December 2007 Top 10 Trail Ready Rigs of All Time From the Factory to the Forest We Pick the Ten Most Capable Turn-key 4WDs of All Time 1994-1997 Land Rover Defender 90 Years 1994-1997 Origin UK Wheelbase 92.9" Engine 3.9 L V-8 4.0 L V-8 Transmission 5 sp manual 4 sp auto Transfer Case 2 sp Land Rover Front Axle Land Rover corporate Rear Axle Land Rover corporate This pick will surely get some juices flowing, but if you have never been on a trail with or driven a Land Rover Defender 90 you probably wouldn’t understand. These things work! With solid axle’s front and rear, good axle gearing and coil springs at each corner, the D-90 is a dream on just about any trail. 61-80 Super Scout II 66-77 Bronco 74-83 FJ40 Land Cruiser 76-86 CJ-7 88-91 K5 Blazer 92-06 Hummer H1 94-97 Defender 90 03-06 Rubicon 05-08 Power Wagon 05-08 LR3 The D-90 was skinned in a aluminum to keep the weight down and rust permanently at bay All were equipped with super strong exterior roll cages that were both functional and just plain cool. Gearing was available in a 3.54 or 4.70 ratio, and the t-case had 3.32 low range gearing. Combine this with a 5 speed manual with 3.32 first gear and you had a capable crawler. The rear axle was a Land Rover built 24-spline semi-floater, while the front was is a Rover built full floating design with CV style stub shafts. The D-90’s biggest downfall is the pitifully underpowered V-8. Churning out a measly 182 hp and 230 lb/ft of torque, this little fuel injected V-8 barely keeps the D-90 moving on most uphill drives. Off the trail it works well enough. The North American Spec (NAS) Defender 90 first appeared in the U.S. in 1994 and sold with surprising success. 1995 brought minor changes to the model such as round tail lights but not much else changed. There was no D-90 imported in 1996 as it couldn’t meet the stricter U.S. emission standards, but the introduction of the cleaner burning, but no more powerful 4.0 V-8 in 1997 saw the D-90’s return. The 1997 models were also equipped with Automatic transmissions. The NAS Defender 90 was dropped from import after the 1997 model year, as Land Rover wouldn’t equip them with the now mandatory air bag on the driver side. Aside from a short lived life in the U.S. the Land Rover D-90 has a loyal following and amazingly good aftermarket support. Lockers of all types are available as are suspension goodies and even a few power add-ons to help the small V-8. The D-90 is still fetches a small fortune in the used vehicle market, but if you want a rare, super capable short wheel base V-8 rig, then pony up the cash and be prepared to turn a few heads.