Updated Land Rover Defender gets new off-road tech

MY26 changes bring little change to the outside, but the latest Adaptive Terrain system is finally onboard

Land Rover sold over 100,000 Defenders worldwide in 2024. That makes it overwhelmingly JLR’s biggest seller, a feat all the more impressive given its five years on the market already (yep, it’s really been that long). Such pent-up demand and a design razor-sharp enough to live up to the hype have clearly kept orders bubbling – enough to keep this facelift exceedingly mild.

Welcome to the 2026 Model Year Defender and the trickiest game of spot the difference you’ve played in a long while. The most obvious exterior tweaks are a bunch of new colours, including smart Sargasso Blue for the only-just-launched Defender OCTA, plus new seven-spoke wheels to help vacuum up some of the visual weight from the XXL Defender 130.

Land Rover also talks about new lighting front and rear, with the key tweak being the rear lights now sitting flush with the bodywork behind darker lenses – presumably to mirror some of the ‘hidden taillight’ feel of the latest Range Rover. New textured plates on the bonnet and side vents further extend their rounded-off square motif.

It's beneath the skin where the more interesting news lies. Adaptive Off-Road Cruise Control, a debutant on the Range Rover Sport a couple of years ago, is finally available on the Defender – a car in which you’re more likely to embrace it.

It evolves upon the existing All Terrain Progress Control system by letting you set a desired comfort level alongside your speed, “improving composure off-road while reducing driver effort,” according to the bumf. Those who adore their rickety old Series IIs may well be even less enamoured by the latest Defender on that evidence – but the rest of us might gain fresh confidence to actually traverse rougher tracks in one.

There’s also a new Driver Attention Monitor, which points a camera at your face and berates any eyes that stray from the road ahead. Great for stopping rogue TikTokers on the move, but less exciting for those already alert who simply wish to fiddle with the air con. Its surveillance can be both adjusted or disabled, mind you, which may prove helpful when there’s a massive new 13.1-inch touchscreen to figure out, its display large enough to elbow the automatic gear selector into a revised position.

A further nod to tech includes tweaked cubby holes with ‘cable routing’ solutions to avoid phone wires traipsing across muddy floor mats. All Defenders bar the almighty 635hp OCTA continue to offer three-abreast front seating as an option, while the Defender 130 now gets an optional integrated air compressor to more readily tweak tyre pressures mid-adventure.

And that’s kind of it. A mite more off-roading nous for those planning to deviate from the tarmac; extra bling on the options list for those that won’t. The most successful cars invite the most subtle facelifts, after all. MY26 Defender prices start at £57,135 in the UK.

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ChrisCh86

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