And the Defender with the biggest connection of any is the short wheelbase ``90'' model which has just returned to the Australian market after a long absence.

The 90 has been heavily revised since it was last here with changes that align it more closely with the bigger 110 and 130 models also in the Defender range.

For this latest model Land Rover has opted for the same 2.4litre, common-rail, turbo-diesel as the bigger variants and mated it to a six-speed manual transmission with low-range transfer case and permanent all-wheel-drive.

The six-speed gearbox gives the 90 a lower first gear for off-road work and a taller sixth gear for highway driving.

Inside, it gets the same dash panel and instrument layout as the 110 and 130 models and a high-output airconditioning unit for improved heating and cooling. New, more comfortable seats have also been fitted in the Land Rover Defender 90.