Having rolled-out a series of upgrades just over 12 months ago, JLR South Africa has introduced further updates to the Defender range.

Applicable to the 90, 110 and 130 variants, the changes extend beyond cosmetics to include the arrival of a new powertrain.

Externally, two new colours can now be specified: Namib orange and Patagonia white matte wrap. Both are trim-grade specific.

 Namib orange can only be ordered on the S, X-Dynamic SE, X-Dynamic HSE and X derivatives of the 90 and 110.

Meanwhile, the new matte white finish is available across all body styles, but only on X, V8 and OCTA trim levels.

Enhanced exterior input for the X-Dynamic SE, X-Dynamic HSE and V8, a new extended exterior pack adds the following:

• Shadow atlas matte front and rear bumpers
• A body-coloured spare wheel cover
• A roof spoiler

This pack offers a choice of four alloy wheel designs: 20-inch gloss black, 20-inch dark satin grey, 20-inch diamond-turned gloss dark grey and a 22-inch gloss black. In addition, three new accessory packages have been made available: the expedition roof light, adventure pack and urban pack.

New for the Trophy Introduced to South Africa at the beginning of the year, the Trophy Edition sees a change in colour, with Santorini black replacing Keswick green. Inspired by the hue used on the original camel trophy vehicles, deep Sandglow yellow remains the alternative colour option.

Fresh hues and cabin trims

The departure of Keswick green means the Trophy’s interior trim, for models finished in Santorini black, now features caraway Windsor leather, an ebony Morzine roofliner and a dashboard crossbeam finished in a black powder coat.

Opting for the Sandglow exterior brings the same roofliner and leather upholstery as standard, but with the crossbeam finished in a matching deep Sandglow yellow powder coat.

A third option, regardless of the exterior colour, is light cloud Windsor leather, a light cloud Morzine roofliner and a light cloud powder-coated crossbeam.

Finally, the range-topping OCTA gains a new colour called Woolstone Green, while the OCTA Black can be outfitted with an optional carbon-fibre exterior pack. A black rear-door spoiler is standard on both variants.

Six-seat option for the 110

 While the interior design remains unchanged, all 110 models now offer the option of a six-seat layout. This 2+2+2 configuration features a pair of captain’s chairs in the second row that can recline and include individual cupholders and armrests.

New straight-six petrol engine

The final addition is on the performance front with the debut of the mild-hybrid P380 powertrain. Positioned below the V8-engined P425, the 3.0l turbocharged straight-six Ingenium petrol engine develops 280kW and 550N.m. While no further details were revealed, it is expected to be paired with the existing eight-speed automatic gearbox.

 Pricing for the updated Defender range starts at R1 613 000, which includes a five-year/100 000km maintenance plan and an eight-year/100 000km battery warranty on the plug-in hybrid P400e.

Breaking news at your fingertips… Follow Caxton Network News on Facebook and join our WhatsApp channel.

Nuus wat saakmaak. Volg Caxton Netwerk-nuus op Facebook en sluit aan by ons WhatsApp-kanaal.