Land Rover Defender – What you need to know

Fast approaching its 75th birthday, Land Rover dates back to 1948, and one of the latest models to wear the highly regarded emblem is the new-from-the-ground-up Land Rover Defender.

Making up the Land Rover Defender range is a stubby three-door Defender 90 and a pair of five-door models, the five-seater Defender 110 and the eight-seater Defender 130. The latter is now available to order, but first deliveries aren’t expected until early 2023.

Within each of these are several model grades. The Defender 110 has the broadest line-up, spanning the entry-level Defender, followed by the S, then the SE, X-Dynamic HSE, X and the top-spec supercharged V8.

Standard list pricing for the Land Rover Defender opens at $81,950 plus on-road costs (Defender 90 P300) and tops out at $226,500 plus ORCs (Defender 110 P525 V8), although the vast array of available options – as we’ve detailed below – can push up the final figure dramatically.

Petrol engine choices are a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo, 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo and a 5.0-litre supercharged V8. There’s also a 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel with two power outputs. All come with a dual-range eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.

Let’s check them out and help find the right one for you.

Heading the features and standard equipment of the Land Rover Defender 90 P300 with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine are:

All models are covered by a five-year/unlimited-kilometre factory warranty, with five years’ roadside assistance included.

Land Rover Defender options

Metallic paint on the Land Rover Defender adds $1040, and if you want a satin protective film over the paint, you’ll need to stump up a further $6500.

As well as individual options, there are also many option packs offered across all Defender models.

A $1481 Cold Climate Pack, available on all bar V8 models, includes a heated windscreen and washer jets, headlight washers and a heated steering wheel.

The Comfort and Convenience Pack can be optioned on the base Defender, S and SE and has premium cabin lighting, covered twin front cup holders, a fridge compartment within the centre console and a Meridian sound system. The added cost is $2924 on the Defender and S and $1665 on the Defender SE.

Next is the Premium Upgrade Interior Pack, once again only available on the Defender, S and SE variants. You get a 14-way powered, heated and cooled driver’s seat with position memory and four-way manual head restraint adjustment. There’s also a power-adjustable steering column, leather steering wheel and upgraded leather trim. This pack costs $4959 on the Defender, $4687 on the S and $3386 on the SE.

An Off-Road Pack includes an electronic active diff with torque vectoring for improved cornering, black roof rails and a domestic plug socket. This pack costs $1663 on the 90 Defender, S and SE and $1017 on the 110 Defender, S and SE. This pack is also available on the X-Dynamic HSE in the 90 or 110 series for $1017.

Floating on air suspension is yours on the three-door 90 or five-door 110 Defender, S and SE for $1309, which also bundles in adaptive dynamics and auto-levelling headlights.

Then we have an Advanced Off-Road Capability Pack for the Defender, S, SE and X-Dynamic HSE. A prerequisite is the fitting of the Air Suspension Pack or the vehicle already having electronic air suspension. The cost is $2210 and you get All Terrain Progress Control, Terrain Response 2 and Configurable Terrain Response.

The Family Pack adds $4973 to the price of a 110 Defender, S, SE and X-Dynamic HSE, and includes third row seats, three-zone climate control, an air quality sensor and cabin purification.

With the $5658 Family Comfort Pack, you get heated third-row seats, three-zone climate control, an air quality sensor and cabin purification for your 110 Defender, S, SE, X-Dynamic HSE and X.

There’s also a couple of packs for those wanting to tow.

The Towing Pack consists of All Terrain Control, Terrain Response 2, Configurable Terrain Response, Advanced Tow Assist and a tow hitch receiver. Fitted to the Defender, S, SE, X-Dynamic HSE it’ll set you back $4044 and on the X $1834.

Again, prerequisites are the fitment of the Air Suspension Pack or the vehicle having electronic air suspension.

Towing Pack 2 has the same but is exclusive to the Defender 130, costs $4085 and air suspension is required.

If you want to dress up your Defender to stand out more, there are a couple of packs on offer.

The Black Exterior Pack on the Defender, S and SE features a gloss black grille, badging and bonnet finishers for $1482, while the Extended Black Exterior Pack adds black front and rear skidpans for an additional $1707 on the X-Dynamic HSE, X and V8.

The Bright Exterior Pack adds bling with chrome grille badging, front and rear skidpans, silver side vents, bonnet finishers, lower body cladding and Luna finish on the wheels. Available on the base Defender, S and SE, the cost is $2646.

The Extended Bright Exterior Pack for the same models costs $2205 netting you chrome grille badging, front and rear skidpans, black lower body cladding and bonnet finishers.

Buyers can also select from a range of individual wheel and interior finish options.

Safety and driver assistance

Safety-wise, all Land Rover Defender models come standard with anti-lock brakes, electronic stability and traction control, low-traction launch, roll stability control, trailer stability assist, cornering brake control and six airbags.

Driver assist features extend to autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian avoidance, front, side and rear parking distance controls, hill launch assist, hill descent control, blind spot sensors and a 3D 360-degree surround camera.

There’s also forward collision warning and mitigation, adaptive cruise control, lane keep and departure assist, rear collision monitor and mitigation, rear traffic monitor, traffic sign recognition, wade sensing for river and creek crossings, plus driver attention and fatigue detection.

Also standard across all models is tyre pressure monitoring, automatic lights and wipers and launch control.

Infotainment

The base Land Rover Defender, S and SE – across the 90, 110 and 130 body styles – have a centrally mounted 10-inch infotainment colour touch-screen with 180W six-speaker sound.

Included are satellite navigation, AM/FM/digital radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, along with music and phone streaming functions and an online pack with data plan.

Open your wallet further to the X-Dynamic HSE as a minimum and experience the larger 11.4-inch touch-screen plus a 400W 11-speaker Meridian sound system. The bigger screen and sound system are also standard on the Defender 130 SE.

Reserved for the X and V8 models is a 700W 15-speaker surround system.

Wireless charging comes with the S and upwards, but only the X and V8 models have a domestic plug socket.

Standard on the Defender is analogue dials with a central TFT display, but from the S onward you look at an interactive digital display.

And if head-up display is a must-have, sign up for an X model as it’s standard.

Comfort and convenience

Land Rover Defender, S, SE, X-Dynamic HSE and X all have dual-zone climate-control air-conditioning, with the V8 having a three-zone system and rear cooling assist plus an air quality sensor.

Arm rests make a long journey more comfortable, and if you want them in the front and back rows then head for the S model in the 90 or 110 body and at the same time benefit from the lumbar support provided.

Roof rails? A must if you are heading to the snow or camping, but to get them as standard you’ll need to go for an S in the 110 body.

Powered seats you ask? The Defender has them in all variants starting with eight-way power and heated front seats in the base model. Stepping up to the S gets you 12-way power front seats, while another step up to the SE gains memory settings and four-way adjustable head restraints.

If you want 14-way power front seats with heating and cooling plus memory function, you’ll have to tick the X-Dynamic HSE box as a minimum.

The Defender 90 and 110 are available with five or six seats, with 110 offering the option of a third row. The Defender 130 is an eight-seater.

A heated fixed or folding rear seat means purchasing the X in a 90 or 110 body, and you also get an arm rest.

If you plan on a few adventures aboard your Defender, carpet floor mats will come in handy, so make sure you order the SE as a minimum in the 130 body or take the step up to the X-Dynamic HSE.

Staying indoors for a moment, standard tread plates come with the Defender, S and SE, while the X-Dynamic HSE gets unique plates and the X has the brand name scripted on them. Only the V8 has branded illuminated plates.

Is an adjustable steering column on the list? All models have this, the Defender, S and SE offering manual adjustment, but only the X-Dynamic HSE and above offer the convenience of power adjustment.

What about a heated steering wheel? Make a beeline for the V8 and its suede-cloth heated wheel. And if you want a leather-clad tiller, shimmy over to the X-Dynamic HSE.

Wanting the premium look and feel of a leather cabin? Once again, the X-Dynamic HSE is your entry point to this luxury feature.

An auto-dimming rear-view mirror is a good asset when driving long distances at night and it comes standard on all bar the X and V8 which have ‘Clear Sight’ rear-view mirror technology.

A selection of 10 interior light colour is yours with the premium cabin on the SE and above.

These days, cup holders are almost as mandatory as wheels, but you’ll need to go to the X-Dynamic HSE for a pair of covered holders to keep your brew warm. And if you want a fridge compartment in the console, head for the V8 variants.

What about a sunroof? You can opt for the 130 SE or the slightly cheaper 110 X-Dynamic HSE.  

Privacy glass? The V8 has this feature exclusively along with a solar attenuating windscreen, heated washer jets and a heated windscreen.

LED lights at each end are standard with the SE and X-Dynamic HSE having premium LEDs, while the X and V8 feature Matrix LEDs with darkened tail-lights. And if you want the convenience of auto high beam, the S is your starting point. But all models come with alpine lights.

The Defender, S and SE have a body-colour roof with a contrasting black roof kicking off on the X-Dynamic HSE.

The Defender looks quite rugged on its 18-inch white-painted steel wheels. Alloy wheels start with the 19-inch versions on the Defender S, with the SE, X-Dynamic HSE and X rolling on 20-inch alloys.

Only the V8 comes with 22-inch alloys. Importantly, all have a full size spare.  

Engine and transmission choices

If you decide on a petrol-powered Land Rover Defender 90 or Defender 110, your engine choices at the entry level are a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo with 221kW and 400Nm, or a 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo producing 294kW/550Nm.

If that’s not enough, you can always opt for the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 and its sizeable 386kW and 625Nm.

And if you want a diesel for its low-down torque and excellent fuel economy, the 3.0-litre twin-turbo puts out 183kW/570Nm in the Defender 90 and 220kW/650Nm in the Defender 110 and 130.

If you have your heart set on a Defender 130, your power choices are the 220kW 3.0-litre twin-turbo diesel or the 294kW 3.0-litre turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine.

All models have a dual-range, eight-speed auto transmission and all-wheel drive.

Dimensions and towing capacity

The Defender 90 measures 4583mm long, 2008mm wide, 1974mm high and rests on a truncated 2587mm wheelbase.

The Defender 110 stretches to 5018mm (with a 3022mm wheelbase), and has the same width as the 90 (2008mm) and a slightly lower overall height at 1967mm.

As the big family hauler, the Defender 130 has a 5358mm overall length (on the same 3022mm wheelbase as the 110), an equivalent width as its smaller siblings and stands 1970mm tall.

Ground clearance is 225mm in the 90, 228mm in the 110 and 210mm in the 130. The 90 and 110 have a maximum braked towing capacity of 3500kg, while the 130 is down slightly at 3000kg.

Verdict on the Land Rover Defender

Most people, including me, prefer the versatility of the five-door body so that benches the Land Rover Defender 90.

The five-door Defender 110 at $84,350 plus on-road costs with its 2.0-litre turbo engine gives you a very capable and comfortable family wagon with a decent level of kit and caboodle and isn’t too hard on the budget.

Funds aside, the extra urge, towing and climbing ability lands me behind the wheel of the Defender 110 D300 with its 220kW twin-turbo diesel engine in SE trim.

It provides loads of power and torque, good fuel economy and comes with a long manifest of standard safety, tech and comfort features.

How much does the Land Rover Defender cost?
Defender 90
P300 – $81,950
P300 S – $90,150
D250 S – $97,450
P400 SE – $107,850
P400 X – $149,200
P525 V8 – $221,300
Defender 110
P300 – $84,350
P400 S – $99,500
D300 SE – $104,000
P400 SE – $111,400
D300 X-Dynamic HSE – $123,050
P400 X-Dynamic HSE – $129,900
D300 X – 151,000
P400 X– $153,200
P525 V8 – $226,500
Defender 130
D300 SE – $124,150
P400 SE – $131,650
*Prices exclude on-road costs

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