Updates have been announced for Land Rover’s volume product. Some might prove hard to spot.

QUIZ night at the Land Rover owners’ club, and the challenge to name every update that distinguishes a 2025 Defender from previous editions could very likely cause a lot of teeth-sucking.

A new gloss-black bar for the radiator grille? Tick. A dark oval Land Rover badge? Correct again. Oh, yes, the brake lights now have a dark tint! And with that, we’ve found our ultimate enthusiast.

Still, get the impression that most of the tweaks the Brit bog brand has meted its strongest seller here could be categorised as ‘minor’?

As to be expected, really. When it rolled out, this vehicle looked so particularly set on a certain styling path it immediately raised question about what could be done come the unavoidable facelift time that could easily and truly differentiate newest from the original.

On top of that, there’s sense JLR probably hasn’t enough budget to orchestrate a huge revision, even if wanted to. Even if clientele demanded it. There’s no sign of either being the case.

So, in terms of powertrains? Carried over. Metalwork? Pretty much untouched.

Lights, colours, wheel options … yup, those are new.

There are changes to the materials used for the bumpers and inserts at the front, likewise the side vents and the inserts on the bonnet. The headlights look basically the same in terms of shape, but they have a new LED lighting signature. There's a new gloss-black bar for the radiator grille, and a dark oval Land Rover badge. The brake lights we’ve covered.

There is also a new 22-inch alloy wheel option, with a diamond-turned dark grey finish, and some new colour options. A metallic grey (Borasco Grey) is inspired by the Borasco silver mine in California (go figure) and Woolstone Green is named after a waterfall in the United Kingdom (more logical).

Inside, there’s a new 13.1-inch touchscreen, two inches up on the previous version, and the position of the dash-mounted gear lever has moved slightly.

The storage area in the centre console between the front seats has a deeper storage section beneath it. There are also removable side pockets, and a new cable-routing design to avoid having cables everywhere.

Yes, there's the option of a new Adaptive Off-Road Cruise Control, which replaces the old All Terrain Progress Control system.

Land Rover says that this “allows the driver to set a desired comfort level when negotiating rough terrain, so they can concentrate on steering the vehicle - improving composure off-road while reducing driver effort. The system automatically adjusts the speed to maintain the desired level of comfort over undulating surfaces, for unruffled off-road driving.”

The pod behind the steering wheel? It’s home to a new set of driver attention monitoring sensors.

On top of this, there are some accessory options across the 90, 110, and 130 body styles.

JLR New Zealand - the J being silent, as Jaguars are pretty much extinct just now, awaiting the electric future fare - has yet to share when the updated models come and if prices have altered.