The Land Rover Defender is the quintessential off-roader and Matt Farah from TheSmokingTire just lately had the possibility to try it out in 90 configuration.

Our personal Michael Gauthier drove the new-age Defender late final yr however that mannequin was the four-door Defender 110 variant. As its title suggests, the 90 is way smaller than the 110 and has two fewer doorways. Its wheelbase spans 102 inches, 17.1 inches shorter than the 110’s, and as Farah mentions on this assessment, solely 60 % of the elements are shared between the 2 variations.

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Powering the Defender 90 featured on this check was the automaker’s turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six with mild-hybrid expertise and an electrical supercharger. It’s good for 395 hp and 406 lb-ft (550 Nm) of torque, which permits the British SUV to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in 5.9 seconds, run down the quarter-mile in 14.5 seconds and high out at 130 mph (210 km/h). An air suspension system can also be featured, permitting you to configure the peak relying on the floor.

Shortly after setting off, Farah instantly notes that the cabin of the Defender 90 is way quieter than the Ford Bronco that he additionally drove just lately. He says it’s a lot nearer to a Vary Rover when it comes to refinement than it’s to a Jeep Wrangler. This comes even though the Defender on this check had the out there sliding fabric roof. The path featured on this check wasn’t notably tough and the Defender had no points climbing up the tracks.

Not every part is ideal, nevertheless. Farah notes that the response time of the infotainment system is kind of sluggish, notably when utilizing the satellite tv for pc radio. He’s additionally disillusioned with the dearth of radar cruise management.