Land Rover Defender 2003 Review

Roaring along the freeway at speeds of 110km/h, hell anything above 80km/h really – just doesn't sit well with Land Rover's little yellow terror.

The Defender 90 Xtreme is the short wheel base version of Land Rover's tried and true heavy duty offroader, the military looking one with flat sheet metal and plenty of pop rivets.

I say 'little' with tongue in cheek because it is still four metres long, almost two metres high and weighs a hefty 2.7 tonnes.

The 90 with steel chassis and aluminium alloy body has seating for just two people, although rubber clad benches run the length of both sides in the back.

That's okay for carting extra passengers around the farm or for short hops on a worksite, but strictly illegal in town because no seatbelts are supplied.

The 90's short wheelbase, huge ground clearance and virtually non-existent front and rear overhangs make it a better thing in the bush.

There not much that will stop this Landy we discovered after a bump along our favourite fire trail this week.

The 90 is powered by a 2.5-litre intercooled turbo diesel that produces 90kW of power and 300Nm of torque.

It's the same engine that can be found in the Discovery TD5, but in a slightly different format.

Diesels are better suited to off road work because of their high torque output at lower engine revs.

The Defender 90 produces maximum torque from a low 1950Nm feeding power to all four wheels through a fulltime four-wheel drive system, via a centre differential that can be locked.

On the road driving the Defender has much in common with driving a truck, with lots of engine noise and general harshness.

It takes two gears to make it through a large intersection and fifth gear arrives just as the needle of the speedo touches 80km/h.

Some concessions have been made to creature comfort, with airconditioning, power windows, remote locking and a CD sound system.

There also seems to be a little more elbow room compared to the last Defender we drove which means you can drive comfortably with the driver's window shut.

The steel split rims have also disappeared, replaced by alloys with wider tyres that make handling much better.

Off road the 90 has one of the lowest, low range first gears that we have had the pleasure of using and is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to serious four-wheel driving.

However, the gear shift is a quite stiff and notchy and it takes some practice to operate the transfer lever.

The 90 is a little thirstier than we anticipated and this is a reflection of the small 60-litre fuel tank – not sufficient for long range exploration.

It has a maximum tow rating of 3.5 tonnes.

Standard equipment includes traction control, all terrain ABS brakes, a nudge bar and tube steel side runners.

The Defender 90 Xtreme is offered in a choice of five colours but it is hard to go past the learner plate yellow of our test vehicle. It is priced from $45,950 before on-road costs.