The Land Rover, the 4x4 of all 4x4s is 60 years old and looking just as wonderful as ever, says Vicky Hunter in her latest review.

The Land Rover Defender 90 is still gorgeous looking

The 'new' Land Rover Defender 90 Station Wagon (90SW) is undoubtedly one of the icons in the history of the motorcar and is one of the coolest-looking cars ever. And aside from a few subtle changes, it still looks as gorgeous and romantic as ever. 

Not an easy everyday car to drive

Price: R309 096 Article Options Email to Friend Print Article Remove from Favorites Add to Favorites Remove from 'Articles to Read' Add to 'Articles to Read'

I can't help but think that meeting the Land Rover Defender is a bit like meeting a really good-looking guy, only to have him open his mouth to sound a bit intellectually blunt, to put it politely. You see, the Defender is just so lovely to look at – the exterior, while it has the aerodynamics of a brick, is lovely and adventurous, and the interior is functional and has clever folding back seats.
 
But driving it is quite hard. You really have to push it to get the most out of it and as a day-to-day car, I'd imagine it would take true love to put up with this every day – although that's quite conceivable. 

Now with a vastly improved interior 

The interior has been vastly improved, but they still insist on having that rearview mirror the size of a lipstick case mirror. There are also one or two ergonomic wonders – and I don't mean that in a flattering way – such as the back door handle which is half-hidden by the spare tyre, the front-door interior handles are also not the easiest to get go as they're hiding behind part of the front fascia. 

Defender 90 has exciting storage spaces

Ergonomic glitches aside, the new Land Rover Defender has a new heating/cooling system in it, and the air conditioner really does work well – I unfortunately can't report on the heater as we had a heat wave during the time that I had the car to test. Storage-wise the new interior works beautifully for two main reasons, the first being the giant box between the front seats that will take any handbag (I must say, that this really was a very nice feature to have).

Of course, it's probably designed more for GPSs and tyre pressure monitors, but it just so happens to suit the urban cowgirl well, too. And secondly, the folding back seats which once out the way give you an enormous, easy-loading area for, er, stuff.

Features a 2.4 diesel engine and a sixth gear

Land Rover has put in a new 2.4 litre common-rail diesel engine that goes really well but is let down by a very jerky gearbox. A sixth gear has been added, though, which helps enormously and allows the car to travel at high speeds far more comfortably before. Land Rover did such a wonderful makeover job on their Discovery and Freelander, that I'm sure if they'd just tried a little harder, the gearing on the Defender would be easier.

There's 360Nm of torque and 90kW of power, 90 percent of which is available from just over 2 000rpm, which once you get the hang of how to work the gearbox to your advantage, is very useful - especially when you're lane-changing. And obviously the torque is terribly useful off-road! The fuel efficiency is far better than the model it replaces.

Land Rover Defender 90SW cruises on the highway

Driving the Land Rover 90SW in traffic was hard work although after a few days with it I did figure out the best way to make it less jerky. On the highway, it cruised much better than I thought it would and cabin noise is vastly improved from previous models.

...but off-road is where it really shines

Of course, what the Land Rover Defender is known for is off-roading. This is a real little toughy and takes on anything and invariably gets to places that many 4x4s would be too fragile to attempt. All Land Rovers are permanent four-wheel drives which is what makes them such legendary off-road performers and gives them an edge on tar. The Defender comes with a centre differential lock that sends equal power to the front and back axles so when you're in a tricky situation, you've got a far better chance of getting out!

It's easy to see why the Land Rover Defender is chosen over and over again for the romantic Africa odyssy, inspite of its short-comings. It's a utilitarian vehicle with great soul.

So, would I buy one? Yes, but quite frankly, only because it's just so darn good-looking.

Price: R309 096

Specifications: 2.4-litre turbo diesel
Max power: 90kW
Max torque: 360Nm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Passengers: 4