The Land Rover DC100 Expedition concept is the company’s riposte to frequent feedback that has suggested that such prototypes for a Defender replacement as the DC100 Sport and its hard-roofed sibling may not be rugged enough.
Land Rover boss John Edwards said that the firm had been denied an opportunity to imbue its concept with the “abusability” for which the Defender is famed. Basically, Land Rover doesn’t want Joe Public to view the DC100 range as purely a glitz-and-glamour offering, but as a genuine utility vehicle that’s not afraid of getting its paint scratched and its tyres dirty.
Ok, so the new orange/white paint job may not look too thornbush-friendly, but the inclusion of a winch, engine snorkel, bull bar, roof rack and more rugged towing eyes certainly lend this DC100 a touch more off-road credence. The black alloy wheels in a five-spoke design shod with 275/55 Cooper off-road rubber adds to the car’s rugged look.
The Expedition sports a new White and orange paint job, and rugged features including a winch, snorkel, a roof rack, bull bar, more pronounced towing eyes, greater amounts of black trim and beefier 275/55 Cooper tyres with five-spoke black alloys. There’s also a neat piece of off-road tech dubbed Wade Aid – basically its a compact sonar system that measures the depth of a stretch of water you may be eyeballing and detemines whether it’s safe to negotiate it.
As before, this DC100 will act as a means of garnering public feedback for the development of a future utility model to replace the Defender. Expect more details to emerge with the car’s official unveiling.
