1993-1997 Land Rover Defender 110/Defender: Year-to-Year Changes

1994 Land Rover Defender: A different sort of Defender debuted for 1994. Dubbed the Defender 90, this one was a 2-door convertible. It was the first product marketed under the new company name in the U.S.: Land Rover North America. Considered Land Rover's entry-level model, the Defender 90 was the only convertible sport-utility vehicle in the U.S. with a V8 engine. Like the V8 in the previous Defender 110 wagon, the 3.9-liter engine developed 182 horsepower. A 5-speed manual was the only transmission offered. Somewhat stubby in appearance, the new convertible was roughly comparable to the Jeep Wrangler--which of course had no V8 engine. The Defender 90 was 7 inches shorter in wheelbase, and 14.5 inches shorter overall, than a regular Range Rover County. At 92.9 inches, its wheelbase was just a tad shorter than a Jeep Wrangler, but the Defender 90 measured 8.6 inches longer overall. A full tonneau cover protected the interior, but the basic Defender 90 came without a roof. A removable, full fabric top with plastic side and rear windows was a dealer-installed accessory. So was a "bikini" half-top. Standard equipment included a front brush guard, rear step bumper, front/rear antisway bars, cassette stereo, front/rear mud flaps, swing-away rear-mounted spare tire, and an 8000-pound winch. The Premium Sort Top package included a full safari cage. Aluminum body panels were attached to a steel frame. All-disc brakes were used, but without antilocking. No airbags were installed. Only two front seats were included with the Defender 90 as it came from the factory. A 2-place folding rear seat was a dealer-installed option. So were air conditioning and full carpeting. Spring of 1994 brought a new manual transmission to the Defender 90.

1995 Land Rover Defender: A new "fastback" soft top featured plastic sliding windows. As before, an optional plastic top could be dealer installed, as could a surrey-style full fabric top or a fabric half top. Importation of the Defender 90 ceased at the end of 1995, but the vehicle would earn a brief reprieve later. Final '95 versions had standard air conditioning, a more powerful cassette stereo, and newly optional 5-spoke alloy wheels.

1996 Land Rover Defender: No new Defenders were imported in 1996, but final examples of the limited-edition hardtop model from '95 could still be found at dealerships. They featured a permanent aluminum hardtop with pop-up sunroof, an internal/external safari cage, and four center-facing rear seats.

1997 Land Rover Defender: After a year's absence, Land Rover resumed importation of the Defender 90, built by the Rover Group (now owned by BMW). A slightly larger 4.0-liter V8 engine went under the hood, along with a 4-speed automatic transmission, both borrowed from the larger Discovery wagon. A hardtop wagon went on sale first, which Land Rover announced would be followed by a soft-top convertible. Enhanced-capacity air conditioning was optional, and a CD changer was standard. So were driving lamps and a 9000-pound winch, in case of difficulty in the wilderness. Neither airbags nor antilock brakes were available, but permanent 4-wheel drive and all-disc braking were standard. The six-passenger Defender 90 wagon had a fixed aluminum roof, swing-out tailgate, roll-down door windows, and sliding rear side windows. Four-passenger convertibles had half-height doors, removable sliding side windows, and a manual canvas roof that fit over the integral roll cage.