Your correspondent’s earliest memories of short wheelbase Land Rovers harks back to sheep and cattle station in north-west Queensland, where the go-anywhere ability of the rugged, rudimentary 4x4s made them prized workhorses.

 

More at home traversing gullies, creeks and washouts than the open road, these ‘Series’ Land Rovers traced their lineage back to the original 1948 version.

 

In 1989 the Series Land Rovers morphed into the Defender nameplate which continued in the role of rough-hewn off-roader in an increasingly upmarket lineup that also included the Range Rover and Discovery.

Fast forward to 2016 when production of the traditional pop-riveted body-on-frame Defender ended ahead of the launch of a much-anticipated all-new generation, which debuted in the UK in 2020 and arrived here later that year.

To say this new Defender is different to its predecessors is like saying Bradman could bat a bit.

In fact, aside from the name and some deftly executed heritage styling cues, the new model bears no technical or mechanical relationship to its predecessor.

Featuring aluminium monocoque body construction, similar to that which underpins its more luxurious Discovery and Range Rover stablemates, the new model also packs sophisticated new electronically controlled all-terrain systems, potent new engines and myriad other safety and convenience technologies that shift it determinedly upmarket in terms of price and positioning.

Somewhat counter-intuitively, this all-singing all-dancing Defender is also the most off-road capable iteration yet, and buyers can choose from three different wheelbases: short wheelbase 90, standard wheelbase 110 wagon, and long wheelbase 130 wagon.

While the old 90, 110 and 130 designations were once a measure of wheelbase length in inches, these days the Defender 90 rides on a 101.9-inch or 2587mm wheelbase, while both the 110 and 130 ride on an identical 118.9-inch or 3020mm wheelbase, with the latter boasting a longer body for more passenger accommodation.

Within this, there’s also a choice of engines including a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol, a 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbocharged diesel, a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-petrol and a 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8.

Both the six-cylinder petrol and diesel engines feature Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) technology which optimises power and fuel economy.

Attempting to make sense of all this complexity is Land Rover’s somewhat confusing model designations, which are displayed first by wheelbase (90, 110, 130), then by fuel type (D or P), then by horsepower output (250, 300, 400, 525) with an ‘e’ after the horsepower figure to indicate electrification, and finally by specification level (S, SE, X etc.).

Hence, an entry-level turbo-petrol four-cylinder powered Defender 90 producing 221kW (or 300hp) will be listed as a Defender 90 P300, while the next variant up is displayed as a 90 P300 S, and so on.

Then, just when you think you’re getting your head around Defender nomenclature, Land Rover throws in a fresh twist in the form of regular limited editions, including this Defender 90 75th Anniversary Special Edition.

As the name suggests, this model is intended to mark 75 years since the launch of the original Land Rover Series 1 and starts with the equipment levels of the X-Dynamic HSE variant that forms a regular part of the 110 range.

From there, Land Rover adds unique touches including 75^th-anniversary badging, Grasmere Green heritage paint scheme, Ceres Silver front and rear bumpers, privacy glass, Grasmere Green finish on the door trims and dashboard, and a laser-etched 'Defender' logo on the passenger side dash.

Just 75 examples of this Special Edition will come to Australia in both 90 and 110 wheelbases (25 Defender 90s and 50 Defender 110s).

But for the purposes of this review, consider much of what we write to be translatable to regular six-cylinder petrol-powered Defender 90s.

Pricing for the regular Defender 90 three-door range starts at $90,400 for the 2.0-litre four-cylinder powered P300 S and rises through six variants to the 5.0-litre supercharged V8-powered 90 P525, costing an eye-watering $221,550. The only diesel model, the 90 D250S costs $97,700.

Those prices will undoubtedly be shocking to anyone who relates to the pricing of the previous generation Defender, as will the fact this 75^th-anniversary model costs a whopping $152,077 (MRLP) in short wheelbase 90 form, or $156,157 for the five-door Defender 110 version.

Depending on your perspective, this could either be viewed as the short-wheelbase three-door being overpriced, or the long-wheelbase five-door being something of a bargain.

The generous standard equipment list includes matrix LED headlights, 3D surround camera, configurable terrain response system, Meridian sound system, 11.4-inch infotainment system, head-up display, wireless phone charger, sliding panoramic roof, 14-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, cooling and memory, leather shifter and steering wheel and dual-zone climate control. 

It’s fair to say that traditional Land Rover driving bushies like Les Hiddins, aka the Bush Tuckerman, would be staggered by the level of luxury on offer in this new Defender.

This goes for safety as well, with standard equipment including dual frontal, side chest-protecting airbags for the first row, side head-protecting (curtain) airbags for both the first and second rows, autonomous emergency braking (car-to-car, vulnerable road user and junction assist) as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist, lane departure warning and emergency lane keeping, and an advanced speed assistance system.

One of the first things you notice about this new Defender range, and particularly the 90, is its militaristic styling.

The design is clean and purposeful but also polished and extremely well executed.

It cleverly channels the ghosts of Defenders past but avoids pastiche.

The basic proportions are terrific, with short front and rear overhangs, and a body that sits up high on chunky 265/60R20 Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain adventure tyres, the alloy rims painted in body-colour-matching Grasmere Green.   

At the rear, a full-size spare wheel is mounted to the single-piece side-hinged door, accessed by a chunky grip-and-pull handle and held open by a sturdy gas strut.

A switch located on the inside of the C-Pillar allows the air suspension to be raised and lowered for ease of loading.

Being a short-wheelbase cargo area is not a strong point and with the second-row seats in position, there’s a claimed 397 litres (SAE) which is enough room for a couple of soft overnight bags and a few odds and ends.

That expands to a more useful 1563 litres with the 60/40 split folded, but the seats don’t fold completely flat which is disappointing.

They also don’t have any strap to reach in from the rear and pull them back into position, which is a pain for those of us without extendable arms.

Luggage space in the five-door Defender 110 is a far more practical 972 litres with the second-row seats in place and 2227 litres with the seats folded.   

The front seats are fully electric, with a high-mounted control on the tops of the seats which can be accessed from outside the vehicle or the back seat to slide them forward for ingress and egress.

Being a three-door and riding as high as it does, it’s not the easiest vehicle to get into.

You’ve got to duck your head and manoeuvre yourself up and into the rear space, but once back there it’s roomy and comfortable enough for two adults, or three at a pinch.

Rear-seat passengers have plenty of head, knee and foot room, plus a couple of sturdy grab handles to aid with ingress and egress, or to hang onto if the going gets rough.

A dark charcoal headlining matches the colour of the comfortably shaped seats, which are clad in black synthetic leather.

Convenience features include a fold-down centre armrest with twin cupholders, twin USB-C ports mounted at the rear of the front console unit, and individual airconditioning vents and controls for temperature, fan speed, and airflow direction.

Visibility out through the fixed rear privacy glass is limited by a stylised rectangular panel fixed to the outside of the vehicle, which tends to close things in, despite the panoramic sunroof (with blind) and Land Rover’s trademark skylights.

Moving to the front, the oversized doors are big, heavy units, and serve to emphasise the solid, well-engineered feel of the Defender as a whole.

This sense of strength and utilitarian purpose is evident elsewhere throughout the cabin in the form of sturdy grip and pull door handles, hex-head screws on the doors and centre console, and exposed sections of metal on the door trims and dash that serve as a design link back to Defenders of old.

The difference here is that while all the materials look and feel durable and designed to take a beating, they’re also pleasant to touch and the cabin is infused with some fantastically pragmatic design and finished to a high standard, despite rubber flooring in this model in lieu of carpets.

The instrument panel is fully digital with selectable screen views offering different layouts to suit driver preferences.

The graphics are clearly rendered and easily legible, and at the centre of the dash is an iPad-size touchscreen with similarly clear graphics and an interface that is mostly intuitive and easy to use.

Large circular dials below the touchscreen provide both temperature and seat heating controls, with a single tap of the button changing the function.

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The automatic transmission lever is mounted high, emerging out of the dash to avoid robbing space from the central console area, which is used to good effect with cutaway sections allowing space for storage, and rubber matting to prevent slippage.

Two large central cupholders, a refrigerated centre console unit, a 12-volt cigarette lighter, USB-C and USB, plus wireless phone charging, round out the console.

There's also a glove box and a grab handle in front of the passenger, large door pockets, and a handy cutaway section for oddment stowage that runs most of the way across the dash.

The seats offer a good range of adjustment with the large windscreen and high driving position providing an excellent view of the road ahead.

Large wing mirrors provide good rear vision but the view through the rear-view mirror is partially obscured by the rear seat headrests and centre passenger when in place.

On-road ride quality is plush and refined thanks to the standard air springs and fully independent suspension which do a fine job of blotting out bumps and controlling body movement through corners.

The 90 never feels skittish or nervous despite its short wheelbase and high riding stance, with steering that is nicely weighted for easy low-speed manoeuvrability while providing enough feel to encourage confidence at higher speeds.

Up front, a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol turbo engine features mild hybrid technology with 48-volt electrics feeding an electric supercharger to boost performance at lower engine revs, before an exhaust-driven turbocharger takes over at higher revs.

The engine is terrific, superbly responsive, smooth and muscular, it pumps out a V8-rivalling 294kW and 550Nm with a groundswell of torque available from just off idle, peaking at 2000rpm and maintained through to 5000rpm.

The engine is mated to a superbly responsive automatic transmission that slips smoothly through its eight forward ratios, delivering effortless shifts up and down the ratios and holding onto gears until high in the rev range when pressed to perform.

Put your foot down and the 90 responds with impressive alacrity, lifting its nose and surging forward with real gusto, despite its solid 2,245kg kerb weight.

With its peak power arriving at 5500rpm the engine feels decidedly sporty,  developing a hard-edged note at higher revs and firing the Defender from 0-100km/h in an impressively brisk 6.0 seconds.

The flip side is, of course, a thirst for unleaded and despite a reasonable combined cycle fuel consumption figure of 9.9L/100km, previous experience with this engine in a longer wheelbase Defender 110 tells us this can climb into the 19s in moderate to hard off-road conditions. 

While the move from old to new Defender brought plenty of criticism about the new model’s higher pricing and more upmarket fit-out, this remains a serious off-road vehicle with immense capability.

It’s also rated to tow an impressive 3,500kg with trailer brakes, although the longer wheelbase models may prove a better choice if towing is a priority.

Indeed, the Defender feels near unstoppable in most conditions.

The height-adjustable air suspension allows the driver to raise the body for additional ground clearance, which along with short overhangs, a clean underbody and proper low-range gearing helps ensure excellent capability.

A simple button mechanism selects low-range and hill descent control, while the configurable Terrain Response 2 system controls are housed in the digital touch screen, allowing the driver to set up the vehicle for different conditions (mud, snow, rock, sand etc.) or just leave it in auto and marvel at the Defender’s competence.

An array of cameras and sensors makes the 90 an easy proposition when parking in busy carparks but they can also be put to good use when off-roading, providing a range of different views to help with vehicle placement on rough tracks.

This modern Defender feels almost Range Rover-like in so many ways that if you ignored the bespoke dash design and just looked out across the expansive bonnet you would swear you were in a Rangie, such is the performance, ride quality and impressive refinement.

It’s an undeniably impressive vehicle both on and off-road but the $150,000 price tag underscores the fact that, as capable as they are, Defenders have gone determinedly upmarket and are no longer intended as paddock bashers for hard-working graziers.

There are also few compelling reasons to opt for the three-door 90, over the five-door 110, given the modest price difference between the two and the fact the shorty loses out in the practicality stakes due to its limited cargo space.

However, the benefits of the short wheelbase design, including its improved manoeuvrability, tighter turning circle, better ramp-over angle, and superior off-road performance, all add to its appeal.

Despite its consummate off-road ability and some fantastically utilitarian and pragmatic design features, this is a luxury-lifestyle vehicle that will likely spend more time in the inner suburbs than it will crossing gullies.

Key stats

• Price: $152,077 (MRLP) 
• Drivetrain: 2995cc Ingenium Inline 6-Cylinder Turbocharged (+ E-SC) Petrol, 294kW/550Nm
• Transmission: Eight-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
• ANCAP CRASH RATING: Not rated (Land Rover 110 variants five stats 2020)
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 9.9L/100km (230g/km CO2)
• For: Distinctive styling and pragmatic design, strong performance, comfortable ride, refinement, off-road ability.
• Against: Price, lack of cargo space, rear seats don’t fold fully flat, rear seat access, visibility with rear seat passengers in place.