The Land Rover Defender 90 will cost £40,290

It’s a substantial leap up from the old Land Rover Defender, of course, as the final ‘regular’ Defender 90s, sold before Land Rover announced the Defender’s near-seven decade production run would come to an end, were sold new for around £22,000 and up. But remember the ‘cheapest’ Range Rover is now more than £80,000, and the new Defender should be just as capable off-road as the old model whilst also being more useable and more comfortable. And having seen three Land Rover Defenders jump 30ft in the air a few weeks ago, they look quite tough, too.

There are four engines available at the moment: the D200 200bhp and D240 240bhp 2.0-litre diesels, the P300 300bhp 2.0-litre petrol, and the P400 400bhp 3.0-litre petrol. Prices rise from £40,290 for the D200 to £43,345 for the D240 and P300, and £75,475 for the P400.

So what does your £40,290 get you in terms of performance and specification? Well you’ll be getting a Defender 90 D200, with a 200bhp diesel engine and an eight-speed automatic. It’ll have 18-inch steel wheels (an absolute win if you ask us), a heated windscreen, heated mirrors and heated seats, LED front and rear lights, climate control, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a DAB radio, a 10-inch central touch screen, a 3D surround camera, cruise control, and wade sensing.

Pay £43,745 and you’ll get a D200 S, which includes some 19-inch alloy wheels, some leather trim, and an ‘interactive driver display’. Above that, the £47,595 SE model gets front fog lights, 20-inch alloy wheels, an electric steering column, a Meridian sound system, keyless entry and blind spot assist, amongst other things.

Near the top of the range is the HSE, which will set you back £55,475 and is available on the D240 and the P300. You’ll be treated to a folding fabric roof, 14-way heated and cooled electric seats with four-way adjustable headrests (who know a headrest could move so much), even more leather, a heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control and a rear collision monitor.

Finally, sitting proud at the top of the Defender 90 tree is the Defender 90 X, available only on the P400. You get an X badge, a sliding panoramic roof, darkened tail lights, heated rear seats, “rough-cut walnut veneer”, “Ebony Morzine headlining”, bright metal pedals, a 700W Meridian sound system, a head-up display, All Terrain Progress Control, an electronic active differential with torque vectoring by braking, air suspension (every other Defender 90 gets coil springs) and, most importantly, illuminated metal treadplates inscribed ‘DEFENDER’.

There’s also a Defender 90 First Edition, which gets all the equipment from the SE in addition to a white roof, privacy glass, and air suspension, as well as a few other little goodies. You can only get a First Edition with the D240.

There are various interior and styling option packages available, too, including Explorer, Adventure, Country and Urban, to give the Defender “a range of distinct personalities”.

The first Defenders to land in customer hands will arrive before the end of Spring, whilst first deliveries of the Defender 90 will start towards the end of summer. Plug-in hybrid versions will land before the end of the year as well, as will cheaper commercial Defenders.

So will you be stumping up the cash for a new Defender? Our money would almost certainly be on the D200, mostly because steel wheels are life.