Land Rover Defender Hard Top firms for Oz

The new Land Rover Defender Hard Top commercial vehicle hasn’t yet been confirmed for Australia, but it now appears almost certain the three-seat workhorse version of the born-again British off-road icon will become available Down Under.

Land Rover Australia’s public website already invites potential customers to check out the panel van-style Defender, but states that an Australian introduction date for the Hard Top derivative is yet “to be confirmed”.

However, the UK car-maker has now received official road certification for the ‘Defender van’, as it’s listed on the federal government’s Road Vehicle Certification System (RVCS) website, making the Hard Top a safe bet for release soon.

Officially, the Land Rover Defender Hard Top remains ‘under evaluation’ in Australia, and no technical details have been published on the RVCS.

So it remains to be seen whether the three-seat commercial wagon will be offered here in both short-wheelbase two-door 90 and long-wheelbase four-door 110 guises, as it is in the UK and as the new Defender SUV itself is here.

As we’ve reported, Hard Top models are mechanically identical to regular variants, but the rear of the cabins have been modified to take the new Defender closer to the utilitarian roots of its predecessor.

The rear seats have been removed to make space for commercial or recreational use, and a full-height cargo barrier is positioned behind the two front seats (a central jump seat is optional).

Defender Hard Top 90 carries over the ‘shortie’ SUV’s independent coil-sprung suspension and offers a 670kg payload and 1355 litres of cargo space, while the 110 is available with adjustable air suspension, has an 800kg payload, a 2059-litre cargo capacity and can swallow a standard Euro-size pallet.

Both models offer 58 litres of lockable under-floor storage and total load floor length is listed at 1031mm (90) and 1472mm (110), and width at 1326mm (90) and 1423mm (110).

The Land Rover Defender Hard Top 90 is available only in one spec with Ebony fabric seats and a 500Nm 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder D200 turbo-diesel powertrain, while the 110 is offered in Europe with D240, D250 and D300 diesel engines – as well as in S, SE and HSE equipment grades.

Off-road and towing capability for all models is assured, with 291mm of ground clearance, 900mm of wading depth and a 3500kg towing capacity.

Of course there’s no local pricing yet, but in the UK the Hard Top 90 is positioned below the cheapest standard Defender 90 (£40,330 on the road) at £35,820 excluding VAT, with the Hard Top 110 positioned at £43,012 ex-VAT. Land Rover Defender 90 pricing currently starts at $71,500 in Australia.