This is the new Land Rover Defender. An icon reimagined for the 21^st century, it has been cleverly engineered with capability and safety for all the family at its heart.

Beside the peerless luxury and refinement of the Range Rover family and the highly capable and versatile Discovery SUVs, new Defender completes the Land Rover dynasty. The Defender 110 is just the start for this family of the most capable and durable 4x4s in the world. It will be swiftly followed by a short wheelbase 90, before a pair of practical commercial models join the lineup in 2020.

A distinctive silhouette makes the new Defender instantly recognisable, with minimal front and rear overhangs providing excellent approach and departure angles.

Land Rover's designers re-envisioned familiar Defender trademarks for the 21^st century, giving the new 4x4 a purposeful upright stance and Alpine light windows in the roof, while retaining the side-hinged rear tailgate and externally-mounted spare wheel that make the original so identifiable.

The stripped-back personality of the original Defender has also been embraced inside, where structural elements and fixings usually hidden from view have been exposed, retaining the emphasis on simplicity and practicality.

Innovative features include a dash-mounted gear shifter to accommodate an optional central front 'jump' seat, which provides three-abreast seating across the front like early Land Rovers.

As a result, the Defender 110 offers five, six or 5+2 seating configurations, with a cargo space behind the second row of seats of up to 1,075 litres, and as much as 2,380 litres when the second row is folded. The 90 meanwhile will be able to accommodate six occupants in a vehicle the length of a compact family hatchback.

Land Rover's new purpose-engineered D7x architecture is 95% new and based on a lightweight aluminium monocoque construction to create the stiffest body structure Land Rover has ever produced.

It is three times stiffer than traditional body-on-frame designs, providing perfect foundations for the fully independent air or coil sprung suspension and will support the latest electrified powertrains.

The new body architecture provides a ground clearance of 291mm and world-class off-road geometry, giving the 110 approach, breakover and departure angles of 38, 28 and 40 degrees respectively. A maximum wading depth of 900mm is supported by a new Wade programme in the Terrain Response 2 system, which ensures drivers can ford deep water with complete confidence.

On dry land, Land Rover's advanced ClearSight Ground View technology helps drivers take full advantage of Defender's all-conquering capability by showing the area usually hidden by the bonnet, directly ahead of the front wheels, on the central touchscreen.

A choice of advanced petrol and cleaner diesel engines ensure the new Defender has the power, control and efficiency for any environment, while a plug-in hybrid electric powertrain will join the range next year, providing the prospect of silent EV-only progress.

At launch, the petrol lineup comprises a four-cylinder P300 and a powerful six-cylinder P400 featuring efficient mild hybrid technology. Alternatively, customers can choose from a pair of four-cylinder diesels - the D200 and the more powerful D240.