Land Rover Defender 90 (2007) CAR review

A new Defender! Though the old girl still looks much the same as she did 60 years ago

You’re right – the Defender traces its ancestry back to 1948 and remains the granddaddy of off-roaders, the Morgan of the mud. Since launch, almost 60 years ago, the old Landie has had a few substantial upgrades – not least to coil springs, a few styling revisions and a revised chassis. The name ‘Defender’ is also relatively new, introduced when the Discovery was launched in 1990 (when suddenly there were two Land Rovers).

So what’s new?

For 2007, the Defender gets one of its biggest-ever revamps. The major changes are a new common-rail diesel EU4-compliant engine from the Ford Transit (so if white van man can’t destroy this engine, then the SAS, farmers and the landed gentry should be fine), a new six-speed gearbox, new facia, new seats and a heating and ventilation system that actually works.