Land Rover Defender 90: the shorter one
It’s way, way more than you’ll ever need. Thus, the 90 is perfect
A moment ago I could see plenty: the car ahead, a bright autumn day lancing shimmering rays of delicate sunlight into the dense foliage of this ancient woodland, and a pair of muddy ruts running straight and level, then abruptly up, and then very, very abruptly down.
The 90 and I reach the crest. With alarming rapidity the view shifts from sky (glancing down at the infotainment screen gives me a useful feed from cameras at the front of the car, including two that show your hard-working front wheels) to heart-stopping drop, to lagoon of filthy water, to ferocious bow wave, to impossibly steep exit climb. And, like that, we’ve tackled it all without incident, and moved on.
Suce to say the Defender 90 is, even on offthe-shelf Goodyear Wrangler All-Terrain tyres (and with an off-the-shelf and clueless off-road pilot at the wheel), all but unstoppable. Lofty ground clearance (220mm on coil-sprung cars; 291mm on air springs in off-road configuration), sawn-off approach, departure and breakover angles, intelligent four-wheel drive and the P300 four-cylinder petrol’s instant urge all conspire to make getting the Defender 90 stuck something you’d have to work really hard at.
But you don’t need an unstoppable off-roader, do you? You just want a Defender 90, and reassurance that what makes it superb off-road doesn’t also make it unbearable on-road. In which case, rest easy – the 90 is every inch the charismatic, gets-under-your-skin-like-a-greatnew-Netflix-series road car you’re hoping it is. With two caveats. There is huge appeal in choosing something massively over-engineered for your needs – of course there is – but it comes at a price, and in this instance that price is both fiscal (the 90’s priced from £43,625; the top-spec P400 from £77k) and physical – the 90 may be lighter than the 110 but it’s still a 2.2-tonne runabout.
As well as saving you money and kerbweight, choosing the 90 over the 110 also loses you a couple of doors and a load of boot space. But while the three-door body might imply a tight second row, nothing could be further from the truth. It’s spacious and pleasant back there, watching the clouds scuttle by overhead through the Alpine windows. And the cockpit (identical to the 110’s) is a masterclass, one able to go either way on options spend – threadbare or diamond-encrusted – and still be a winner.
The air-sprung 90 rides nicely. A Range Rover is more cosseting, naturally. But the Defender’s less aloof, appropriately more communicative, and remains comfortable enough for a day at the wheel. And the real surprise? That the 90’s no stodgy mud-plugger when that country lane you’re driving decides to get a wiggle on. Knock back the stability control and, on the same Wrangler All-Terrains, the 90 with the P400 petrol six is a blast on wet Cotswolds lanes, with taut, accurate steering, well-controlled body movements and a delightful appetite to respond to inputs with both the wheel and the throttle.
A 90 with the P400 petrol six is eye-wateringly expensive but if you have the readies you won’t regret the indulgence; powerful, smooth, almost silent at low effort and almost musical when you work it, it’s an engine worthy of the car.
First verdict
90 Defender derivative doesn’t screw anything up – prettier and less practical than the 110, and even more desirable
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There is huge appeal in choosing something massively over-engineered for your needs. But it comes at a price