Which Land Rover Defender is better: diesel or petrol?

Land Rover introduced a completely new Defender model recently which features modern styling and the latest in off-road technology. We compare the diesel motors to the petrol units to find out which is better.

The new Defender is offered in various trim levels, and additionally, customers can opt to specify the vehicle with one of four individual accessory packs, namely; Explorer, Adventure, Country and Urban. The accessory packs see various practical and useful additions to the vehicle fitted, depending on the nature of use and the pack specified.

Wondering how reliable the Land Rover Defender is? Read on here. 

The Defender offers a variety of trim levels on both the 110 and 90 models, and standard equipment includes all-wheel drive with a high- and low-range transfer box, air suspension, Terrain Response, LED headlights, Connected Navigation, 3D Surround Cameras, 10-inch Pivi Pro infotainment, Driver Condition Monitor and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto Smartphone Packs. The well-specified British offering also comes with a variety of motors as methods of motivation.

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The figures

The new Defender is offered in both diesel and petrol guises and in a variety of body styles, namely 90, 110 and 130. For this comparison, we will solely focus on the Defender 110 derivatives.

Diesel

*This table was completed with information sourced from www.duoporta.co.za and was correct at the time of writing, however, it can change at any moment and without notice.  

Petrol

*This table was completed with information sourced from www.duoporta.co.za and was correct at the time of writing, however, can change at any moment and without notice.

Verdict

The Land Rover Defender 110 offers a wide variety of powertrains, all of which will attract a different type of customer. While the D250 offer good levels of frugality and ample torque for even the occasional off-road expedition, the D300 will tackle the rough stuff with more confidence with its additional power and torque.

The P400, or rather the entry-point to the petrol-powered Defenders, returns respectable power and torque figures; however, as for frugality, it only beats the flagship supercharged V8 powertrain. If saving money at the fuel pumps is of high importance, the P400e is the derivative to consider as even though you might not be able to achieve the claimed fuel consumption figure in the real world, it will remain the most frugal in traffic and on the open road.

The supercharged V8, however, do still have a presence like no other with its roaring sound and high-performance figures. However, P400e remains the top choice as it returns better torque figures than the V8 while still sipping less fuel than even the diesel motors on offer. As such, customers will get the best of both worlds in one option. 

Want to buy a Land Rover Defender? View new and used models here. 

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