Land Rover Defender gets serious air in new Bond-themed commercial

Land Rover and James Bond films have long cross-promoted one another’s products, and that relationship carries on unchanged for the release of the new Bond film, No Time to Die. The first official trailer for the movie previewed a Range Rover Sport SVR appearance, and a new Land Rover commercial shows how the all-new 2020 Defender will play a role.

Land Rover previously released a short teaser showing some behind-the-scenes stunt footage with the all-new 2020 Defender, and now it’s dropped the full commercial. Please keep in mind the asterisk text: vehicle shown modified for safety purposes. In the first video, it is mentioned the vehicles are “pretty much standard as they would be at the factory,” but they certainly have some changes to do this type of aggressive stunt work. 

The clip features more exclusive shots of what appears to be a chase sequence near a villain’s hideout, as three Defenders and three dirt bikes leap into a dreary and hilly environment with the utmost vigor. The rugged trucks rip through grass and mud, smack trees, drink up some creek water, and flip over, literally. And there’s air. Lots and lots of glorious air. Enthusiasts will appreciate the fact that Jaguar Land Rover says it specifically includes jump testing as part of its development regimen.

“We developed a new test standard for Defender, the most challenging we’ve ever had and unique to this vehicle,” Land Rover Defender Vehicle Line Director Nick Collins said. “Physical strength and durability is measured by a number of different tests including a bridge jump test which gave us confidence to deliver what the stunt team needed to create for No Time To Die, with no modifications to the body structure except the installation of a roll cage.”

The scene was coordinated by Lee Morrision, and Chris Corbould handled special effects and action vehicles. The key stunt driver in these scenes is racecar driver Jessica Hawkins. In total, 10 Defenders were used and are also joined by the Series III Land Rover and the Range Rover Classic.

Despite the Defender’s impressive trail-running abilities, we still expect Aston Martin to win the battle for the movie’s best cars. No Time to Die, which opens April 2020, will feature a DB5 with Gatling gun headlights, a DBS Superleggera, and a Valhalla, among others.