REVIEW: Land Rover Defender 90 sparks heated exchange, but its credentials shine through

OVER the years I’ve driven many, many cars. Some have elicited more enthusiasm from the public than others and a couple have had people gaga but never have I received contempt for driving one.

Granted, it was fairly late at night and he had been at the bar long before I arrived at our local, but I reckon if he wasn’t in a wheelchair with one leg and his friend disagreeing with him, things could have become even more heated.

It’s just a car, you may think, but brand passion does strange things to people.

And when it comes to the new Land Rover Defender, let’s just say there aren’t many fence-sitters, especially when it comes to the older crowd.

The argument came about because I was testing the Defender 90, the 300 X-Dynamic HSE. There’s no doubt that a Defender 90 will always be on the cool chart, even the clumsy previous generation that stands in my garage gnawing away at my bank balance whenever it gets the opportunity.

So when my mate and I left and I unlocked it, the Land Rover puddle light highlighted the two of them and, as I walked towards it, he queried whether this was my piece of expletive.

It was late and I wasn’t in the mood to explain what I do to a man that was spoiling for an argument or I suspect incapable of listening, so I just answered “yes”.

Apparently his Series 3 Land Rover will get to places that the new Defender can only dream of and what were they thinking by building it with a monocoque (as opposed to a ladder frame chassis) body.

I tried to reason with him by explaining that leaf spring suspension and an open differential with 1940s technology could never compete with electronic diff locks on command, raised air suspension with the push of a button and some of the best off-road technology seen in a 4x4.

Neither could he compete with a 221kW and 650Nm twin-turbo 3.0-litre diesel engine with an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Still, this was a tar road gimmick that would in all probability break down sooner rather than later (without a hint of irony), the people at Solihull had lost the plot and would I care to meet him and his Landy to test his theories?

I politely declined.

His friend, though, after looking inside and seeing the glass screens, luxury interior and finishings agreed with me and continued to try and convince the non-believer while assisting him into the passenger seat of a Suzuki Jimny.

Like I said, brand passion can get out of hand but it does highlight how iconic the Defender is and how passionate people are about it.

Time will tell whether the new one will elicit the same, but on the face of it us old timers who have to regularly swing a spanner to keep them going get funny looks from the well-heeled when you give them the Defender wave from your own truck.

Granted, the Defender 90 isn’t the most practical of options in the range but there’s very much a niche for it from what I’ve seen on the roads and if you want more practicality there’s the 110, and even more space in the recently launched 130 with a third row of seats in place of the previous model’s loadbin.

That 3.0-litre motor is an absolute gem, pulls like a train and will get to the national speed limit in the blink of an eye with its oh-so-smooth gearbox. It means, too, that towing a large caravan, off-road trailer or boat won’t be a hassle and the glances you get especially if there's only two of you makes up for the lack of space. I mean it doesn’t get much better than a short wheelbase Landy and an off-road caravan driven up some very testing dirt roads.

With the push of a button (or allowing it to determine conditions by itself) you can select your setting, engage low range, raise the air suspension allowing up to 291mm ground clearance and arrive well rested thanks to the comfortable seats, at places not many will venture to. Except my late night friend, that is.

It’s made even easier by the 360-degree surround view camera system that shows you exactly where you’re going including the “through the bonnet” view on the 10-inch touchscreen using the Pivi Pro infotainment system that continues to impress.

On tar, while it may be a shorty, road imperfections are swatted away like an irritating mozzie with the air suspension and, yes, that monocoque frame providing an almost flawless ride that dispenses easily with badly maintained roads and speed bumps in suburbia.

In an ironic twist, on the last day I had the car, I dropped my son off at school and was in the queue to buy a coffee from the vendor when one of the teachers approached me.

Fortunately she knows me and knows what I do, but she and her husband own a restored Series 2, follow Kingsley Holgate and his escapades on social media and she can’t get enough of the Defender, especially the 90.

I know the feeling, and can’t help but wonder if I had taken up the challenge that evening whether there wouldn’t have been another convert.

You’ll need deep pockets at R1,557,105 before extras and it comes with a five-year/100,000km warranty and a five-year/100,000 maintenance plan.

IOL Motoring