Land Rover Fettles Defender for 2025

by Matthew Guy

Published: May 8th, 2024

JLR is tending to its tremendously square Defender this upcoming model year, gifting it the likes of new seating options and an updated four-wheel drive system.

We’ll start with the 4x4, since off-road prowess is part of the brand’s reason for being – even if most Defender owners will only venture onto that cracked concrete at the mall. It seems the guts are equal to previous iterations but a series of specification packs can bundle features deemed desirable by the buyer. For example, an Off-Road Pack throws together an electronic active diff, all-terrain tires, and wade sensing amongst other items. The latter does not warn you when Uncle Wade is about to drop by unannounced, sadly. Elsewhere, a Dynamic Handling Pack adds air suspension and so-called adaptive dynamics to the mix.

New captain’s chairs in the Defender 130 offer up a pair of heated/cooled thrones to second-row passengers in addition to individual armrests and a raft of cupholders. Third row packages serve the expected tri-zone climate control but can also add seat heaters to perches in the Way Back. While you’re checking boxes, go for the package that adds a Meridian sound system and center console fridge compartment.

As a reminder, Land Rover offers numerous engine options in the Defender including a burly 5.0-liter V8 making over 500 horsepower and a fantastic racket. JLR is attempting to put focus on three brands of 4x4 these days, separating Range Rover out from the Defender and Discovery lines, marketing them as a trio.

The updated Defender line-up will be available later this summer, starting at $56,900 for the Defender 90 and $60,800 for the Defender 110. Stepping up to the Defender 130 will require at least $69,700.

[Images: JLR]

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Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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3 of 8 comments

Redapple2 on May 08, 2024

Industry worst quality prevents any serious consideration. I ll take an Evil gm Vampire Denali first.

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- Bd2 on May 09, 2024
  
  So would Anal-Grotto, that they was always talking about getting it on with Mary Barra in GM Fullsized SUVs.
  
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Theflyersfan on May 09, 2024

I know their quality score hovers in the Tata range, but of all of the Land Rovers out there, this is the one I'd buy in a nanosecond, if I was in the market for an $80,000 SUV. The looks grew on me when I saw them in person, and maybe it's like the Bronco where the image it presents is of the "you're on safari banging around the bush" look. Granted, 99% of these will never go on anything tougher than a gravel parking lot, but if you wanted to beat one up, it'll take it. Until the first warning light.

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Theflyersfan With sedans, especially, I wonder how many of those sales are to rental fleets. With the exception of the Civic and Accord, there are still rows of sedans mixed in with the RAV4s at every airport rental lot. I doubt the breakdown in sales is publicly published, so who knows... GM isn't out of the sedan business - Cadillac exists and I can't believe I'm typing this but they are actually decent - and I think they are making a huge mistake, especially if there's an extended oil price hike (cough...Iran...cough) and people want smaller and hybrids. But if one is only tied to the quarterly shareholder reports and not trends and the big picture, bad decisions like this get made.
Wjtinfwb Not proud of what Stellantis is rolling out?
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Willie If both nations were actually free market economies I would be totally opposed. The US is closer to being one, but China does a lot to prop up the sectors they want to dominate allowing them to sell WAY below cost, functionally dumping their goods in our market to destroy competition. I have seen this in my area recently with shrimp farmed by Chinese comglomerates being sold super cheap to push local producers (who have to live at US prices and obey US laws) out of business.China also has VERY lax safety and environmental laws which reduce costs greatly. It isn't an equal playing field, they don't play fair.
Willie ~300,000 Camrys and ~200,000 Accords say there is still a market. My wife has a Camry and we have no desire for a payment on something that has worse fuel economy.