Land Rover Defender updated for 2026… without a proper facelift

In September of this year it will be six years since the reveal of the L663 Land Rover Defender. The model’s been through a lot in that time, with the 130 joining the 110 and 90 models and the V8 and the flagship SV-developed 626bhp Octa joining the lineup, as well as PHEV variants. Hell, Defender has even graduated from a model in the Land Rover lineup, to a brand all of its own. What’s yet to come, is a significant facelift. It’s not coming today either, with the reveal of this slightly revised car.

So what will the buyers of 26MY Defenders be getting over previous versions? Outside, new spec options including Borasco grey and Woolstone green paint, very gently revised lighting and a new seven-speed alloy wheel option. The Defender Octa gets more customisation options too, with a Patagonia White matte wrap option. You can also now order forged carbon exterior and interior trim. It’s claimed the front and rear lights are modestly revised but truthfully, they’re detail changes you wouldn’t notice without having the cars side by side.

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Inside, you’ll see a new slightly odd-looking box through the steering wheel, on the column. That’s the new driver monitoring system, complete with a camera, to make sure you’re paying attention. The alerts can be switched off in the driver assistance menu. Look to the left and you’ll see a much larger, 13.1-inch curved infotainment screen that reaches all the way down to the climate control panel. We wonder if the ergonomics will be a bit odd, given the gear selector is mounted on that same panel and therefore, now obscures some of the larger screen.

A new feature for the Defender is adaptive off-road cruise control, which can manage the car’s speed when off the beaten track without any driver input, so the driver can concentrate on steering. A bit like a GT3 RS managing throttle and braking on track, it sounds like it takes a bit of fun and interaction out of the activity. The feature isn’t available on Defender OCTA, which should be no great loss to its buyers.

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The OCTA does however get the option of a 4500kg-rated winch, which has its own chopped carbon cover. The 130 meanwhile can now be had with an on-board air compressor, for in situ reinflation of the tyres. If you’re wondering why you might choose to let your tyres down, it’s a well-known way of increasing available traction in slow, off-road situations, most commonly sand dunes.

The updated Defender is on sale now, with prices starting from £57,135. As for when we’ll see a proper fully-fledged facelift of the Defender? As aforementioned, it’s getting on. The thing is, it doesn’t matter much. Almost six years on, JLR are selling as many as they can build. With the half-million unit mark well clear, JLR built over 115,000 Defenders between March 2024 and March 2025. No rival has yet materialised either, to best the Defender as it is on raw style or indeed utility, unless you’re happy to suffer the agricultural four-cylinder in the new Toyota Land Cruiser. A facelift will come sooner rather than later but the market surely doesn’t need the impulse facelifts are traditionally intended to deliver.