Change can be a hard thing sometimes and when it came to updating the rugged Land Rover Defender for 2026, the British SUV maker had an unenviable task on its hands.

The SUV has managed to gather a dedicated pool of followers over the years, and these owners are very picky when it comes to what they want to see changed. Has the company done enough to satisfy them?

New face, same Defender boxiness

Land Rover kept the Defender’s boxy profile but made some revisions to the front and rear ends for 2026. These changes are personified best by the debuting Vertex trim, which slots above the X trim in the lineup. The front grille is larger than before and new front and rear bumpers also add some polish to the look as do the new foglights. The Vertex trim is available on all three bodystyles and can be viewed as a styling excercise versus more hardcore models like the Octa.

Speaking of the V8-powered Octa, it had to take one for the team, and lose some horsepower in this update. Land Rover says the loss in power was due to revisions to comply with fuel economy and the revised horsepower number now sits at 533 hp. That’s still a mighty sum, but a far cry from the 620 plus hp it once had. The 0 to 62 sprint is dinged slightly too, but a 4.4 second 0 to 60 time is nothing to sneeze at either. Land Rover did try to distract you from that though with a tweaked exhaust which has a rumblier soundtrack than before.

In addition to the Octa losing some muscle, the Defender also lost the 5.0-liter engine, with the last of those models being killed off in Europe for 2026. In their place is a new hybrid equipped inline-six dubbed the P380.

Land Rover also made other minor adjustments to the Defender with the 110 model now being available with a new seating arrangement that allows it to haul up to six passengers. The interior also benefits from minor changes, but the core look and its bundled electronic gadgets carryover largely unchanged.

When can I buy one?

Look for the updated Land Rover Defender to go on sale in the United Kingdom this fall. The brand didn’t reveal when the U.S. will receive the updated model, but there’s a chance Land Rover might skip this refresh for U.S. customers.

This is due to parent firm Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) recently signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Stellantis. The MOU states the two would work together on future vehicle projects, but buried in that agreement is a provision which would see Land Rover develop and produce a Defender for the U.S. market. This new Defender would be produced in the U.S. and help the company get around beefed-up tariffs. All of this of course comes at a time when Land Rover is navigating choppy waters, and is just now dipping its toes into select EV markets.