Land Rover is working on a smaller version of its massively popular Defender, a compact SUV that could be called Defender Sport. But a smaller Defender means a smaller trunk, and it looks like Land Rover has come up with a new solution to expand storage options.

New spy shots taken close to JLR’s Nurburgring base show the baby Defender with a strange-looking rectangular box bolted to the outside of the side-hinged rear door. It’s the wrong shape to be hiding a conventional spare wheel, something we saw on a different prototype earlier this month. And the fact that’s not covered in camouflage suggests Land Rover wants us to notice it and ask questions.

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We’re sure that the box we can see in these pics is only there to hide what’s underneath, and won’t actually be available on the Defender Sport when it goes on sale next year. But if that’s the case, what is underneath? One possibility is that there’s a dedicated box for a charging cable, like the Design box Mercedes offers for its slow-selling electric G-Class (below).

Cable storage is a bit of a problem on most EVs, especially ones without a frunk, and particularly if you carry a lot of other kit around in your trunk. The Mercedes Design box solves this problem, allowing you to easily access the cable from a box on the rear door that looks like a mini spare wheel, so fits with the rugged SUV design aesthetic.

But it’s possible Land Rover might choose a different look for its box, maybe one that replicates the look of the side panel boxes on the big Defender. And on cars without the rear-mounted spare wheel, which is heavy and saps range on an EV, Land Rover could potentially use that same box for a tire repair kit to at least continue the wheel theme.

Hybrid And Electric

Not all Defenders will even need a charging cable box, because although the EMA platform the baby Defender shares with the new Range Rover GT coupe was designed originally for EVs and features 800-volt electrics for speedy charging, it has since been modified to accept hybrid power. But unlike some premium SUV brands, this one won’t offer plug-in powertrains, focusing instead on conventional full hybrid tech.

That shift from electric to petrol-electric was essential for the SUV to succeed in the US, which is likely to be its biggest market. It’s a market where EV sales have sunk like a stone, but hybrid demand is on the rise. In Europe, on the other hand, where electric sales are hitting new heights, and one in every four new cars is electric, the EV version will be extremely popular.

But the Defender Sport won’t have the market all to itself. Because Mercedes is working on a shrunken G-Class in the same mould as Land Rover’s compact Defender. Like the baby Defender, the pocket G will be offered with both hybrid and electric powertrains. This time next year could have a real boxing match on our hands.

Baldauf

Land Rover’s baby Defender is back in front of our spy photographer’s lens, and you’d be forgiven for wondering what’s changed. The camouflage is still doing its job, the shape looks familiar, but there’s one very Defender-like detail we haven’t had such a good look at before. Yep, that’s a spare wheel hanging off the tailgate.

It might seem like a small detail, but the rear-mounted spare is a visual hallmark of both today’s Defender and the classic model that preceded it. Adding one to the compact SUV helps separate it from the endless stream of similarly sized premium crossovers, most of which have swapped spares for cans of tire foam in the pursuit of saving a few lbs – and a few g/km of CO2 as a result.

Same Bones As The Range Rover GT

SH Proshots

Unofficially dubbed the Defender Sport, though its true name is still under wraps, the newcomer goes in completely the opposite styling direction to JLR’s upcoming electric Range Rover GT. The pair share EMA architecture and running gear, but whereas the GT adopts a dramatically low, fastback profile, this SUV embraces an upright roof, squared-off tail and chunky proportions to maximize practicality and Defender attitude.

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The EMA platform was conceived around electric power, with an 800-volt electrical system and rapid charging. Previous prototypes have supported that story with blanked-off grilles and no visible exhausts, and this one appears to follow the same recipe.

Hybrid Option Added

SH Proshots

But times have changed, and so has JLR’s plan. It openly acknowledged that the rush toward EVs hasn’t happened as quickly as anticipated (especially in the crucial US market) and that hybrids have proved surprisingly popular. So it’s updated the EMA architecture to also work with hybrid (but not plug-in) powertrains.

Whatever powers it, the baby Defender should have some interesting company when it arrives, potentially in 2027. Mercedes is preparing its own smaller G-Class, giving buyers two compact interpretations of some seriously recognizable off-road machinery.

There’s another familiar name headed its way too. China’s Chery has revived the Freelander, although the new model isn’t a Land Rover despite borrowing a badge and design cues strongly associated with the British brand’s past. But you won’t get a rear-mounted spare on the Freelander…

SH Proshots

Range Rover is preparing to push the envelope with an all-new addition to the lineup called the GT. It’s an all-electric, off-road tourer that brings a sedan top with SUV pretences, making it the automaker’s fifth model behind the Evoque, Sport, Velar and Range Rover. It won’t cause the sort of uproar that greeted JLR’s upcoming Jaguar Type 01, but nobody at Gaydon is expecting a unanimous verdict on this one either.

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Its near sedan-coupe format leans into the more opulent, soft-road side of the brand, yet isn’t a direct replacement for the Velar, as some reports had previously suggested. Curious? Read on as we table all there is to know in the lead-up to its official reveal.

Party Up Top, Business Below

We’ve seen JLR’s official camouflaged prototype images, and now we have stripped back the covers to reveal something that’s halfway between a crossover and a fastback sedan. Up front, it sports a broad, shallow interpretation of Range Rover’s familiar grille, flanked by ultra-slim LED headlamps, while vertical outer intakes enforce a performance-orientated stance.

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In profile, it retains the lower visual bulk of other models in the lineup yet livens things up with a swept-back glasshouse, frameless windows, and a contrasting roof. Side surfacing is clean and simple with flush door handles and little in the way of excessive creases. At the rear, slim taillights merge with a gloss-black panel featuring spaced Range Rover lettering, and the dynamic look is finished off with a steeply raked tailgate.

A Minimalist Outlook

Range Rover has already provided a glimpse inside, revealing a minimalist 2+2 cabin with class-leading rear occupant space. The aesthetic is very much in the Polestar playbook, with horizontal lines and a heavy use of woven textures, which could upset those used to the usual swaths of leather, wood, and chrome. 

Front-seat occupants are greeted by a single central OLED touchscreen and a slim driver’s instrument cluster. Interestingly, its two-spoke steering wheel and stripped-back architecture echoes that of Jaguar’s all-new Type 01, although Range Rover takes a less radical approach. Expect expansive digital functionality with AI assistance, terrain-response off-road goodies, and augmented-reality navigation.

Electric Performance

Underpinned by the automaker’s new Electric Modular Architecture (EMA) platform, the GT will be an all-electric affair from launch, although, curiously, it could come in a hybrid format later.  

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Questions remain over powertrain specifications, yet we have a good idea of driving range based on shared prototype images, with 288 miles (463 km) at 80 per cent charge, which roughly translates to 360 miles to a full charge. Expect an 800-volt system with a 100-120 kWh battery and peak DC charging up to 350 kW.

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Dual-motor, all-wheel drive is expected to be standard fare. Jaguar’s Type 01 could offer some pointers to performance potential, but don’t expect a tri-motor setup with that full 1000 hp. 

Rivals And Reveal

Positioning should put the GT into unexplored territory, facing everything from the Porsche Cayenne Electric, Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo and Lotus Eletre, to potentially overlapping with the Jaguar Type 01.

Final testing is already underway, with production commencing later this year at JLR’s Halewood factory in Merseyside, England. An official reveal will take place in the coming months.