The accessible off-roader market has soared to new heights over the past several years, with models such as the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler leading the charge. The tough COVID-19 period reminded Americans not to take the stunning outdoors for granted, and when lockdown was finally over, many took the chance to start exploring what was around them. Adventure SUVs such as these are perfect for reaching wild vistas, so they enjoyed a rejuvenation on the new car market.While the Bronco gets the job done emphatically, there's nothing wrong with wanting an extra bit of luxury and prestige while you're conquering new ground. The Land Rover Defender L663 nails this brief perfectly, though new ones cost over $20,000 more than a Bronco. This is where the used market comes in. Tidy Pre-Owned Defender 110s Can Be Found For Comfortably Under $40k Jaguar Land Rover The Bronco is one of the best-value off-roaders on the market, seeing as a base four-door variant will set you back just $40,495. Compare that to an entry-level Defender 110 P30, which demands $63,500 from your bank account, and you'll have a tough time working out what to do with that extra cash. The thing is, the Defender is a cut above the Ford when it comes to majesty and luxury, which really comes up trumps when the time comes to pilot the vehicle on normal roads.The Bronco is by no means bad on the road, as it offers a good compromise between commanding off-road prowess and accessibility on the hard stuff, but the Defender is easily the better daily driver. Many buyers can't afford to have multiple vehicles, so having one that does it all like the Defender is tempting. Thankfully, due to it being a Land Rover, those who enjoy a good used deal can now have a Defender for the same kind of outlay as a new Bronco. According to CarBuzz's Marketplace, you can grab a mid-range Defender 110 SE for around $37k. Happily, despite being nearly half what the machine cost just six years ago, this isn't a pipe dream. Plenty Of Clean Defender 110s Are On The Market At This Price Land Rover Set your budget to $40,000, and you'll have plenty of excellent Defender options to choose from. A good example is a 2021 X-Dynamic model offered through Cars.com, which sits towards the top of the range. It gets a bunch of extra goodies versus the entry-level Defenders, and is priced as of March 2026 at $39,950 with just over 76,000 miles on the clock. Plenty of other well-specced vehicles are available for under $40k, with lower-end vehicles in great condition on the market for closer to $35k if you fancy saving some cash. A Used Defender Is Much More Of An All-Rounder Against The Bronco Land Rover Aside from affording its owner more prestige than a Bronco can ever hope to, the Defender 110 is also comfortably stronger when it comes to getting dirty. It gets all the latest technology developed by Land Rover to ensure it can tackle whatever tricky terrain it's faced with, including an advanced Hill Descent Control system, an electronic active differential that can set the car up for a range of different surfaces to boost traction, as well as an air suspension setup. This not only ensures a comfortable ride and excellent body control on or off the road, but it also means the car can be lowered or raised to make it more versatile across a range of situations.The Defender also comes with four-wheel drive as standard, which allows the differential to send up to 100% of the engine's power to either the front or rear axle. A twin-speed transfer box is also on hand to ensure the vehicle can match its speed to whatever obstacles get in your way. Speaking of the engine, you get two main choices. The entry-level models get a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four that kicks out 296 horsepower, while models from the SE up are equipped with a twincharged 3.0-liter inline-six that is capable of 395 hp. Land Rover's Dependable Off-Roader Is Capable Of Plenty Land Rover All this engineering pays dividends when the time comes to get stuck into an off-road challenge. While the Defender comes with 8.5 inches of ground clearance as standard, this rises to 11.4 inches when you lift the car via its handy air suspension. The Bronco, meanwhile, has 8.3 inches of clearance to play with.The Defender 110 also has the Ford beaten when it comes to approach, break-over, and departure angles, and can also wade through a couple of extra inches of water. Despite dominating the Bronco off-road, arguably the Defender's biggest victory comes when you take it on-road. The Defender Stands Out When It Comes To Comfort And Refinement Land Rover For starters, the Defender 110 is treated to a more upmarket cabin with plush leather and a range of trim options, with the cockpit also being better shielded from the outside world in terms of noise and vibrations. A key reason for this is its monocoque construction, which involves the body acting as a load-bearing component to help improve build quality and chassis rigidity. The Broncos' body-on-frame design may make it more durable over longer periods, but it loses when it comes to on-road refinement.The Defender is also more confident from a driving standpoint, primarily due to the superior center of gravity afforded by its monocoque design. The air suspension also helps here, as body roll and bumpy road surfaces can be further ironed out. The Bronco's HOSS suspension system provides an excellent compromise between on and off-road ability, but it can't get near the refinement of the Defender. Secure yourself a higher-end Defender like the HSE, and you'll be able to enjoy the benefits of heated and cooled leather seats, a sliding panoramic roof, and a premium Meridian sound system. You may have to accept that other Land Rover enthusiasts have got there before you, but the Defender is a clear step above the Bronco on and off-road if you can. The Defender Loses Out To The Bronco On The Reliability Front Land Rover One area you will have to take a hit against a Bronco is running costs. Land Rover doesn't have a reputation for building unreliable vehicles for nothing, with the marque's 27th position ranking in J.D. Power's 2026 Vehicle Dependability Survey illustrating why you should approach with caution. The numbers don't read for pretty reading, with Land Rover notching up an average of 274 problems per 100 vehicles, whereas the industry average was just 204. As far as the Defender 110 goes, CarEdge reckons you'll have to spend around $18k to keep it running well during its first ten years of service.This puts it a hefty $5,644 worse off than the industry average, while its 51.26% chance of suffering a major issue during this period is a little over 12% down on the average of its class. The most common issues to watch for are generally electronic in nature, which can be expensive to fix due to the labor involved in tracking down where the ailment is originating from. Still, if you can stomach these possible setbacks, you'll have one of the coolest and most versatile off-roaders stalking the US.