Reinventing the wheel is something that no one wants to attempt, but building a "new" Defender was a similar-sized task that Land Rover decided to undertake.
The resulting Defender is a lot more rounded that the iconic shape that was around for decades, and has fans divided, while Land Rover insists that this is the best one yet.
READ MORE: The off-road icon is back! New Land Rover Defender revealed
Local distributors have revealed that deliveries of the rounded off-roader are set to start in New Zealand in May 2020, and will start from just under $90,000.
According to Jaguar Land Rover NZ GM Steve Kenchington, the new Defender has been a hit with enthusiasts in the land of the long white cloud, and almost 70 pre-orders have already been placed.
"Customers are learning more about the model online and through conversations with local retailers and have sufficient confidence in the brand to place more than $8million worth of orders - even before we have announced pricing.
"What is particularly interesting is that the early deposits are mainly for product at the top end of the range such as the Defender 110 P400 X, offering a powertrain that generates 294 kilowatts of maximum output and 550 Nm of maximum torque which retails from $164,900 and, the 110 P400 SE which starts at $126,900.
"This level of support is a testament to the trust our customers have in the quality of product coming through from Jaguar Land Rover." he says.
Alongside announcing pricing, Kechington also revealed that four diesel and four petrol engines will be available in the Defender in New Zealand. This is in line with what the other markets around the world are receiving.
"The diesel engines are all 2-litre with the Defender 110 D200 starting from $89,900 through to the 110 D240 First Edition which is priced from $125,900.
"A lot of initial interest has also been centred on the petrol engines - which are all 3-litre with the exception of the Defender 110 P300 SE which starts at $114,900," he says.