What’s hot?
- If you need a tough, working vehicle to keep you going whatever the weather or conditions, the Defender is still the real deal.
- Exceptional off-road ability, starting with the Defender’s permanent 4×4 layout, complete with low range transmission and lockable centre diff.
- Not many manufacturers talk about a vehicle’s ‘wading depth’, but Land Rover does with the Defender. For the record, it’s 500 mm max.
- Obstacle clearance – up to 323 mm. Maximum gradient – 45 degrees. Off-road approach angle – 47 degrees. Off-road approach angle – 47 degrees
- Those iconic Defender looks, harking back to the original 1948 Land Rover, still stir the soul and the Defender name itself is one of the greats.
- The simple, workmanlike Defender cabin is like nothing else around but as a concession to modern creature comforts, luxuries such as leather sports seats, A/C heated front screen are available. Several option packs up for grabs too, so the Defender can be tweaked/personalised to suit.
- Gives you the original Land Rover ‘command’ driving position
- Station Wagon body gives you two rear seats, which can set in place or simply clipped up to the side, to suit.
- Torque of 360 Nm peaking at just 2000 rpm gives the Defender muscular low down pulling power
What’s not?
- While peerless off-road, the Defender 90 is surprisingly hard work on-road. Handling is vague and the car prone to wander off-line.
- The huge steering wheel feeds back little information from the road.
- The Defender’s utilitarian cabin is famously short on elbow space and far from the roomiest around.
- Ford 2.2-litre turbodiesel becomes quite vocal at high revs
- Poor economy – 27.7 mpg combined – and 269 g/km for C02 emissions
- Panel gaps from another era.
