Land Rover Defender HardTop Commercial Model Confirmed: Launch Scheduled For Later This Year

The new Land Rover Defender Hard Top will be part of the brand's rugged 4x4 series and will be used for commercial purposes. The Defender 90 and 110 Hard Top models will offer its customers a combination of 21st technology connectivity, with the brand's unstoppable off-road capabilities, along with cargo space, practicality and premium comfort.

The Land Rover Defender Hard Top models are being developed by the brand's Special Vehicle Operations (SVO). This will allow both Hard Top models to deliver unmatched durability, toughness and practicality. The Defender also uses an aluminium D7x body architecture, which claims to be three times stiffer than any other body-on-frame design.

Michael van der Sande, Managing Director, Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, said:

"We will maximise the functionality and usability of New Defender's cargo area, with tough materials and clever storage solutions to ensure it surpasses the capability of any previous Defender Hard Top."

Nick Collins, Land Rover Vehicle Line Director, said:

"New Defender 90 and 110 Hard Top will be the toughest, most capable and most connected commercial 4x4s we have ever produced. They have been engineered to meet global safety standards and deliver impressive long-haul comfort, giving businesses and professionals the best of all worlds."

The Land Rover Defender Hard Top models are also said to offer an impressive payload and towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms, making it the ultimate commercial 4x4. The Hard Top models will also come devoid of the second and third-row of seating. However, Land Rover will offer the Defender Hard Top models with jump seats in the front-row, allowing for comfortable seating of three passengers.

Apart from these updates and changes, the new Land Rover Defender Hard Top models will also receive a host of technology features, driving assistance programs and other technology features and equipment as well.

The ‘Hard Top' moniker brings back the nameplate from the 1950s when the original models were first introduced. The original models were early series Land Rover SUVs with demountable Hard Tops, which gave passengers a sense of added security and protection from surrounding elements. Although the new-generation Hard Top models come with a fixed metal roof, it still manages to carry forward the same ethos as the original.

Thoughts On The Land Rover Defender 90 & 110 Hard Top Models

Land Rover first introduced the latest iteration of the iconic Defender SUV back in September last year. Both the 90 and 110 models in the range have been received extremely well around the globe, including the Indian market. Now, the Defender range is set to soon be extended with the addition of the ‘Hard Top' commercial models in its lineup.