New Land Rover Defender To Star In Next James Bond Film 'No Time To Die'

A new video released by Jaguar Land Rover reveals that the recently unveiled new-gen Land Rover Defender will be staring in the upcoming James Bond film - No Time To Die. The new behind the scene video, which appears to be of an elaborate chase stunt sequence in the wilderness, has several Defender SUVs being used for some off-road stunts, with professional stunt drivers behind the wheel. Given the fact that all these Defenders have been completely coloured in a shade of matte black (the official 'Bad Guy' colour) in the movie, the SUVs are likely to be a part of the antagonist's fleet, possibly chasing agent 007.

The Land Rover Defender is seen doing intensive off-road stunts for the movie

Land Rover says that while shooting the sequence for the new James Bond movie, the Defender faced "its toughest challenge yet, proving its unstoppable nature". Rightly so, we see the Land Rover Defender doing some fast and tricky off-road manoeuvres, going airborne through some tough obstacles, rolling downhill, and whatnot. While the SUVs used for the stunts are claimed to be largely in stock condition, we do see that these Defenders come with sequential gearbox with a long shifter lever, similar to what you see on rally cars, and even a roll cage for protection. In the video, the stunt coordinator of the movie Lee Morison says, "We knew if we were going to try and achieve something off-road, straightaway, it had to be the new Defender, which everyone was eagerly waiting for."

Also Read: 2020 Land Rover Defender: All You Need To Know

The Land Rover Defender going airborne through some tough obstacles during the filming of the stunt sequence

Expected to be launched sometime in 2020, in India, the new-gen Land Rover Defender comes in both short- and long-wheelbase options - 3-door Defender 90 and 5-door Defender 110, respectively. India, however, is likely to get only the latter. Based on an all-new platform called the D7X, it's the first Defender to be built on a monocoque chassis, but Land Rover says it is the stiffest chassis they have ever designed and is three times stiffer than a body-on-ladder frame. Visually, the SUV retains the boxy proportions of the original Defender, but the design and styling are very much modern in all aspects. So, the character lines are smoother and the edged have been curved out. The SUV sports LED headlamps with LED DRLs, heavy-duty bumpers, beefy cladding all around, and two-tone roof option.

Also Read: 2020 Land Rover Defender Spotted in India

The 2020 Land Rover Defender retains the boxy silhouette from the original while adapting design language from the DC100 concept

The new Defender also comes with fully independent air and coil spring suspension, a maximum payload of 900 kg, 900 mm wading depth, towing capacity of 3720 kg and Land Rover's most advanced Configurable Terrain Response 2 system to optimize traction and complement all the mechanicals. It can also raise itself by 145 mm when going off-road and then automatically levels itself on the tarmac to maintain the driving dynamics.

Under the hood, the new Land Rover Defender comes with three engine options, including newly developed 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines which come mated to the eight-speed automatic transmission. There is also a 3.0-litre, six-cylinder plug-in hybrid engine will also join the line up at a later date.