Defender 90 County Station Wagon

September 2008

The Land Rover Defender needs no introduction. Even people with little or no interest in cars are likely to be able to identify its unmistakable silhouette.

As the no-nonsense end of the company’s line-up, it has been honed from the early Series I, II and III models to become the vehicle you see here. The Defender badge arrived in showrooms in 1990, and many of the changes were designed to keep the car ahead of tightening emissions regulations and ever-stricter crash test rules.

Thankfully, none of these has affected its unique looks, and the Defender is still in rude health with a powerful new 2.4-litre diesel engine. The air vents below its windscreen are now solely for show, and the interior features such ‘luxuries’ as air-conditioning and heated seats. But this remains a workhorse rather than a show pony. The Defender is still virtually hand-built at the Solihull plant, and when you climb aboard the driving position is pure Land Rover.

There’s little elbow room as you sit close to the door, and even though the windscreen is heated these days, it’s still upright and just a short reach ahead of you. Standard kit includes the kind of equipment owners of the original Series I could only dream of, so the latest Defender feels civilised inside.

Fire up the Ford Transit-derived diesel engine, and you will also discover it has decent performance. Although maximum speed is limited to 82mph, once the big 4x4 is on the move it responds with surprising gusto to every touch on the throttle.

Refinement is still no match for any of its off-road cousins, because it was designed to excel in the mud – and it still does just that. A stubby second gearlever controls the low-range settings and diff lock, and once they’re engaged the Defender feels truly unstoppable even on the most difficult surfaces.

Crucially, it’s more fun to drive over challenging terrain than any of its more prestigious stablemates. The latest Range Rover will faithfully follow the workhorse Defender everywhere it goes, but this can be achieved simply by flicking a few switches and twirling some knobs – it will sort the rest of it out for you. In contrast, you need to give the basic Land Rover’s controls a shove at the right moment.

Novice off-roaders will get stuck in a Defender long before they would in a Range Rover, and that makes the boxy old timer hugely rewarding to drive. The fact it shrugs off minor scrapes with disdain only adds to the appeal.

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