Land Rover Defender 90 – easy to live with for bike duties?

Looking at getting rid of the car and getting a Defender (already got one in mind from a colleague, looking at removing rear bench seats to make a little more space – i dont need them). Thinking it might be a bit small in the back for 'just chuck the bike and dog in and go' which was the best thing about my little Partner van i had before i bought a car. I can not be arsed with bike racks be it fitting them each time you want to go out, using them or not being able to leave the vehicle out of sight anywhere for fear of the bike going awol.

Anyone got one/used one? Should i get a 110? Any advice appreciated. Cheers.

Ive always thought 90's were too short and 110 too long – they should have made a 100 lol

Do you drive circa 100miles regularly? You might also become tired of sitting at 50mph on the slow lane.

A full bike won't fit in a 90, unless you remove the front wheel, or drop it over the bulk head (if it has one). Well, none of mine do anyway!

Ive always thought 90's were too short and 110 too long – they should have made a 100 lol

they did, well an inch longer than that

Thanks goldenwonder, i kind of figured front wheel off would be a necessity which im not too bothered about, its still quicker than arsing about putting the rack on and strapping everything down. I get out regularly and am sick of it now, buying a car after years of vans was a definite lifestyle mistake!

could you not hang the front wheel ver the back door? (with suitable protection between bike and door)

Limited space in the back of a Ninety as has been said.

I can get one bike in fully assembled diagonally. Any more and front wheels at the very least will need to come off. A OneTen is much more practical.

My standard diesel will happily cruise at 70mph + despite Hora's input 🙄

As many will tell you, driving a Land Rover is an acquired taste; don't expect it to be like your average car. It's not!

easy to live with for bike duties?

i hear it works out quite well for dyke beauties though

igmc

I have had several 90s and in the end frustration with the surprising lack of space drove me to a 110. Very much better. Once you get used to life at a different pace, Defenders are fine, don't let it put you off. But don't think that you'll be able to 'chuck the bike in the back and go' with a 90. The least you will have to do is remove the front wheel.

Even then, the 110 is in reality not much bigger than a decent estate car though both internally and externally. They look much bigger and more practical than my experience over the last 5 years living with them would suggest. Still, great cars though despite the obvious comfort/speed/reliability/cost/space issues!

psling – cheers, for that. Yes i dunno what that hora guy is on about? Its a P reg so 300 tdi with all the trimmings, happily sits at 80 odd so ok for the very few motorway miles i do and handy with roof rack for all my trail building kit/timber.

I may well buy it and see how i get on, always trade up to a 110 later if need be.

psling- aye very noisily though. A friend drove one from Edinburgh to Manchester and she was mentally thoroughly exhausted.

OP- are you just asking for positive noises from people?! I'd love a Defender but its also a compromise in a few areas.

Agreed. You don't buy a Defender for refinement, but they aren't unbearable, and absolutely fine as an everyday car. Being so high never fails to put a smile on your face. It just feels so different from anything else out there.

But they aren't a bed of roses as I hinted at in my last post. You will after a time look enviously at the smooth, fast comfortable cars wizzing past you on the motorway as your ears bleed at 70pmh from the engine/wind/transmission/tire noise.

My TD5s would happily cruise at 65/70. My latest 90 (with the new common rail Transit diesel) will happily cruise at 80 (it is speed limited above that anyway).

Oh, and somewhat strangely, it is the only car I have ever owned where the fuel economy is the same urban/extra urban. Around town in stop/start traffic it is surprisingly frugal compared to a normal car. It's just that the economy doesn't improve on a longer run. If anything it gets worse. As several people have said – Defenders – they are 'special'!

People say that every car enthusiast should own an Alfa at some point in their life. I disagree. Everybody should own a Defender. You'll either love it and never drive anything else, or hate it. Either way, at least the experience will have been unlike any other car.

i take it you were in there with her then hora

oh and everyone knows girls can't drive defenders

Landrover made the freelander specifically after some bra burning womens lib types tried to sue them for not having mirrors on the sun visor of the defender

I had a 90 TDi my bike went in complete at an angle, plus lots of gear.
Mine was the van i.e no windows, so good for security and changing in. Plus no carpets back or front. Great it was.
70/80 was no problem, even fully laden it doesn't seem to make any odds in a Landrover.

hora – No, but a friend of a friend once drove one and it was noisy is about as much use as 'i knew someone who saw a (insert bike brand you dont like) crack at the head tube'

I understand there may be drawbacks, but my usual routes, number of long journeys, what i have to carry, the fact i dont have a wife and kids to fit into it as well do not seem to be an issue. Thanks.

Hmmm I probably fall into the cant see the point unless you need it for a farm etc-type then. I drove a mates (SWB) and it felt like I was sat ontop of 6 mattresses- body roll and understeer all at the sametime. Not for me.

If I lived in the sticks and had the use of another car- then yes.

Saying that – deep down its a childhood thing. I actually have a open-backed SWB landy toy on my desk from when I was 6 😀

plus there is no way bingo could get into a landy without a step

mans car

mans dog

mrmichaelwright – ah yes. So if I bought a Staff that would automatically make me a mans man? 😉

Sun Visor? That's for deflecting the rain that comes though between the windscreen and the roof from you!

After having continuously owned and driven numerous models from 1955 Series I onwards over the last 30 odd years, my current 90 is like a luxury limousine. My good lady struggles to get in without a step ~ not sure if that's a plus point or not… 😕

Slight hijack – has anyone tried an old classic range rover with the back seats stripped out for chucking stuff in?
The Defender is too cramped for me but a Rangie could be ideal.

I was very close to buying one a few weeks ago, having driven them a lot in my early twenties.

Then I went for a test drive in one and all the memories came flooding back – nowhere to put your right arm or left leg, piss poor heater, mild deafness afterwards, rusty door frames clattering shut, crossmembers evaporating into dust…

I then thought about the prospect of a trip from Surrey to Newcastle to visit my parents, and walked away.!

The best there is off road, but at a sacrifice, the ideal second car!

Ended up buying a Shogun instead! – full set of BF Goodrich All Terrains on the way 8)

Just sold my 90 – not really baby friendly. It was great for the bike though. I found it best to take both wheels off and put them in across the back, I got 6 full bikes in once. Best thing was not worrying about the mud – just hose it out. The dog was scared of the noise in the back but he's not the bravest of dogs.

Ive got a TD5 van back (no windows) etc. Its absoloutely brilliant as an 'everyday car'. I can easily fir two bikes in with just front wheels off. All my kit goes in a storage crate thing and sits on the floor between the two wheel arch boxes. Front wheels as per other replies go against the bulk head.
Buy it – like you said you can always change and you will not lose any money on it through depreciation if you sell within a year.
I can't see myself ever being without one now!!

Got a 110 Van 300TDi

They are a real marmite car 'I love it' but lets be realistic it's rubbish! It leaks water in, it's got the turning circle of a small oil tanker and anything over 30mph you have no chance of a conversation.

However bikes go straight in no problems wheels on. You can get it fithy and it just doesn't matter. It's cheap to run, cheap to insures, cheap to fix you can just leave your kit in it and if you really want to you can sleep in it. It will do everthing you ever want it to do. Just don't expect to be comfortable.

As far as living with it goes, I'm a real Land Rover fan (not quite the bearded, swollow'd t'manual real ale type) but still a proper fan.

Would I have it as my everyday only car…… No (that would be silly)

Would I be without it…..No (that too would be silly)

I had a 2004 TD5 110 which was great fun off road, but I only off roaded for fun and ended up filling it with dents and scrathes! for the other 99% of driving it was crap, got blown all over the place on motorway, was noisey, was so uncomfortable, and load space was less than an astra estate.

Then I got a Range Rover, which was way better to drive, it had air suspension which means you can drive it like a car. sadly the engine "went" at 40K miles! I got that fixed for a paltry 5K and then the electrics went haywire, it wouldnt start, the air suspenion computer was eratic. Oddly though I sold it with only 500 depreciation over 12 months, or 5500 if you count the engine!

All in all enough to put me off buying anything related to British Leyland again.

for bike/dog/family the new Scudo Panorama hatch back is a dream. drives like a car and is cavernous..

bikes in car with secdond row left up (5 seats):

and road bikes (this one is a 58cm Allez) fit in side ways:

and with the door shut!

and hardly touches the sides on ones driveway:

Years ago, my dad had a 90. He was always going down the woods shooting (actually in the woods, not just to the woods), has a farm etc. He sold it within a couple of weeks of buying it. It would go anywhere in the woods, but they are bloody awful as cars.

I've got to say from my experience of being in modern ones, I'd never pick one as an everyday vehicle. There are any number of japanese 4x4s that'll do 80% of the off road stuff but quieter, comfier and more reliably.

That said, having been in and driven a couple of 4x4s, I'd never have one unless I actually needed to go properly off road on a regular basis. They're just horrible – the body roll is terrifying. Vans are far more civilised road vehicles.

Comfort is an acquired thing. When I first got my 110, it felt very cramped and upright, but I soon got used to it, and I actually quite miss it.

We took ours to West Wales an France camping, from Scotland, so they aren't that bad for distance – and it was a 2.5l thirsty gutless wonder.

Still miss it though – bloody kids! 🙁

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Definately varies by person to person. I found the girlfriend's Golf a bit wearing when we drove around France, and that's a relatively quiet and civilised thing.

I did a couple of months doing 1000 miles a week in an old Citroen Van at 85mph, I think that did it for me driving anything with a lot of road noise 😆

used a 90 at work, good fun i found 🙂
limited room for bikes, even a bmx
saying that, it was loaded with tools ..
the towing power is quite immense too, ours would tow a combine harvester header without problems
reliability issues however, and ours leaks in the rain ..
gearbox noticeably knocks too when changing gear
you can pull away in third though (just), which is quite impressive

Only thing I can think to add is that landrover 90's are no good for tall drivers, except the very latest

the bulkhead means my 6 foot 3 frame is realy cramped behind the wheel

Any further news? Did the OP get one?!

I love em. I drive one for work every day and its ace. No where to put your right arm…wind down the window! Heaters are brilliant but the gap in the front vents let all the cold air in!
'They should have made a 100" one' they did its called a Range Rover Classic. They are cheaper than 90 (no off road scene tax), classic insurance, they drive beautiful if they have been looked after, the v8 auto is gorgeous (OK so its a bit thirsty 8O) and the rear seats fold and flip making the space in the back massive. I sold mine to get a camper but if I won the lottery (just to fill the tank up) I'd get a RR classic instead of a 90, its a pretty easy swap for a 200/300tdi engine transfer and gearbox from a Disco as well.
If you get a bike rack for the 90 (as mentioned its a wheel of job to get the bike in) get the one that hangs from the spare wheel. I didnt and its a faff when you forget to put kit in the back first, then you have to take the bike and the holder off again!

I've got a Defender 110, although if you want to be pedantic, it's just a Land Rover 110 as it was made the year before they started calling them Defenders.
I can get two bikes in the back and still have room to sleep in the gap in the middle.
I think if I had a 90 I would cut the centre of the bulkhead away so I could get a bike in with the front wheel poking through between the seats rather than take the wheel off.

discovery commercial?more room and more comfortable.

i've ran a 90tdi and agree there's not a stack of room inside, although it was fantastic with plenty of power (compared to the series 3 petrol i still own).

Mrs has an import 300tdi disco and aside from the odd electrical issue, it's a great vehicle. (also cheaper than comparable defender).

there are plenty of specialists around who know how to look after them and servicing is pretty cheap.

I went to TDi Disco from TDi 90, just a bit nicer as a day to day car.
I have the rear 1/3rd seat down and my bike goes straight in.
Comfy, quickish, and cheap cheap cheap in every way.

I do miss my 90 though 😥

There not great just for driving around, use 110 and its ok, but i don;t like driving really anywhere in it sounds like a tank and inside is a bit bland. If i was looking now double cab pick up would be pretty nice, just chuck it in the pick up bit and go. 110 doors aren;t that big either if you get a full cab model not a half option cab.

all down to how much space your used to, always harder to get used to a smaller vehicle when you're used to wheeling the whole bike in, but a 90 is no worse for space than a hatch like a golf or focus, just no interior to worry about, have seen a 222 go in sideway wheels off, so must be reasonably wide

so far had through work a v8 90, 3000tdi 90 (far too modded for long road drives), 110 Hi-cap TD5, 130 TD5 and now the TDCi 130

was a brief stint with an L200, but it slipped out a field and ended up on its roof, Jap 4×4 have poor traction and cart springs

and if you get the roof rack, don't deck it in ply, that was a long fall from the lifted 90

what you want is HERE

personally I'd love a Rubery Owen Powered Trailer and Land Rover Forward Control 101"

a 200 or 300tdi discovery would be a good bet. More comfort and economy than a 90 or 110 due to higher gearing. oh yeah and its a 100" wheelbase with plenty of room to get bikes in with just the front wheeel off.
Probably the most bike friendly landy.