Meet shorty over here, the long-awaited two-door Land Rover Defender 90. It's a
chubby little version of the born again British off-roader, and it looks epic. But it ain't cheap.
This is gonna cost you a lot more than a Suzuki Jimny. In fact, it's only slightly cheaper than
the bigger, more practical four-door Defender 110. So why would you buy it? Let's find out.
The reincarnated Defender 90 lacks two rear doors and almost half a meter of overall length compared
to the Defender 110, bringing more off-road capability, but a price tag almost as big.
This Fuji White specimen is fitted with a new six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine that has a
base price of around $81,000. But that rises to $92,000 thanks to a number of options fitted,
including a pretty cool cloth folding roof, which apart from off-road ability is one thing
it has in common with its only real competitor, the Jeep Wrangler. Even more so than the bigger
less purposeful looking four-door Defender. This more nuggety adventure machine looks mighty cool.
It starts with the gloss white steel wheels and all-terrain tires that match up beautifully
with the car's blocky almost toy-like design. The front end features LED headlights inspired
by its predecessor, while the simple rear-end is dominated by flat glass and the spare tire,
but also some impressively detailed LED tail lights. This D-200 model is powered by Jaguar
Land Rover's new Ingenium three-litre turbo-diesel inline 6, and it pumps out plenty of torque.
Fuel consumption is rated at 7.9 litres per 100 kilometres, which is okay for a 2.2 ton brick and
is helped along by a mild hybrid augmentation. The powertrain pumps drive smoothly to all four
wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission with high and low range gearing. The view from the
pilot's seat is impressive. This is a high riding machine, and I really like what Land Rover has
done to blend a modern design, lots of tech with a rugged and pragmatic layout. It's tough and it's
cool. The dashboard design is basic, but highly functional, thanks to a fairly straightforward
central control panel and an integrated grab handle for the front passenger. There's also a
high-mounted gear shifter with Sport Mode and the context-sensitive steering wheel controls
work well with a great fire and forget adaptive cruise control toggle. The instrument cluster
is half analog, half digital, which looks a bit weird, but it works well, and there's plenty of
customisation options too. The 10-inch floating central touchscreen looks awesome, both in terms
of design and visual sharpness, and the native menu is responsive and intuitive. Android Auto
and Apple CarPlay are in there, but this model has no wireless phone charger and no head-up display.
The Defender comes with a good array of safety tech as standard,
and the advanced driver aids aren't too invasive when in motion. Cabin storage is impressive in
his British off-roader with two large cup holders, plenty of storage areas for keys, wallets, phones,
and this cool storage shelf that runs almost the entire width of the vehicle. The door pockets are
big, and there's also USB-A and C ports and a 12-volt socket under the center console.
Oh, and there's another USB port for the front passenger too. Along with the sunglasses holder
here, I really like the central sun visors. They can really block out the sun there.
But there is a lot of wasted space like this slippery area down here. Higher-spec models have
a much better two tier configuration. Rubber floor mats and hard wearing dash materials look like
they'll be easy to clean after a grubby weekend, but it does make it look and feel a bit basic.
There's provisions for three adults back here, but I'll tell you what, it would be
pretty squeezy. Head room, it's not bad, neither is leg room, but the high floor means knees are
elevated uncomfortably. There are cup holders and grab handles, and the classic skylight
windows are a nice touch, but there's very little amenity back here, and perhaps that's the idea
to dissuade passengers. It's not easy getting out either. The high floor, this tight gap,
it's pretty tricky. The boot is absolutely puny. Good luck getting a mountain bike in there. Land
Rover reckons it's got about 400 litres of space, but I don't reckon it's got even half
that. It has two tie-down anchorages and a 12-volt socket, and if you fold the seats down, you get a
bit more room. But, ultimately, this vehicle is not about hauling people and their stuff.
It's about blazing trails blasting through mud and rocks on roads less travelled,
and looking cool while doing it. Alright, time to cue the upbeat music.
Right and away there's a sense of confidence driving the Defender 90 off-road, and a large
part of that is due to the new six-cylinder twin turbo-diesel engine. It delivers big,
smooth, predictable waves of low-end torque. This allows you to easily modulate power delivery in
tricky conditions. And while there's as a manual gear shift option, the eight-speed auto gearbox
is best left to do its thing. Then you've got push-button access to locking front and rear
diffs, plus a low range mode when the going gets really tough. The Defender's off-road prowess is
underpinned by a very capable four-wheel drive system with six terrain response modes allowing
you to tailor engine transmission and throttle settings to whatever surface you're traversing.
Compared to the bigger Defender, this shorty has more tenacity off-road because of its better break
over angle, although this stocky little Brit comes standard with coil spring suspension, not air
suspension like the 110. And while 225 millimetres of ground clearance isn't to be sniffed at,
it doesn't match the air sprung set up or even a Ford Ranger XLT. So if you think your Defender
is likely to cop a king hit to the chin on rough terrain, tick the option box to air suspension.
It improves approach and departure angles and this money well spent at around $1300.
Despite its less sophisticated suspension, the two-door has impressive wheel articulation and
the chunky Goodyear all-terrain tires provide plenty of traction.
The previous Defender drove like a tractor, this one couldn't be more different. Yup,
this is a car you will not grow tired of as a daily driver. The engine is buttery smooth,
the suspension compliant and despite the all-terrain tires, it cruises quietly on the
freeway. Fair dinkum, this car is more refined than icing sugar. And look, it's short length
and light steering make it really easy to drive in traffic and park at the shops as well. Visibility
is impressive out the front and sides, but rearward visibility ain't so good thanks to that
spare tire and the three large headrests. That said, you can option a digital rear-view mirror,
which uses a camera based in the shark fin antenna on the roof, and it's very cool. The Defender 90
is vastly superior to the vehicle it replaces in so many ways, and especially in terms of on-road
refinement. And a big part of that is the switch from a ladder frame to monocoque chassis, because
that essentially turns it from a big truck-like vehicle into a more car-like experience.
It comes with a five-year unlimited kilometer warranty with five years of roadside assist.
Land Rover also offers a five-year capped price service program, at an average cost
of $530 per annum. Of course, it has rock-solid off-road performance to match its tough new look,
and impeccable on-road manners as well. And the icing on the cake,
the all-new technologies that are wrapped up in a perfectly practical interior that's both
progressive and traditional in just the right measure. Okay, so it might be almost as expensive
as the four-door and more than double the price of the Suzuki Jimny, but I reckon it's at least twice
as good as the baby Japanese 4x4 and definitely cooler and more capable than the bigger 110.