Land Rover And Red Cross Tested 2020 Defender In The Desert

It's probably safe to say the testing program of the next-generation Land Rover Defender is one of the toughest we've seen in the last few years. We've witnessed the rugged, boxy SUV winter testing, going into deep mud, stretching its legs at the Nurburgring, and even visiting Kenya for a series of serious hurdles. Now, the latest stage of the test cycle sends the new Defender to Dubai.

If you wonder why exactly there, it's because that's where the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) global fleet base is located. The experts from the organizations were given the chance to explore pre-production prototypes of the model on and off-road. Sand dunes, tarmac, and sharp mountain turns were part of the test route.

Coincidentally, the Dubai test marks the 65th year since the beginning of the cooperation between Land Rover and IFRC. The global partnership has been renewed and over the next three years, the British manufacturer will support disaster preparedness and response initiatives in locations including India, Mexico, and Australia.

"The Red Cross supports millions of people in crisis every year, working in almost every country in the world," Ilir Caushaj, IFRC's Team Lead for Global Fleets and Logistics, commented. "We operate in some of the most hard-to-reach places on earth, often working in very difficult terrain, so our teams have to be able to cope with anything. That's why we're proud to have partnered with Land Rover since 1954, and to be putting their new Defender to the test."

Land Rover says prototypes of the new Defender have already covered more than 1.2 million kilometers (more than 745,000 miles) of testing. The previous step of the model's test program was during this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed, where the Defender made a dynamic appearance. The off-road legend will be resurrected during the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show with additional versions joining the range next year.