Now that the new 2020 Land Rover Defender has graced this pretty planet of ours after a three-year hiatus, all is right once again. So far, we’ve seen the Defender 90 and 110, but the rumor mill has churned out word that the Defender range will be expanding to include at least a 130 model that rival the Mercedes G-550 – at least in terms of pricing, anyway. A lot of interest has been expressed in a Defender pickup truck and, we’re not going to lie, it would probably get a lot of attention. Land Rover has come right out and said it isn’t going to happen despite the fact that the old Defender was offered as a pickup in various global markets. The rendering you see here, though, we hope, will change Land Rover’s mind because it’s certainly something we would like to see.

2020 Land Rover Defender Pickup Truck

Rendering firm X-Tomi Design has done a pretty good job at putting together what would be a very nice Defender-based pickup. It’s a single-cab design with a small bed to the rear, and it looks very utilitarian in nature while still maintaining a certain level of sportiness – an odd thing to say about a model like the Defender anyway, let alone one with a bed and two-door configuration. The only thing about the rendering that doesn’t make a lot of sense is the fact that it’s based on the fancier model when it should really be more base model-ish with the optional steel wheels and little in terms of extra equipment.

Unfortunately, this is probably never going to happen as Land Rover has already said no, making a point that the four-door Defender is already a double cab with a roof and a separate model wouldn’t make sense. Others have decided to forgo questioning LR’s decision, but I’m here to tell you that it’s a bad decision – a ruggedized Defender-based model would be very successful in certain parts of the world. Hell, there’s probably even a fairly nice chunk of market in the United States considering how fast people are buying up pickup trucks like they are going out of style.

It will have the same wheelbase as the 110 that we saw in Frankfurt, but it will feature longer overhands and, maybe, a little more space inside. That model is expected to offer seating for up to eight people when properly configured and will be just off 200-inches in length. The only question about this model is the price. With the 110 maxing out beyond the $100,000 mark, a 130 model – in all its glory – could easy touch the $130,000 mark where it would compete against the Mercedes G-550 and maybe even the Bentley Bentayga, to some extent.

As far as the Defender Pickup is concerned, don’t get your hopes up. Sorry to burst your bubble on that one, but it is what it is.

Further Reading

The 2020 Land Rover Defender Has Arrived with New Tricks and Old-School Looks

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Land Rover Defender SVR.

Read our full review on the 2011 Land Rover DC100 Concept.

Read our full review on the 2018 Land Rover Defender.