2020 Land Rover Defender leaked on its own instrument cluster

The image was posted by Instagram user Landroverphotoalbum.

The teaser campaign leading up to the 2020 Land Rover Defender's reveal was cut short by an image of the off-roader leaked by its own instrument cluster. The second generation of this emblematic nameplate will make its global debut before the end of 2019, and the British automaker has previously confirmed the model will again be sold in the United States after a lengthy hiatus.

Posted by Instagram user Landroverphotoalbum, the image give us the best look yet at the first Defender designed from the ground up during the 21st century. It's not nearly as boxy as its predecessor, and it doesn't look like Land Rover has followed the path blazed by rival Mercedes-Benz, which made the second-generation G-Class look a lot like the original model. Up front, the round lights and the upright grille are gone; they've been replaced by a more streamlined look that falls in line with Land Rover's current design language. Blacked-out pillars give it a floating roof. Out back, the Defender retains a door-mounted spare tire.

The Defender line-up will include at least three body styles. Land Rover will first launch the two- and four-door variants, which are both shown in its teaser images, and it will later add a pickup to the portfolio. We don't know whether the model will be available with any kind of a removable top -- hard or soft -- or if it will settle for a panoramic sunroof.

Technical specifications remain under wraps, too, though we expect a portfolio of gasoline- and diesel-burning four- and six-cylinders from the firm's Ingenium family of engines. Transmission options -- like much else -- are still guarded, but four-wheel drive will come standard; how could it not?

Land Rover is testing the Defender all around the world. Its fleet has collectively logged about 750,000 miles so far. It just sent a handful of prototypes to Kenya to help a wildlife sanctuary named Borana Conservancy. Manufactured in Slovakia, the 2020 Land Rover Defender will make its official debut in the coming months.