Land Rover Defender 90: does a shorty make sense?

By Miles Downard

I had the pleasure of reviewing a Land Rover Defender 110 earlier in the year and was thoroughly impressed with what the British firm has achieved in its reinventing of its most iconic vehicle. 

So when the chance arose to spend a week with the shorter wheelbase, “90” derivative, I grabbed it with both hands. With just two doors and a rather small luggage compartment behind the rear seats, the 90 lacks practicality in a big way but it makes up for it in spades with cool-factor.

The other benefit of a shorter wheelbase is even more effective offroad ability thanks to a superior breakover angle of 31 degrees (over 28 for the 110). The remainder of the Defender’s rugged credentials are the same; a 900mm wading depth (with the R48,000 air suspension package), approach and departure angles of 38 and 40 degrees respectively.

An especially trick bit of kit is the Wade Sensing drive mode. The program automatically locks the drivetrain, raises the ride height, softens the throttle response, and displays an image of the depth of the surrounding water on the center infotainment screen. Wade mode will also drag the brakes to dry the discs in order to quickly recover braking capability when leaving the water.

The 90 offers a few engine options – three diesel and three petrol. I tasted the top spec D300 which is a 3.0 litre, 6 cylinder, turbo charged diesel that is an absolute treat. Producing 221kW and 650Nm it tugs the Defenders 2.2 ton body along, and anything you decide to hitch onto the back, effortlessly. The 8 speed automatic ZF gearbox goes about its job well enough for the rugged character of the Defender.

There’s very little that’s rugged about the interior, though. The sophisticated and minimally cluttered dashboard and centre console shows that elegance and practicality do not need to be at odds with one another. In terms of technologies inside the cabin, the options list is your oyster, boasting the latest and greatest that Land Rover has to offer. Standard equipment on the X-Dynamic model in question is impressive too, including adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, all kinds of accident/traffic monitoring, a 360 degree parking camera and so the list goes on.

I’m at odds with this Defender 90. On one hand, every time I walked up to it I couldn’t help but marvel at how cool it is. But on the other hand I hold the belief that a Defender is first and foremost a practical thing – and the 90 is not practical in any way, shape or form. The boot is too small and the rear seats too difficult to get in and out of. Nor do those rear seats store away in a manner which suddenly unlocks a cave-like compartment in the rear (like in the old 90). 

So, for my money I’d have the cheaper Defender 110, allowing practicality to win the day. But if that doesn’t bother you too much, this 90 is a wonderful thing.

Fast facts: Land Rover Defender 90 D300 HSE X-Dynamic

Price: R 1,530,900 (after options)
Power: 221 kW/650 Nm
Fuel consumption: 7.6 l/100 km
Acceleration (0-100km/h): 
6.7 seconds
Top speed: 
191 km/h 

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