features a healthy power and torque boost, going from 120 hp to 148 hp, and 265 ft lbs to 295 ft lbs of torque. The Autobiography is available with special, dual-color paint options, and is only available in the Defender 90 Station Wagon layout. Pricing begins at £61,845 ($93,536) and is limited to a scant 80 units.

For those Land Rover enthusiasts seeking nostalgia, the Heritage Edition Defender is a retro-inspired special edition aimed at evoking the earliest days of the icon. Available only in the legendary Grasmere Green with a contrasting Alaska White roof, the Heritage Edition features a retro front grille with classic Land Rover badging, and unique “HUE 166” side graphics, a reference to the registration plate on the very first production Defender, nicknamed ‘Huey’, in 1948. The Heritage Edition is shod with heavy-duty steel wheels, and features a few upgraded leather trimmings on the interior. The Heritage Edition can be had as a Defender 90 Hard Top, a Defender 90 Station Wagon, and a Defender 110 Station Wagon. Pricing starts at £27,800 ($42,045), and is limited to 400 units.

The Adventure Edition Defender is the most capable of the new commemorative trio. Fitted with additional underbody protection for rocky terrain and large Goodyear MT/R all-terrain tires, the Adventure Edition also comes standard with the Defender Expedition roof rack, snorkel, and rear-access ladder. Those wishing to continue the off-road fun after the sun sets will be happy to know the Adventure Edition comes with upgraded Projector LED headlamps, and the Defender ‘Bright’ lighting package. The Adventure Edition shares some features with the luxury-focused Autobiography Edition as well, with the full Windsor leather interior upholstery package, and the same power bump for Adventure Edition Defender 90 Station Wagons. This package is available on the Defender 90 Station Wagon, and Defender 110 Station Wagon variants. Prices for the Adventure Edition begin at £43,495 ($65,783), and will be limited to 600 units.
The company also performed an interesting stunt to honor the end of the incredible 68-year production run. Land Rover created a one-kilometer outline of a Defender in the sands of Red Wharf Bay, where in 1948, Maurice Wilks sketched the first outline of what came to be known as the Defender into the beach sand. Six Defenders from various model generations towed 12-foot-wide agricultural harrows in a coordinated pattern, resulting in the largest sand drawing ever made in the U.K.
While production of the Land Rover Defender is coming to a close in the U.K., the manufacturer has stated it is looking into the possibility of extending the Defender lineup for overseas production, in non-European or American markets. Facing stringent regulations in Europe, a continuation of the Defender would only see production and sale in outside markets, with India as a primary option.

Source AutoMobileMAg

After 68 years, 2015 marks the final year of U.K. production of the Land Rover Defender,and Land Rover is celebrating its iconic off-roader with a limited run of three different special editions of the Defender. Called Autobiography, Heritage, and Adventure, these models will be available in limited numbers and will be available only in the U.K. starting this spring.

The Autobiography edition Defender is a luxury-focused version of the usually rugged and utilitarian SUV, featuring a full Windsor leather interior, with upgraded aluminum interior accents, including the dials and climate controls. While all three special editions are powered by Land Rover’s 2.2 liter four-cylinder diesel engine, the Autobiography edition features a healthy power and torque boost, going from 120 hp to 148 hp, and 265 ft lbs to 295 ft lbs of torque. The Autobiography is available with special, dual-color paint options, and is only available in the Defender 90 Station Wagon layout. Pricing begins at £61,845 ($93,536) and is limited to a scant 80 units.

For those Land Rover enthusiasts seeking nostalgia, the Heritage Edition Defender is a retro-inspired special edition aimed at evoking the earliest days of the icon. Available only in the legendary Grasmere Green with a contrasting Alaska White roof, the Heritage Edition features a retro front grille with classic Land Rover badging, and unique “HUE 166” side graphics, a reference to the registration plate on the very first production Defender, nicknamed ‘Huey’, in 1948. The Heritage Edition is shod with heavy-duty steel wheels, and features a few upgraded leather trimmings on the interior. The Heritage Edition can be had as a Defender 90 Hard Top, a Defender 90 Station Wagon, and a Defender 110 Station Wagon. Pricing starts at £27,800 ($42,045), and is limited to 400 units.

The Adventure Edition Defender is the most capable of the new commemorative trio. Fitted with additional underbody protection for rocky terrain and large Goodyear MT/R all-terrain tires, the Adventure Edition also comes standard with the Defender Expedition roof rack, snorkel, and rear-access ladder. Those wishing to continue the off-road fun after the sun sets will be happy to know the Adventure Edition comes with upgraded Projector LED headlamps, and the Defender ‘Bright’ lighting package. The Adventure Edition shares some features with the luxury-focused Autobiography Edition as well, with the full Windsor leather interior upholstery package, and the same power bump for Adventure Edition Defender 90 Station Wagons. This package is available on the Defender 90 Station Wagon, and Defender 110 Station Wagon variants. Prices for the Adventure Edition begin at £43,495 ($65,783), and will be limited to 600 units.
The company also performed an interesting stunt to honor the end of the incredible 68-year production run. Land Rover created a one-kilometer outline of a Defender in the sands of Red Wharf Bay, where in 1948, Maurice Wilks sketched the first outline of what came to be known as the Defender into the beach sand. Six Defenders from various model generations towed 12-foot-wide agricultural harrows in a coordinated pattern, resulting in the largest sand drawing ever made in the U.K.
While production of the Land Rover Defender is coming to a close in the U.K., the manufacturer has stated it is looking into the possibility of extending the Defender lineup for overseas production, in non-European or American markets. Facing stringent regulations in Europe, a continuation of the Defender would only see production and sale in outside markets, with India as a primary option.

Source AutoMobileMAg

The new Land Rover Discovery Sport fills the hole left by the departing Freelander. Sort of. Land Rover is adamant that this is an incremental new model, but its price, size and positioning suggests it is the entry-level Landie for now. Until the new Defender replacement arrives in 2016, at least.
You'll enjoy seven seats in the Discovery Sport, though, hinting at its Discovery-ish practicality imbued from day one on a clean sheet of paper. While Range Rovers will add luxury and sparkle and – let’s be honest – a degree of bling to proceedings, humble Land Rovers will stick a healthy dollop of practicality and family-friendliness into the equation in future.
So take note of 2015’s new Disco Sport. It tells us a lot about where Land Rover is heading. Read on for our first full Discovery Sport review.

First drive of the Land Rover Discovery Sport 2.2 SD4

We test a mid-ranking Sport rolling on 19in wheels; it looks good on first acquaintance, with a clear bloodline to cars such as the Evoque, which has been so successful for the coffers of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in recent years.
The two are related under the skin, too. The Sport uses Evoque running gear, with the same engine, transmission and Haldex centre coupling, controlled by the same Terrain Response system. Later in 2015 new inhouse Ingenium engines will arrive, but for now we test the single motor available, the familiar PSA-Ford-JLR turbodiesel.
The 187bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine and nine-speed automatic gearbox are strong, mostly smooth and slick, the car riding well on the Icelandic test routes of our first drive. We’ve yet to drive the car in the UK and will update this Discovery Sport review with further updates in due course.
We like the size, too; driving many full-size Land Rovers can feel a chore in modern Britain – a Disco or Range Rover is too big for many roads and daily drives. While the new Discovery Sport is around 9cm longer than the outgoing Freelander 2, it’s also a few millimetres narrower and lower, and that helps it feel nimble and compact on the road.
A Chelsea tractor, it is not.

Inside the cabin of the Discovery Sport

The interior of the Disco Sport is supposed to be a family-friendly retreat, and this is our first chance to assess Land Rover’s success in the cabin design outside the flashbulbed environs of a motor show.
The dashboard will scare nobody used to modern LR cockpits: it’s upright and simple with a pleasing Tonka Toy simplicity to the controls. There’s a strong linearity to the design – the central touchscreen forming a horizontal band across the dash and instruments, while most secondary controls are in the upright centre console, where large, plain buttons predominate.
It’s only when you’re sitting in the Discovery Sport that you appreciate the quality of the thing. This is a very well built car, one of the most beautifully finished cabins we’ve seen in this sector in ages. The materials are well chosen and pleasing to touch; the rotary dials operate with deft precision; the plump leather upholstery sitting cheek-by-jowl with chunky rubber mats in our test car in Iceland.
It’s nice to be reminded that you could hose them down with a farmyard jet wash, even if most owners won't. Isn’t that at the heart of the appeal of a Land Rover?

Is it a proper family car?

Inside the Discovery Sport is roomy, but it’s also intimate, like you’re driving a normal family car rather than a barge.
The back seats of the Discovery Sport slide on a rail, so you can push the middle bench back for proper limo-style legroom, and there’s the third row of course, though on this trip seat #6 and #7 are redundant and trapped under a rubber mat. They’re pretty small and best left to young children.

Is the Discovery Sport a proper Land Rover?

You bet. We’ve taken our Range Rover Evoque off-road in a previous long-term test (see more here) and you can check out an extreme off-roading tale in the new Discovery Sport in the next issue of CAR magazine, the January 2015 edition.

Suffice to say the axle articulation and four-wheel drive hardware standard on all Disco Sports at launch (FWD models to follow) will get you to more places than a rival Volvo XC60 or BMW X3 ever would. Unlike the newer Range Rovers, there is no ‘Auto’ setting for the Terrain Response.
With aluminium wings, bonnet, roof and tailgate, it’s 700kg lighter than the standard Disco 4, which helps keep momentum up on soft and boggy ground.

Verdict

It’s hard to envisage any reasons why the Land Rover Discovery Sport won’t sell well. Yes, styling may be slightly generic for some and some users may still balk at the launch engine’s mid-ranking CO2 (166g/km) and economy (44.8mpg) claims beaten by the Germans. But on first impressions the Disco Sport is an incredibly well rounded package.

The new Land Rover Discovery Sport fills the hole left by the departing Freelander. Sort of. Land Rover is adamant that this is an incremental new model, but its price, size and positioning suggests it is the entry-level Landie for now. Until the new Defender replacement arrives in 2016, at least.
You'll enjoy seven seats in the Discovery Sport, though, hinting at its Discovery-ish practicality imbued from day one on a clean sheet of paper. While Range Rovers will add luxury and sparkle and – let’s be honest – a degree of bling to proceedings, humble Land Rovers will stick a healthy dollop of practicality and family-friendliness into the equation in future.
So take note of 2015’s new Disco Sport. It tells us a lot about where Land Rover is heading. Read on for our first full Discovery Sport review.

First drive of the Land Rover Discovery Sport 2.2 SD4

We test a mid-ranking Sport rolling on 19in wheels; it looks good on first acquaintance, with a clear bloodline to cars such as the Evoque, which has been so successful for the coffers of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) in recent years.
The two are related under the skin, too. The Sport uses Evoque running gear, with the same engine, transmission and Haldex centre coupling, controlled by the same Terrain Response system. Later in 2015 new inhouse Ingenium engines will arrive, but for now we test the single motor available, the familiar PSA-Ford-JLR turbodiesel.
The 187bhp 2.2-litre diesel engine and nine-speed automatic gearbox are strong, mostly smooth and slick, the car riding well on the Icelandic test routes of our first drive. We’ve yet to drive the car in the UK and will update this Discovery Sport review with further updates in due course.
We like the size, too; driving many full-size Land Rovers can feel a chore in modern Britain – a Disco or Range Rover is too big for many roads and daily drives. While the new Discovery Sport is around 9cm longer than the outgoing Freelander 2, it’s also a few millimetres narrower and lower, and that helps it feel nimble and compact on the road.
A Chelsea tractor, it is not.

Inside the cabin of the Discovery Sport

The interior of the Disco Sport is supposed to be a family-friendly retreat, and this is our first chance to assess Land Rover’s success in the cabin design outside the flashbulbed environs of a motor show.
The dashboard will scare nobody used to modern LR cockpits: it’s upright and simple with a pleasing Tonka Toy simplicity to the controls. There’s a strong linearity to the design – the central touchscreen forming a horizontal band across the dash and instruments, while most secondary controls are in the upright centre console, where large, plain buttons predominate.
It’s only when you’re sitting in the Discovery Sport that you appreciate the quality of the thing. This is a very well built car, one of the most beautifully finished cabins we’ve seen in this sector in ages. The materials are well chosen and pleasing to touch; the rotary dials operate with deft precision; the plump leather upholstery sitting cheek-by-jowl with chunky rubber mats in our test car in Iceland.
It’s nice to be reminded that you could hose them down with a farmyard jet wash, even if most owners won't. Isn’t that at the heart of the appeal of a Land Rover?

Is it a proper family car?

Inside the Discovery Sport is roomy, but it’s also intimate, like you’re driving a normal family car rather than a barge.
The back seats of the Discovery Sport slide on a rail, so you can push the middle bench back for proper limo-style legroom, and there’s the third row of course, though on this trip seat #6 and #7 are redundant and trapped under a rubber mat. They’re pretty small and best left to young children.

Is the Discovery Sport a proper Land Rover?

You bet. We’ve taken our Range Rover Evoque off-road in a previous long-term test (see more here) and you can check out an extreme off-roading tale in the new Discovery Sport in the next issue of CAR magazine, the January 2015 edition.

Suffice to say the axle articulation and four-wheel drive hardware standard on all Disco Sports at launch (FWD models to follow) will get you to more places than a rival Volvo XC60 or BMW X3 ever would. Unlike the newer Range Rovers, there is no ‘Auto’ setting for the Terrain Response.
With aluminium wings, bonnet, roof and tailgate, it’s 700kg lighter than the standard Disco 4, which helps keep momentum up on soft and boggy ground.

Verdict

It’s hard to envisage any reasons why the Land Rover Discovery Sport won’t sell well. Yes, styling may be slightly generic for some and some users may still balk at the launch engine’s mid-ranking CO2 (166g/km) and economy (44.8mpg) claims beaten by the Germans. But on first impressions the Disco Sport is an incredibly well rounded package.