00It's fair to say that the odds were stacked against Land Rover when it came to replace
the Defender.
But you know what, they've done a pretty good job.
And Carsales has already driven the 110 and come away very impressed.
But now it's time for the icon.
Now it's time we drive the short wheelbase 90 version.
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So, things to know about this is the difference between the 90 and the 110 is obviously the
wheelbase.
And the wheelbase of this is 2587 millimetres, which is actually 102 inches, so forget the
90 coin.
But compare that with the 110 the 110 has 3000s and something millimetre wheelbase.
So you can see the big difference, lengthwise this car is about 4.3 metres.
And to put that in perspective, something like a Toyota RAV4 is around 4.6 metres.
Other things to know about the new 90, the new 90 actually arise, just as Land Rover
is introducing its new ingenium six cylinder diesel engines.
And that's a really good thing because remember, the 110 was introduced with a two litre four
cylinder and when you paying the sort of money you want six cylinders, don't you?
Inside the Defender 90, well, it picks up where the defender 110 left off, which is
a good thing.
We love the design.
We love the sort of utilitarian rubber matte feel, the premium materials.
And remember, this is also got the central perch sit here on this trim, which means it's
a real six seater, which is going to be a big advantage for some families.
And of course there is some luggage space.
Apparently this is 397 litres worth.
But yeah, it doesn't look that impressive to me.
But the impressive thing about the new Defender is, well, it doesn't drive like the old one.
Now remember the old one, well, it was so agricultural, it's like an old tractor.
This one on the other hand gets the Range Rover D7x platform so it's aluminium intensive
and, well, it's a monocoque.
Forget about the old ladder frame chassis.
This car, well, this car should drive like a car.
As you would expect with its Range Rover underpinnings, the Defender 90 is well, unlike any Defender
you've ever driven, and that is such a good thing.
The last car was horrible.
Now we're driving the P400.
And there are some good, very good and well quite poor things about this car.
Let's start with the good.
The first thing is remember this has a three litre in-line six cylinder turbo, and it's
seriously, seriously quick.
Now, producing 294 kilowatts and 550 newton per metres of torque, this thing can hit 100
kilometres per hour, in wait for it, six seconds.
Now the problem with having that level of power and torque is at times the chassis really,
really does feel a little bit overworked.
But I think that's because this car also rides on big 20 inch All Terrain tires that give
up the ghost a little bit too early.
I think if you spend the majority of time on the road, you should have road tires.
And that's the other thing about the Defender 90 is, okay, it's nowhere near as bad as the
last model, but this car constantly reminds you about how good this is off-road by telling
you this suspension is not made for the road.
Now the model we're driving is the short wheelbase, it's the 90 version, but that still somehow
weighs 2.3 tonnes, which is just obscene really considering its size and dimensions compared
to a RAV4 for example.
Now what does that weight mean?
Well, that weight means that there's extra body roll in corners and it generally feels
a heavier, less nimble car to drive than any other SUV.
The other compromise about the Defender 90 is the ride comfort.
This really can be fidgety and upset by even the smoothest looking road surfaces, and I
think that's in part because of the shorter wheelbase.
I think the 110 will ride better.
So what I'm saying is beside a modern SUV this is still distinctly average to drive.