Land Rover Defender 90 review

• Overview
• What is it?
• How much smaller is it?
• Blimey! That’s expensive…
• What about the inside?
• What’s the competition like?
• This one’s a proper utility vehicle, then?
• Our choice from the range
• What's the verdict?
• Mercedes-Benz G-Class
• Jeep Wrangler
• Ineos Grenadier
• Driving
• What is it like to drive?
• What are the engines like?
• Tell me more.
• Land Rover Defender V8 review: supercharged 4×4 tested
• Land Rover Defender P400e review: plug-in hybrid Defender tested
• Land Rover Defender 90 review: the Defender to have?
• Interior
• What is it like on the inside?
• I guess space is hard to come by…
• Anything I can do about that?
• Buying
• What should I be paying?

Overview

What is it?

It’s the short-wheelbase version of the Land Rover Defender, which also comes in normal and extra-large flavours in the form of the Defender 110 and Defender 130. The bigger the number, the more space inside.

The Defender had to overcome a deafening roar of opinion (both negative and positive) when it was launched in 2020. And that was before anyone had even driven it. Upvotes from people who loved the design and the progressive engineering; trolling from those who said it was too posh to push and that it fatally busted the rough ‘n’ ready brief of the original.

But after a few years on the road, the 110 proved its mettle, provided you don’t mind its size, and can afford it. The 90 spreads the appeal even further, as it can be had more cheaply and in a lower spec, without the bulk.

How much smaller is it?

It’s 435mm shorter in the wheelbase, and overall length falls by the same amount. Less metal to haul along means it’s 100kg lighter, fractionally quicker accelerating, and cheaper. How much cheaper isn’t clear cut, but it looks like about £5,000 like-for-like. But actually the 90 comes with coil suspension and all 110s have self-levelling air springs and adaptive damping. Add that £1,615 chassis system to a 90 and the gap closes.

At present you get the choice of five – count ‘em, five – powertrains; two diesels and three petrols, all of which are mild hybrids. Even the mighty V8-engined P525, which packs 518bhp and costs upwards of £109k.

Blimey! That’s expensive…

You’ll likely be more interested in the sensible end of the spectrum, occupied by the 3.0-litre six-cyl D250 and D300 – capable of 246bhp and 296bhp apiece – and the 2.0-litre four-cyl P300 (296bhp) and 3.0-litre six-cyl P400 (395bhp). 0-60mph times range from 5.7 to 7.6 seconds, although the P525’s sub-5.0s is something of an outlier.

Company-car buyers will note the tax-saving plug-in hybrid, available with the 110, isn’t compatible with the shorter body. Official fuel economy ranges from 33.8mpg to 19.9mpg. Again, no prizes for guessing which version’s responsible for the latter…

What about the inside?

The 90 has two rows of seats, but speccing the front central jump seat makes it a 5+1 seater and turns you into the most popular parent in the world. Apart from space in the back, the cabin design is the same as the 110. Which is fine. It’s smart but tough.

The exterior design is, we think, masterful too. The boxiness is just right for a hardcore SUV. It ekes out the maximum carrying space, and also helps when you’re driving between obstacles because you know where the bodywork begins and ends. The short overhangs help off-road. But it’s subtly curved, not flat sided. Flat panels look makeshift and go wavy.

Though it’s completely modern, the design does manage to evoke the old Defender. A vehicle that was very widely adored, for the exact same reasons it was almost impossible to justify buying. It was basically a tool. Its ability to survive harsh and brutal conditions meant it was, frankly, itself far too harsh and brutal to be taken seriously as an everyday vehicle for most people.

What’s the competition like?

Does any car join up off-road ability with on-road appeal quite as well as the Defender? The Ineos Grenadier is the new kid on the block, but you’re unlikely to see many of those in Kensington. Back in 2022 we pitched the Defender (albeit not a 90) up against the Mercedes G-Class, Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler in an epic trek through the Welsh wilderness… and it came out on top.

This one’s a proper utility vehicle, then?

Well, all versions will happily tow 3,500kg. The whole bodyshell is immensely strong. So’s the suspension it rides on. It shares principles with the Discovery, but few parts. Almost everything is stronger. Click these blue words to drink in the details of its capability and tech.

That’s the off-road part. On the road, short versions of hardcore 4x4s tend to pitch and wobble far more precariously than their longer counterparts. The long Defender 110 is a superb vehicle on the road. Can the short 90 match it?

Our choice from the range

Land Rover

3.0 D250 SE 90 3dr Auto

£51,295

Very few buyers will make full use of all the Defender’s capabilities. Still, if you can put up with the impracticalities of a three-door it’s a family car with a deep and wide backstory. It just makes you feel adventurous. And when you do use its ability – as an off-roader, a snowy-roader, a towing roader – it’s immensely reassuring.

And the amazing thing is how well it drives. It’s stately and dignified and feels like it belongs on the road. That in itself is quite an achievement.

Compared with the 110, the 90 is less cumbersome in towns, a bit more agile off-road, and a bit more characterful-looking. But it won’t swallow as many people or as much stuff, obviously.

We usually recommend 4WD estate cars over expensive crossovers, because there’s not much a crossover can do that an estate can’t. But the Defender isn’t a crossover and skittles that argument. If you can make use of it, there’s nothing to match it.

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

£143,305

Jeep Wrangler

£38,620 – £55,820

Ineos Grenadier

Continue reading: Driving

Driving

What is it like to drive?

The 90 isn’t significantly different on the road from the 110. And that’s a really good thing. The Defender doesn’t drive down a road like a hardcore off-roader. There’s none of the Jimny’s unruliness, the Wrangler’s vagueness, the Land Cruiser’s queasiness. Axles don’t shudder on the mountings and the body doesn’t quake on the chassis. Everything feels tied together.

Because of the long suspension travel, it’s soft and gentle in its reactions. Which is very different from the forced urgency of sporty SUVs, and much more honest and real-word sensible, really. It absorbs hard shocks, and the wheels don’t shudder over corrugated surfaces.

More remarkable, provided you drive smoothly, is its fine control of pitch and roll heave. And you can drive smoothly because the steering is progressive. So you can whisk it along a difficult road at a respectable lick and remarkable comfort. Almost luxury-car comfort. No really.

What are the engines like?

The six-cylinder diesels are far more refined than your typical clodhopping four. Depending on the trim, you can have 246bhp or 296bhp guises, churning out either 420 and 479lb ft of torque. Really, that’s plenty. The base P300 (296bhp) engine is a four, but a reasonably refined one. You probably want the P400 six (395bhp). Well you probably want the V8, but do you really need more acceleration than a Honda Civic Type R?

All are autos, and it’s a smooth box. All but one are mild-hybrid, which saves a bit of fuel and provides smooth and prompt start-stop in town.

It’s generally a quiet thing, the engine soft when it’s not worked hard, the tyre and suspension noise pretty distant. A roof rack and knobbly off-road tyres will add noise and drag, mind. Visibility is excellent courtesy of the high driving position and whopping wing mirrors.

Overall then, it feels like a heavy luxury crossover. Then you turn off the road. Suddenly it’s a whole different machine.

Tell me more.

Articulation, traction, wading, ascents, descents, side-slopes, mud, sand. It’s not just that it surmounts and traverses and dismisses all these obstacles, it’s the effortlessness that amazes you.

The 90’s shorter wheelbase versus the 110 is handy for snaking around trees and boulders. Even without the air-suspension to levitate the body in extreme situations, it’s amazing. Remember, ground clearance between the wheels is determined by the wishbones, and raising the air springs wouldn’t help that. Of course you don’t get the advantage of using air to increase your breakover, but in the SWB that angle is so insanely good anyway it’s seldom a worry.

The engine and autobox dispense torque gingerly when you need to ease across slippery mud, but with vim when you’re pointing up a precipitous slope. Traction is awesome. Clearance and articulation pretty colossal. Wading depth almost scary. Downhill control near-supernatural.

Land Rover Defender V8 review: supercharged 4×4 tested

£98,920

Land Rover Defender P400e review: plug-in hybrid Defender tested

£91,750

Land Rover Defender 90 review: the Defender to have?

£77,970

Previous: Overview

Continue reading: Interior

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

It’s a wonderful cabin, partly because it’s not like any other car’s.

Honest industrial design takes it far, far away from your normal road-car atmosphere. The solid cross-dash beam, strong console, structural door liners and washable floor are all about fitness for purpose. Not having to fret about dirtying or marking ‘luxury’ materials is itself a bit of a luxury.

The infotainment electronics, HUD and driver aids are right up to modern premium-car standards. The Defender 90 gets Land Rover’s latest (and excellent) Pivi Pro system now too, as well as Android Auto and Apple CarPlay compatibility.

I guess space is hard to come by…

Not so. The 90’s rear bench gives plenty of leg and headroom for adults, and the upper ‘alpine’ windows make it feel airy. But getting there is a palaver – you have to squeeze into a tight gap or have your patience tested as the front seats motor sluggishly forward. When you’ve got a car seat and clobber on the back seats, this is highly annoying.

The boot’s just under 400 litres, which is hardly enough for six active campers, and because the rear door opens horizontally rather than upwards like a hatch, you can’t really stack much in there without it all falling out every time you open the boot. And so you’ll keep as much as possible on the back seats, which – we repeat – are hard to access. It’s a vicious circle.

Anything I can do about that?

If you have one of those outdoorsy lifestyles you see in the adverts, you’ll want to plunder Land Rover’s huge range of external carrying accessories: roof racks, ladders, panniers, clamps and the rest. What the heck, tow a trailer for good measure.

At least there are plenty of storage spaces inside: huge door bins, a warehouse-sized centre console (in the five-seater, at least), a huge cutout in the frame of the dash… you’ll never run out of room for gubbins, basically.

Previous: Driving

Continue reading: Buying

Buying

What should I be paying?

The Defender 90’s not a cheap car these days. The kick-off price for the five-seater used to be around £45k. Now it’s £57,540, which gets you the entry-level petrol in the most basic SE trim.

For that you get 20-inch wheels, a Meridian sound system, 12-way adjustable, heated front seats, a heated windscreen, automatic LED headlights, puddle lights, rain sensing wipers, two-zone climate control, rubber flooring and various driver assistance systems like blind spot monitoring and a 360-degree parking aid.

Land Rover’s Pivi Pro infotainment system is standard, as is Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Then there’s HSE spec, which opens up the option of the entry-level diesel. Both can be had in an X-Dynamic variation that adds about £3k of cosmetic enhancements.

Then you’ve got the XS Edition at £68,745 – the cheapest route into the P400 petrol – and X trim, which gives you the choice of the top-end petrol or diesel and various interior upgrades. Think tan leather, fancier alloys and more tech.

Finally there’s a V8 trim that stands alone and its sole purpose is to sell you the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 with more bells and whistles than you could possibly hope to use. Not satisfied with the sticker price of £108,885? Try the V8 Carpathian Edition for £114,345.

We’ve also had a go in the 75th Anniversary Edition (that green thing in the gallery above), which bequeathed the Defender all-terrain tyres, silver bumpers, various ‘75’ graphics and a tonne of otherwise-optional packs thrown in. Pushing £90k is probably a bit steep, and those green alloys are… a bit much.

Our advice? Keep it humble with one of the cheap variants and shun the Chelsea-spec interiors. The Defender is at its best as a workhorse rather than a show pony.

Buying on finance? Residuals are strong but it’ll cost you, as loans aren’t cheap these days. Stick 10 per cent down on the cheapest available Defender on a three-year deal and you’re looking at £755 a month thereafter.

None of them will be cheap to fuel. WLTP consumption is just better than 30mpg for the diesels (about 220g/km CO2) spec-dependent, and you’ll be doing well to achieve that in the real world. The petrols are low-mid 20s mpg and 240-248g/km. Except for the V8, which can’t even break 20mpg on paper and chucks out 321g/km. Not one for the company-car cohort, that.

You get a three-year warranty and the main service intervals are two years.

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Specs & Prices

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