[edit] The Land Rover Defender 90
The Land Rover Defender 90 has been around for quite a while in other countries, but for the United States and Canada, its glory was short-lived. Still produced today for other countries around the world, the Land Rover Defender 90 was only sold in the United States in 1994, 1995 and 1997. The end came when new U.S. safety regulations required airbags and the cost could not be justified for Land Rover. The Defender 90 is sold elsewhere today, still without airbags.
The Land Rover Defender began production in 1983 and was called Defender 110, because of the 110 inch wheelbase. The 90 appeared a short time later, in 1984, and had a wheelbase of 93 inches. There was also a Defender 127. The 90 and 127 brought changes to the former platform of the Series models of Land Rovers. A permanent four-wheel-drive system was added. This included a two-speed transfer gearbox with locking center differential. More powerful engines were made available, but not until after the start of production. They were based on the 2.3 liter engines and included a modern fuel-injection systems rather than a carburetor system. A larger 3.5 liter, low compression engine was also available. A more comfortable ride was added by way to coil springs in place of the leaf springs of past models. A one-piece roll-up window replaced the sliding glass window.
[edit] Features
The Land Rover Defender 90 was intended to be competition for the Jeep Wrangler. It came with a 3.9 liter V8 engine and manual transmission. This combo produced 182 horsepower and 232 pound feet of torque. In 1997, the final production year in the United States, the engine was improved to a 4.0 with a four-speed automatic transmission as the only option. This second engine did not have higher horsepower or torque, but the emmissions were lower and within acceptable range of regulations.
The Defender 90 was initially sold as a soft-top vehicle only, but was later made with an aluminum hard-top. The hard-top was introduced in 1995 and had a pop-up sunroof, four center-facing rear seats and an internal/external “safari cage”. This Defender 90 seated up to six people.
The interior amenities are almost non-existent in the Defender 90. This vehicle is stripped of any sort of creature comfort in place of being very utilitarian and easy to clean out after a trip in rugged terrain. The uncomplicated, simple dashboard is a design from the 1980s, but gets the job done. Road and engine noises are very loud inside the Defender 90 also.
[edit] Safety
The Land Rover Defender 90 faced many upgrades and changes to safety just to be accepted in the United States. But in the end, safety regulations caused the end of production in North America. 1998 brought requirements for both front seat passengers in all vehicles. Side door impact requirements were also changed. The Defender 90 did not have any of these safety features and would require extensive modifications. With a low number of sales, this option would no be lucrative. The end of 1997 saw the retirement of Land Rover utility vehicles, including the Defender 90.
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Land Rover Defender 90 - Search Used
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