Review: the Land Rover Defender

By Herefordshire Life on June 14th 2011

One of the first vehicles I ever drove was a Land Rover. A military green series 3 pickup, it belonged to my uncle. I was a precocious 13 year old, allowed to drive off road. It had no carpets, no door trims, sliding windows, a four-speed gearbox and, more worryingly for a teenage me, no power steering and a seriously heavy, snappy clutch. The lumpy diesel engine made everything vibrate and brightly-coloured knobs sprouted from the transmission tunnel like mechanical mushrooms. Things have changed since then. For a start I can now reach the pedals properly.

The new Land Rover Defender 90 comes complete with a much less daunting clutch, door trims, a six-speed gearbox and proper carpets. The old bug-trapping vents that used to let cold air in from outside have been replaced by an effective air-conditioning system. There’s a heated windscreen and seats, the windows are electric and you can hear the radio.

Don’t go thinking the Defender has gone soft though. You still get the lofty driving position that, despite offering enviable views of the road ahead, also forces you to sit right on the extremities of the cabin and gives little in the way of elbow room. The steering still feels heavy and loose on the move, and requires lots of twirling in tight spaces thanks to the massive turning circle. The handbrake lever brushes your left leg when you drive and don’t bother looking for airbags.

The 2.4 litre Ford-sourced diesel engine retains that distinctly Land Rover sound but, even though there’s far less of the tug-boat like noise and vibration than I remember from my youth, you still have to work your way through the click-clacking gearbox’s ratios to keep up with modern traffic. There’s little point in revving the engine over about 3000rpm; this is a vehicle that uses torque not power.

And that’s really the Defender’s forte. It may have fewer levers in the cabin than the Land Rovers of old but it’s lost none of the legendary off-road or load-lugging ability.

If you opt for the original 90 inch wheelbase – hence the name – you’ll be buying one of the most recognisable and iconic automotive shapes ever made. From the squared off wings, to the high roofline, to the short front and rear overhangs, a short wheelbase Land Rover looks as good today as it did in 1949. It’s perfectly proportioned and is the definitive 4x4 shape.

I might be suffering a serious bout of rose tinted glasses syndrome, but I disagree with those who claim Land Rovers offer little more than a slow, bumpy, noisy ride. After spending a week with this one, the only problem I can find is that I have to hand it back.

Land Rover Defender  90 Station Wagon

■  Engine: 2401cc. 4 cyl diesel turbo
■  Transmission: 6 manual
■  Power: 121bhp @ 3500rpm
■  Torque: 265 lbft @ 2000rpm
■  0-62mph: 14.8 sec
■  Max Speed: 82mph
■  Mpg: 28.3 (combined)
■  CO2: 266g/km
■  Price: £28,895 (car shown)

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