No matter how you look at it, the launch of the 2020 Land Rover Defender was a success. Sure, it's unfortunate for the brand and model that some high-visibility owners have gotten one with a few problems, but the overall reception has been overwhelmingly positive.
There are a few models, brands, manufacturers, and even entire countries that have gained unfavorable reputations as far as the reliability of their vehicles is concerned, and Land Rover is one of them. As it is so often the case, it's more old wives’ tale than actual truth as even though the stories did hold water a few decades ago, things change over time. Perceptions, on the other hand, they take a little longer.
As was promised at launch earlier this year when the 110 model was the only one available, the shorter Defender 90 is now about to hit the market. Before any eager client can get their hands on one, however, a host of British journalists were invited to experience the new model the same way Land Rover's test drivers did: inside the company's testing facility.
Did we say "facility"? We meant muddy fields with plenty of jumps, ruts, and water-filled pits also known as Land Rover's proving grounds near Eastnor Castle. The location hadn't been used for years, but the British company decided to reopen it for the release of the Defender 90.
To get there, though, the new Land Rover Defender 90 had to drive on regular roads, just like you and I do every day. Like its larger sibling, the 90 is a lot more composed and civil on the asphalt than the old generation, to the point where any comparison would be pointless. Drew Stearne, the Carfection journalist carrying out the test says it feels slightly less civilized than a Discovery, but the difference can be negligible.
Away from the pavement, Drew complains about the vehicle's intrusive assistance systems that jump in too early and seem to frown at any kind of tomfoolery. To make matters worse, they can't be switched off completely either. The shorter wheelbase also makes the 90 more difficult to throw around corners and more prone to understeer.
The more difficult obstacles were no problem for the new Defender 90 or Drew, a self-proclaimed low-to-medium-skill off-road driver. As he puts it, the new car is not idiot-proof, but it does take a special kind of person to get it irreversibly stuck. And all this, it should be said, happened with the stock tires.
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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