© JAMES TAYLOR
Editor: Land Rover Enthusiast Magazine

Background

The Land Rover 90 (Ninety) and 110 (One Ten) were phased in over 1983-1984 to take over from the long-serving Series III models, and they brought with them County Station Wagon variants. They represented a huge advance over the Series III models because they had coil spring suspension instead of leaf springs to improve the ride, and disc front brakes to improve their stopping ability. These Land Rovers were distinguished visually by a flush front, one-piece windscreen and wheelarch 'eyebrows' to cover their wider-track axles. Otherwise, they looked much the same as Land Rovers had done since their 1958 restyle.

It was the long-wheelbase One Ten (with 110 inches between axle centres) which appeared first, replacing the Series III 109 in 1983. The Ninety arrived just over a year later to replace the Series III 88, and actually had a wheelbase of 92.9 inches rather than the 90 inches its name suggested.

It had never been Land Rover policy to make annual changes to its utility models, but as the County Station Wagons were selling to a more fashion-conscious market than the basic utilities, an exception was made. In addition to the changes which affected all Land Rover Station Wagons, County models gained new side decals from time to time to keep them looking fresh.

Like their predecessors, the new County models came with four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, or a V8 petrol type. The diesel engine's capacity was enlarged in 1984, the four-cylinder petrol type followed suit in 1985 and the V8 was up-rated in 1986. That year, the existing diesel was replaced by a turbocharged type. For the first year of production, four-cylinder One Tens were available with selectable four-wheel drive, but the permanent four-wheel drive always fitted to V8 models was then standardized.

In 1990, the Ninety and One Ten were replaced by the Defender 90 and 110, which were simply evolutionary models wearing new badging. The key change which came with Defender models was that the old turbodiesel engine was replaced by a detuned version of the 200Tdi turbodiesel from the Discovery. The V8 remained available, and until 1994 so did the four-cylinder petrol engine. From 1995, however, all Defenders for the British market had Tdi engines unless to special order. From March 1994, the 200Tdi engine was replaced by the quieter 300Tdi type, now in full 111 bhp Discovery tune, and a much slicker five-speed gearbox was introduced. Neither the original 90s and 110s nor the Defender models were ever made available with automatic transmission until the 50th Anniversary special edition in 1998.

Character summary

These Land Rovers are still essentially load-luggers rather than stylish 4x4s, even though their coil-spring suspension makes them very much more comfortable than their predecessors. Their character is quite different from that of the stylish family-oriented 4x4 estates, and despite the fairly comfortable level of appointments they always tend to feel like rugged workhorses.

Short-wheelbase models make quite good urban runabouts, but the long-wheelbase models are too big for some types of town work - even the standard power-assisted steering cannot make them physically smaller for manoeuvring in confined spaces. For long-distance motorway work, only those models with the V8 petrol engine or Defenders with the 200 Tdi and 300 Tdi turbodiesels can really be recommended. Worth remembering is that the 300 Tdi is much quieter than the 200 Tdi, which can be a gruff and raucous engine.

However, these vehicles are undeniably characterful, the Defender 110 County Tdi offering a particularly satisfying blend of rugged strength, refinement and economy.

Performance summary

If acceleration and high cruising speeds are important, the only examples of these Land Rovers to go for are those with V8 petrol or Tdi diesel engines. All the others are rather disappointingly slow, the long-wheelbase naturally-aspirated diesels being the worst offenders in this respect.

Ride quality is generally very good; brakes and steering are also very much better than on earlier Land Rovers. However, the gearchange can be poor: it is vague on early four-speed One Tens, rather agricultural on five-speed pre-Defender V8 models and can be baulky when cold on all other five-speeds built before March 1994 (when the much slicker R380 gearbox was introduced).

Sturdy and workmanlike, the 110 County station wagon with its coil-spring suspension offers a much more comfortable ride than its predecessors.

Reliabilily, weaknesses, spares

Build quality is not consistent, and even brand-new vehicles sometimes suffer from small but irritating faults. The aluminium alloy body panels dent just as easily as those on earlier Land Rovers, and there may still be rust in the wind screen pillars and front footwells. Water leaks are a common source of annoyance.

However, these are generally sturdy and reliable vehicles once teething troubles have been sorted out. Servicing expertise and spares are readily available from Land Rover franchised dealers or from the large number of aftermarket and non-franchised specialists in the UK.

Resale values

Resale values of the coil-sprung County Station Wagons are generally strong. The Tdi-powered Defenders are particularly sought after on the used market and will probably continue to be a good bet for many years. Among older vehicles, the V8 petrol types hold their value better than other varieties.

Early examples of these models are often professionally refurbished in exactly the same way as their Series III counterparts: their bolt-together construction allows elements of later vehicles to be grafted onto earlier types with a minimum of difficulty. Professionally reconditioned vehicles will inevitably command much higher prices than well-used originals of the same age, but they will, of course, be subject to levels of depreciation similar to those of a brand-new vehicle.