Sprint Review: Defender 90

VIEW THE ACCELERATION & BRAKE TESTS HERE

Land Rover

Text: Hanjo Stier Images:Nico Boshoff

Defender 90 D300

Shattered. Broken. My illusion of one day buying a Defender 90 for my little family lies in tatters. But it' s not for the usual reasons…

You should know: I think that whole “ not a real Defender” argument has been severely dealt by now. Also, I honestly thought I could buy one of these shorter, two-door Defender 90' s in a few years; when they re-entered the market as preowned and more affordable specimens. However, a weekend with this silver 90 D300 x-dynamic press car has ruined my dreams… More info: I have a wild child and a horsey wife, what better car could I wish for than this trendy new Landy? It's stylish, it' s sophisticated, it'll tow a horsebox like nobody ' s business and it will easily conquer any adventure we can think of. And this 3L in-line 6-cylinder turbo-diesel engine must be the pick of the bunch. Maximum power of 221kW and up to 650Nm of torque are respectable sports car numbers, so they make light work of moving this 3-ton monster along to a limited top speed of 191km/h; smashing past 100km/h in just 6.7 seconds. T'is absolutely true, we measured exactly 6.75 seconds and a ¼ mile time of 14.88 seconds at 93.46mph. What else? The 90' s brakes are also excellent, as are the headlights, the interior, the media screen, the intelligent all-wheel drive system, that clever air suspension and the car ’ s customisation options. I' ve spent hours on the online conigurator, dreaming up different versions of what I thought would be our ultimate family ride… No thanks:But the deal breakers, in my real world test, were the Defender 90' s unbelievably long doors. Never mind my own big bum, wrangling a toddler in and out of the rear seats in a tight parking lot… that put the nail in this car ' s cofin. You simply cannot get anything done unless there ' s an empty bay next to this vehicle. Rear (and rear three-quarter) visibility is also scary, although L-R has equipped this urban tank with plenty of cameras and sensors to warn you of impending disaster. Like accidentally backing over the neighbour ' s house. Although it' s a bit shorter than a 110, this is still a huge machine. Also, there ' s the equally huge price of roughly 1.5 bar. Yes please:If you are single, or dinks, or a retired couple, please buy this car immediately and smile every time you see a lustered father ighting to strap something stroppy into a Graco. While holding up half the Kwikspar shoppers. But I reiterate: it' s not the 90' s fault. The 90 D300 is almost perfect.

FULL SPEC SHEET

Engine: Drive Train: Max. power Max. torque: Avg consumption: 0-100km/h: Top speed: List Price: 3L i-6 turbo-diesel 8-speed Auto, AWD 221kW 650Nm 7.6L/100km* 6.75 seconds (6.7*) 191km/h* R1,466,000