2024 Land Rover Defender 90

How does the Defender drive? Strong off-road capability typically comes at the expense of on-road handling and steering precision. But that isn't the case here. The Defender drives just like a luxury SUV should, and its transmission provides smooth and often imperceptible gear changes. The brakes are easy to control for smooth stops around town.

As for acceleration, we clocked a 0-60 mph sprint of 6.7 seconds for the Defender 110 and 6.2 seconds for the Defender 90 when equipped with the inline six-cylinder engine. That's plenty quick for an off-road-oriented SUV. Still, with 395 hp, you might expect a little more. Weight might be a culprit — our test Defenders weighed in at a portly 5,207 and 5,571 pounds for the two-door 90 and four-door 110, respectively.

How comfortable is the Defender? The Defender travels down the road with the refinement you'd expect of a luxury-priced Land Rover. The interior remains quiet and relatively free from road vibrations even when riding on the optional 20-inch wheels and all-terrain tires. In terms of ride quality, our test vehicle was on the firm side when going over bumps and road imperfections, but it was likely the result of those larger, heavier wheels (18-inch wheels are standard).

The driver's seat provides a wide range of adjustment. Heating and ventilation are optional. The climate system is able to maintain a comfortable temperature, though you might need to dial in a slightly lower target temperature and fiddle with the vents to get the airflow you want.

How’s the interior? The Defender's massive second row and tall roof give the cabin a very roomy feel. It's worth noting that passenger space remains the same whether you choose the 110 or the 90. Headroom, legroom and shoulder room are plentiful, though the steering column can get in the way of some drivers' knees when they get in. We'd recommend against the front center jump seat since its usefulness is minimal and it removes a good amount of otherwise convenient storage.

The height-adjusting air suspension, numerous grab handles and large doors make access easy in the 110, but climbing into the back of the two-door 90 will be a chore for most.

A few interior controls have steep learning curves. The climate control dials, for example, double as drive mode selectors and seat heating/ventilation adjustment. If they were touchscreen controls, they'd be a lot simpler and more intuitive. Large windows and appropriately sized mirrors make outward visibility a non-issue, and the cabin is far quieter than we'd expect of any off-road vehicle.

How’s the storage? The four-door Defender has a generous amount of storage space (34 cubic feet), both with the rear seats up or lowered for maximum capacity. The rear seats are heavy, and it can take some oomph to push them back in place. That all changes if you opt for the shorter 90. Cargo capacity is cut by more than half, and folding the rear seatbacks is a huge hassle because it requires you remove the bottom seat cushion. If you need to carry cargo, don't get the 90.

When the Defender is equipped with the air suspension, you can lower the ride height from the cargo area to make loading heavy objects a little easier. Unlike like most SUVs, the Defender has a swing-out tailgate instead of a liftgate. It swings out toward the curb, which not everyone will like because it can impede access. It's also heavy due to the mounted spare tire.

Inside, the Defender has long shelves for the front seats and multilevel storage by the center console. There are numerous places to store small items but none large enough to hold a medium-size handbag. The sheer size of the second row makes car seat installation easy with the 110, but you'll struggle to get a seat by the front pass-through with the 90. Once back there, however, the access to the attachment points is decent.

An available tow package allows the Defender to tow 8,200 pounds. But it doesn't include a trailer brake controller, which you'll want to help control and adjust a heavy trailer's brakes.

Is the Defender a good value? The Defender has a comfortable entry price in the mid-$50,000s. When optioned sensibly, it marries off-road capability and on-road refinement in a way that justifies paying the premium for it over, say, the Jeep Wrangler or Toyota 4Runner. Even equipped with a fair number of options, it costs less than the Toyota Land Cruiser.

On the downside, our test vehicle had multiple misaligned body panels and a few interior rattles. The interior materials didn't quite seem to reflect the $72,000 as-tested price — they were already showing signs of wear, markings and stains. Our test vehicle was an early build version that was undoubtedly used hard, but hard use is what a Defender should be built to withstand.

Personality is important to the Defender, and the new one gets the important parts of the classic Defender's proportions right. It looks cool from most angles, but we still think the front end looks a bit soft, and the optional plastic bits on the hood that are styled to look like diamond-plated metal elicit plenty of chuckles. We wish it looked a bit tougher.

The Defender drives with refinement and dignity whether you're on- or off-road. While the level of electronic control is nifty, we find it more satisfying to manually engage diff locks and low range with physical buttons and levers. Still, it's hard to argue with the seamlessness of the Defender's approach.