Land Rover Defender Review (1990-2016)

What can you say about the Land Rover Defender that hasn’t already been said? It’s an icon of Britain, and a workhorse beloved even by those who’ve never driven one. It’s as much a part of the fabric of the UK countryside as thatched cottages and oak trees, yet it’s as well-suited to desert dunes as it is the Yorkshire Dales.

Its basic styling dates to 1948, when the earliest Land Rover – retrospectively called the Series I – went into production. After two more iterations, a heavy revamp saw it renamed simply 90 and 110 in 1983, referring to the two lengths of wheelbase available, but it wasn’t until 1990 that the Defender finally gained the name it would wear until the end of its life, and by which it would come to be remembered.

The Defender was available in an incredible array of guises, and that’s before you get to the ones that were adapted for specific tasks by specialist body builders. There were van-style versions with no seats in the back at all, pick-ups, straight-up five seaters, seven-seaters, and plenty more variations on those themes. The best thing is to pick one that suits the job you need it to do.

What’s more, with its wipe-clean interior, and few electrics, you can pretty much hose out a Defender, which makes it an ideal companion if you regularly climb aboard with grimy boots, muddy dogs, or mucky cargo.

Noisy engines, bouncy suspension, an awkward driving position and vague steering mean the Defender hardly the sort of car you’d want to spend too much time in on tarmac, and especially not on a motorway.

So why do people choose to? Well, there’s certainly something about its gruff toughness that appeals on a subjective level, despite its many objective flaws. Yes, the Defender is crude, but unashamedly so, and its honesty and purity of purpose soon start to charm you. It’s great for towing, too.

If you need to head away from the tarmac for any reason, then there are few, if any, off-roaders better suited to the task. The Defender’s rugged construction and no-nonsense four-wheel drive system will haul you out of almost any tricky situation.

There are plenty of models in Land Rover’s range, past and present, that offer tech, comfort, and luxury. The Defender was not one of them, so if that’s what you’re after, look elsewhere.

It did, however, sprout all manner of accessories, fancy wheel options and paint finishes, and Land Rover produced a run of special editions that were pitched far more toward the King’s Road than the Kalahari.

The final three are arguably the most desirable: the Autobiography, Heritage, and Adventure editions were produced to celebrate the final year of Defender production in 2015. All three gained distinctive paint finishes and various bits of extra equipment.

The Defender’s fuel economy will vary depending on which engine you choose, but generally, you should see an MPG figure of somewhere between 25 and 30 from a diesel. V8s, on the other hand, will chew up fuel faster than you can think about it – don’t expect to see more than 10-15mpg on average.

You’ll also want to think carefully about the tax implications of whichever Defender you’re going to buy. Examples registered before 2001 will fall under the old-style tax system, which means they’ll cost much less than those registered thereafter, whose high CO2 emissions make their annual tax bill significantly higher.

The Defender is a mechanically simple machine, but it’s also quite specialised, and as a result, servicing is no cheaper than you might find on other 4x4s of a similar age. You should also keep in mind that 200TDi and 300TDi versions come with a cambelt, which needs to be changed regularly. The 200TDi’s belt will last five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first, while the 300TDi’s needs changing every six years or 72,000 miles.

The Defender went through a lot of changes throughout its long life, so even the common problems can be nuanced. It’s worth contacting a good, independent Land Rover specialist (there are plenty of them) if you’re not sure about something and, if you’re planning to hand over a chunk of cash, it may be worth having them inspect the vehicle before you buy.

Defenders might have aluminium body panels (for the most part), but rust is nonetheless a problem. The chassis is built from steel, as is the bulkhead, and these areas are particularly prone to corrosion. Be particularly careful with cars that have led a hard working life, as their chassis may have been caked in salty mud without having been cleaned for long periods at a time, leaving them riven with rot.

You’ll want to check that the low ratio and diff locks do what they should, which you can do by engaging them and driving the car in a tight circle with the window open; if you don’t hear the inside tyres slipping and grabbing, that’s a bad sign.

As a rule, the earlier the car, the more durable its interior, so be prepared for later cars that have led hard lives to show it inside. Check all the electrics work because glitches are not unheard of.

Any rough running or misfire from the engine is a bad sign, and you’ll want to keep an eye out for control unit and fuel pump problems on the later Ford-engined cars. V8s are more fragile and suffer from worn camshafts and a tendency to pop their head gaskets.