2020 has been a notable year for quite a few reasons we don't need to go into here, but one of the more positive aspects of the year certainly has to be the long-awaited arrival of the new Land Rover Defender. But not every version rolled out of the gate simultaneously: for those of us here in the U.S.A., the only version of the new Landie you could buy for that first year of production was the four-door Defender 110 — meaning those who wanted a shorter, more nimble off-roader were out of luck.
That, thankfully, has finally changed. Starting now, we here in America can finally order up a two-door Land Rover Defender 90.
Opting for the Defender 90 still means you can snag up to six seats, thanks to the available front bench. It does mean losing a bit of cargo space behind the second row, of course; there's just 15.6 cubic feet of space in back versus 34 cubes in the Defender 110, and 58.3 cubic feet with the second row folded down to the 110's 69–79 cubic feet (depending on options). On the plus side, the 90's shorter wheelbase make it better for scrambling down tight trails, and gives it a superior breakover angle.
The 2021 model year also brings a few updates to the broader Defender lineup. Most notable, there's a new Defender X-Dynamic trim level that brings a slightly burlier exterior look and some unique interior materials, such as abrasion-resistant trim (Land Rover calls it "Robustec") for the areas most likely to see wear due to elbows, fingers and butts rubbing against them.
The 2021 Defender 90 starts at $46,100, while the 2021 Defender 110 has a base price of $50,500. If you want to play around on the configurator to see just how much your dream version will cost, however, we can't say we'd blame you.
