Though the Defender had been around in some capacity for quite some time as Series trucks, Land Rover adopted the Defender name in the early 1990s to help distinguish the Defender model from the
Discovery and the Range Rover both of which were moving up market, most notably in the United States. The Defender was changed a bit; most notably the grille and fender flares were changed to give an all around different look.
The more modern Defender also used coil springs on all four wheels, whereas the previous series trucks had leaf springs. The coil springs game a smoother ride for passengers. The Series Rovers before the Defender were not four wheel drive all of the time and the driver actually had to engage a lever to select the four-wheel drive mode. The Defender had full time four-wheel drive. The Defender also had more powerful engines than the previous Series trucks as well as more modern interiors.
The Land Rover Defender continues to be quite popular with consumers that need a fully capable vehicle. Farmers, ranchers, and the military are the typical consumers of the Defender while the other Land Rover vehicles such as the Range Rover are more mainstream and appeal to those that are simply looking for an up market sports utility vehicle. The Defender does have luxury accommodations, but the Defender is largely about being capable of performing instead of comfort and luxury. Land Rover stays true to its roots by keeping the Defender in its lineup.
