2020 Land Rover Defender Caught Making Final 'Ring Rounds

As we are slowly approaching the debut of the revived Land Rover Defender, scheduled for mid-September, the British company is putting final efforts to make sure every aspect of the rugged SUV will meet customers' expectations. Or, as previous spy photos, spy videos, and information released by the manufacturer itself show, the model should exceed the company's capability targets and will live up to the nameplate's legendary history.

This time around, Land Rover is back at the Nurburgring for a final round of high-speed evaluations of the 2020 Defender. One thing is for sure – the boxy SUV will be an outstanding off-roader, but modern consumers don't satisfy with just good manners outside the road. That's why the company is trying to find a good balance between off-road capability and proper on-road performance for everyday use.

In the video it's easy to see the Defender is not destined to be a track champion. The significant body roll is something normal for such a high-riding body though. Jump to the 45-second mark, and you can see a BMW X5 M prototype and make a direct comparison between the off-roader and the performance SUV from Bavaria in terms of cornering velocity and overall behavior at high speeds.

From this footage, it's difficult to recognize whether this prototype is using air or coil suspension but we know both options will exist when the model hits dealerships next year. The trial car here appears to be riding on the base 18-inch wheels but customers will be able to get up to 22-inch wheels with all-terrain and mud-terrain tires both available options.

The new Defender is one of the most anticipated new cars for the second half of this year. We'll learn everything about the model in just a few weeks' time from now so stay tuned.