Land Rover Defender, from Deauville to Dakar
- Published on 11/01/2025 10:42
- Modified on 23/09/2025 13:49
Child of the most upscale seaside resorts, the new Defender will step out of its comfort zone to face the dunes of Dakar.
It is not an offense to the Land Rover Defender to acknowledge that since its launch, its reputation has been more about caviar and champagne on the Deauville promenade than survival ration in the desert. This observation does nothing to diminish the exceptional off-road capabilities of a model that has managed to reinvent itself without losing its DNA.
But the time has come for our adventurer to get a bit tougher. Land Rover makes a bold bet by entering the Defender into the Dakar Rally starting in 2026, a legendary event where even the slightest technical weakness can be costly. Facing market benchmarks like Toyota, it will be necessary to demonstrate resilient endurance and not break down within the first kilometers in the dunes.
The British manufacturer has confirmed an official three-year program, with two vehicles competing in the five rounds of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) and a third car added for Dakar, the flagship event. The Defender will compete in the “Stock” category, reserved for serial vehicles. The new technical and sporting rules of this category, in effect from 2026, will be the best way to prove the value of a new model that carries a heavy legacy.
Built on an aluminum monocoque architecture D7x, three times stiffer than a traditional chassis, the Defender boasts a design tailored to face the extreme conditions of Dakar. Land Rover is already preparing the field during the 2025 edition currently taking place. A fleet of 20 Defenders is deployed to transport officials and VIP media. Additionally, six specially equipped models will contribute to reconnaissance of the courses for future editions.
The challenge is significant: demonstrating that the Defender can compete with already well-established vehicles in rally-raid scenes. If Land Rover manages to turn this ambition into success, it will mark a turning point for the model. But any misstep could be costly in terms of image…
This page is translated from the original post "Land Rover Defender, de Deauville au Dakar" in French.
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