The Land Rover Defender is no longer the back-to-basics 4x4 it once was. We've been driving a Defender 90 to see if it's still a farmer's favourite or just another King's Road calamity.

PROS:

+ Relaxing to drive on-road

+ Unstoppable off-road

+ Chunky styling

CONS:

- Terrible boot

- Cheaper entry-level model removed

- V8 model costs supercar money

Verdict: The Land Rover 90 looks like nothing else on the road, has a high-quality interior and is superb to drive on and off the Tarmac. It now starts at more money, though, and if you have a family to transport on holiday you'll need a roof box. Or a Defender 110.

2021 Land Rover Defender 90 review: the five-minute read

If Britain's rural towns and villages are gathering with torches and pitchforks, it either means a werewolf has been spotted, or the Land Rover Defender has gone upmarket.

But despite people protesting that sheep don't need four-zone climate control or that you can't fire a high-pressure hose at the new Defender's dashboard, the fact is that Land Rover simply couldn't keep making the old Defender.

Its engines were too old, its interior too unsafe in a crash and by the end, the people buying it were mostly wearing chinos. Land Rover could make the Defender posh, charge more for it and make more selling it. Precisely this has happened since its launch last year.

So, now that's dealt with, it's worth focusing on what a brilliant job Land Rover has done with the new Defender's styling – especially this shorter-wheelbase 90 model. You know it's a Defender from the moment you see it, but with modern lines and sharp LED lighting. However, you can go for a heritage look with white steel wheels and a white roof if you want to.

Even the shorter 90 is a huge car on the road, which translates to lots of space for four tall adults to stretch out inside. You get Land Rover's latest touchscreen infotainment system and digital driver's dials as standard too, which both look great and are easy to operate.

The 90's biggest drawback is its boot, which is comically small. To put it in context, it's much smaller than a VW Golf's in reality and a much more awkward shape. If you're going on holiday with kids, you'll need a roof box, or the larger and more expensive Defender 110.

Another inconvenience is that Land Rover has removed its four-cylinder diesel engine from the 90 line-up, so now the cheapest diesel is a 249hp 3.0-litre six-cylinder called the D250. That's now the pick of the engines for its blend of power, fuel economy and smoothness, although there's also a more powerful version of that engine with 300hp.

The cheapest way into a 90 full stop is buying the 300hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder P300 petrol, or there's a 400hp six-cylinder petrol called the P400. At the top of the range sits the P525, which gets Land Rover's brutal supercharged V8 petrol, but you'll pay handsomely for the privilege. Of course, all-wheel drive comes as standard and so too does a slick eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Cheaper versions of the 90 get steel coil suspension, but you can add ait suspension as an option. Both set-ups are very comfy on-road and despite the air suspension bringing you even greater capability off it, even a coil-sprung 90 is staggeringly competent with the help of Land Rover's clever off-road driving modes.

The Defender's huge proportions make it bulky in town, but visibility is great and you get a 360-degree camera as standard. On country roads, its relatively slow steering and soft suspension mean it doesn't feel that agile. You're much better off enjoying its comfort and quiet, something that makes it a great motorway cruiser.

So, the Defender 90 looks superb and drives like Range Rover despite being even more capable off-road. Just remember Land Rover doesn't have the best reliability record and think hard about whether you'll need more boot space than this 90 has.

For great Land Rover deals click here

Extended read…

2021 Land Rover Defender 90 interior and infotainment

The Defender's interior is a perfect blend of fancy but functional. It's made from high-quality materials and feels like it's built to last, but also has a genuinely interesting design that's useful too.

Take, for instance, the shelf with charging for your mobile that sits above the glovebox, or hollowed out section beneath the centre console for throwing odds and sods – both look great but also make the 90 very easy to live with.

You also get Land Rover's latest touchscreen infotainment system, a responsive, razor-sharp 10-inch screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard – although Land Rover's native menus are simple to follow anyway. You can upgrade the screen to a larger 11.4-inch one for not much extra.

All 90s also come with a set of digital driver's dials that look great and are easily configurable, but wireless smartphone charging is an optional extra on most models. There are three levels of sound system available, with the more advanced ones made by UK outfit Meridian.

Buy a new or used Defender

2021 Land Rover Defender 90 practicality and boot space

The Land Rover Defender 90 might be shorter than the larger 110, but it's still a huge car on the road that only just fits inside the lines of standard parking spaces.

As such, there's acres of space for four adults to sit inside and the driver gets a superb high-ride view of the road and great visibility in all directions.

Three adults across the back is a bit of a squeeze mind, and because the 90 is a three-door car, getting child seats in through the front doors and in place is a bit of a faff.

Not as big a faff as having to buy and fit a roof box for all your stuff every time you go away for more than an afternoon, because if you have a family to cart about on holiday etc, the 90's boot just won't cater for them. Land Rover quotes 397 litres, but this figure is to the roof and the space is a very awkward shape made worse by the rear seats not having a slide or tilt function.

You can at least fold the rear seats down completely, which opens up the space for trips to the tip, but all-told the 90 offers poor luggage space if you need to carry people in the back.

2021 Land Rover Defender 90 engine

Land Rover has removed its four-cylinder diesel engine from the 90 line-up, so now the cheapest diesel is a 249hp 3.0-litre six-cylinder called the D250.

It's now the pick of the engines for its blend of power, fuel economy and smoothness, although there's also a more powerful version of that engine with 300hp if you want more performance.

The cheapest way into a 90 full stop is buying the 300hp 2.0-litre four-cylinder P300 petrol, or there's a 400hp six-cylinder petrol called the P400. At the top of the range sits the P525, which gets Land Rover's brutal supercharged V8 petrol, but you'll pay handsomely for the privilege.

Of course, all-wheel drive comes as standard and so too does a slick eight-speed automatic gearbox.

You'll be able to get close to 40mpg from the D250 on longer runs, while the P300 and P400 will be closer to 30mpg. The P525 V8 is a 20mpg machine on a good day.

Build your dream car

2021 Land Rover Defender 90 driving

The Defender 90 comes with steel coil suspension as standard but you can add electronic air suspension as an option – or it comes as standard on some more expensive models.

Both suspension types are very comfy on-road, and although air suspension will give you the ability to raise the 90 up even further off-road, the coil-sprung model is massively capable in any case.

In short, thanks to this and Land Rover's impressive off-road driving tech the Defender is one of the best off-roaders in the world. Terrain Response comes as standard which allows you to choose your driving surface (like mud, gravel or snow), or you can add Terrain Response 2 which handles it all automatically.

The Defender's huge proportions make it bulky in town, but visibility is great and you get a 360-degree camera as standard. On country roads, its relatively slow steering and soft suspension mean it doesn't feel that agile. You can add a rear active differential, but this is really designed to help off-road more than making it more spritely on it.

In truth, you're much better off enjoying the 90's comfort and quiet, something that makes it a great motorway cruiser. Lane keep assist comes as standard on all 90s, but you'll need to add a pack to get adaptive cruise control. It's a decent system and worth it if you regularly drive long distances on the motorway.

Interested in buying a Rover Defender?

Find used Rover Defender