2021 Land Rover Defender 90 Review: The Elegant Off-Roader

The franchise conjures up images of several highly esteemed British marques and their vehicles. Those Bond cars have always been good at capturing an inherent British elegance, but the true grip of James Bond’s character lies in the duality between sophistication and brute power. The new 2021 Land Rover Defender 90 is an abbreviated take on that formula, built on JLR’s D7x architecture.

The Defender 110 we tested last year breezed through a course of irregularly muddy crests, dips, and corkscrews. As a testament to their ruggedness, the Defenders used in No Time To Die were essentially consumer cars with minor tweaks. A roll cage, bucket seat, and fuel cell were added to otherwise showroom cars, then those same cars were thrown 16 feet into the air, rolled, and kept on driving.

We didn’t go to quite those levels for our test of the 2021 Land Rover Defender 90. We did put that off-road ruggedness to the test though, and wanted an answer to the question: has dropping two of its doors changed our thoughts on the new Defender experience?

The new Defender 110 has been on the road while we waited on the arrival of the 90 variant, and it’s proved itself worthy of the Defender name. The shorter wheelbase Defender makes an even stronger statement for modernity by sacrificing two doors and tidying up its exterior design. The Defender 90 turns heads on the road, standing out in a market encumbered by SUVs and crossovers. For 2021, Land Rover adds an X-Dynamic trim level to sit between the base model and the Defender X. An eight-speed automatic with two-speed transfer case, all-wheel drive, and locking differentials are standard across the board.

The mystique of the Defender lineage has always been how the car carries itself across the chosen path. On the street, the air suspension glides over the usual urban hazards of potholes and misaligned pavement. This alone makes the air suspension option a no-brainer, and entirely justifies owning a Defender in the city. Out in the wilderness, we were struggling to find terrain that would pose a challenge. The eight-speed ZF automatic transmission worked seamlessly at any speed, and the Terrain Response System in conjunction with the speed-adjustable Hill Descent Control made short work of the mud and gravel surfaces we threw at it.

Our P400 test car, with its 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six cylinder and mild hybrid system, was drama-free on the road. It never felt fast from behind the wheel, but a quick glance down at the speedometer and you’ll see it doing its work. The implementation of hybrid technology makes this car one of a few where engine start-stop was barely noticeable. We could easily opt for the smaller four-cylinder to save a little on gas though. EPA fuel economy figures for city, highway, and combined for the P400 are 17/22/19 mpg, respectively (13.5 / 10.8 / 12.3 L per 100 km), but we definitely overshot those numbers in the wrong direction during our testing.

We never got a chance to ford the Defender across water, but have no reason to doubt the quoted 35.4 inch (899 mm) wading depth. Having the air suspension equipped also means you get an increased 11.5 inches (292 mm) of ground clearance, beating numbers from either of its primary rivals. Approach and departure angles are 38 and 40 degrees respectively, and the breakover angle is a very respectable 31 degrees. With its commanding ride height, you often forget how small the 90 is until you start looking for parking. It’s only a stamp’s length longer than the current Honda Civic Hatchback, but you’d never know it by admiring from afar. The short wheelbase also allows the 90 to meander through crowded parking lots and narrow forest paths with ease.

“Premium Utility” may be the most succinct way to sum up the inside of the new Defender. You can spot design elements common to the Land Rover family, but it separates itself from its siblings with exposed bracing and ample storage. A magnesium crossbeam is structural to the vehicle and proudly displayed without adornment. Should you have a set of Torx bits on hand, you’d be tempted to take apart the exposed bolts to see how it’s all put together. On a different car, these elements could easily cheapen the feel of the interior, but Land Rover has done well to pick interior materials that ride the fence between function and luxury. Even something so minor as the turn signal clicks with a satisfyingly mechanical tone that’s not found on the competition.

Did we mention there is storage everywhere? On a short trip out to the country, we easily packed an entire work-from-home office into the front passenger seat, complete with snacks and drinks abound. An arsenal of charging ports kept phones and laptops working all day, and the cabin was plenty quiet to allow for Zoom meetings to be conducted en route. Visibility is also excellent in the 90, a byproduct of its ride height and generous use of glass in the greenhouse.

Rear cargo space is usable but slightly hampered by the rear bracing that juts out into an otherwise flat floor. You’ll be able to pack 10.5 cubic feet dry (297 liters) of gear into the back with seating for five. Fold the rear seats down and you’ll get up to 44.6 cubic feet (1,263 L) of space for your things. A tailgate window that opens would increase the haul rating, but that’s not what the Defender 90 is for. We managed to fit three humans and three dogs (including one Cane Corso) into the shortened Defender, so practicality hasn’t exactly gone out the door.

The standard 10.0-inch touchscreen runs one of the best looking infotainment systems available on the market. The Pivi Pro system is visually clean and uncomplicated to use, unlike many of the systems used by other manufacturers. Rarely does the native navigation application stand up to the likes of Google Maps, but we often found ourselves using it in lieu of the CarPlay implement. A six-speaker Meridian system is standard, with 10 and 14-speaker systems available on higher trims.

An extensive list of options can be had independent of the trim level. Off-Road, Advanced Off-Road Capability, Towing, Comfort and Convenience, Cold Climate, and Air Suspension packages let you configure the Defender as you see fit. A front jumpseat option ($900) replaces the front armrest storage and console with an additional seat to fit six total. In addition to trim levels and options packages, there are sets of accessories packages to both dizzy and delight potential buyers. Safety and driver assistance features including the 3D Surround Camera, Lane Keep Assist, Rear Traffic Monitor, and Wade Sensing are all standard on the Defender, but you’ll have to pay extra for Adaptive Cruise Control.

If you’re looking for rugged but don’t need more than a couple of doors, you’d be looking at either the Ford Bronco or Jeep Wrangler as the only alternatives to the Defender 90. All three will grant you access to confidence in rough terrain and poor driving conditions, but only the Defender carries the luxury cachet of the Land Rover brand name.

Granted, prices for the Defender start where the Bronco and Wrangler leave off. The base Defender 90 with the 295 horsepower inline-four starts at $47,450 ($59,700 CAD), plus destination and fees. Opting for the P400 X-Dynamic S trim like our test car will see the price pop up to $59,150 ($69,900 CAD). With the off-road options equipped, it’ll easily best the competition on numbers that matter. Unlike the competition, the Defender won’t look out of place should you pull into a luxury hotel dressed for a black-tie affair.

The new Defender 90 is an interesting off-roadable proposition that combines the legendary capabilities of the original Series and Defender with a new level of refinement curated by the Land Rover brand. The result is a car that is wholly able to traverse rough terrain (and sometimes fly over them, as in No Time To Die) but comfortable for daily use in an urban grind. The short wheelbase makes for an unexpectedly maneuverable drive, but comes at the loss of some practicality. Die-hard fans of body-on-frame as the basis for off-roading may balk at the unibody construction, but they’d be insincere in saying this new Defender isn’t practically, in every way, a better car to have and to use.

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