If everything were used the way the inventor once intended, sweatpants would be full of sweat instead of grease stains, no city park would be safe in the period when lumberjack shirts were hip and the Nobel Prize would not exist. So if someone asks about your plug-in hybrid Defender ‘what the heck is it doing in the Netherlands’, all you have to say is that it is ‘just cool’. Besides, you don’t need this kind of negativity in your life.
We have written many pages in recent years about the Defender (which has officially been its ‘own brand’ for some time, just like Range Rover and Discovery). How he did his own stunts for No time to diehow mountains in Namibia are child’s play for him, how farmers can use him as a workhorse and how he braved the Scottish hills as a Bowler.
Without a doubt we can say: this thing seriously goes very far off-road. But what if you live in the Randstad, have a nice flat and low-maintenance driveway and not a muddy one at the weekend active lifestyle practices? Should you still aspire to a Defender, just because it is so cool, or is it mainly a struggle in such a purposeful vehicle?
This Defender is for the normal road
The version you want as an asphalt adventurer is this P400e. If you think the V8 is too exaggerated, that is. It is the plug-in hybrid version that is the cheapest in the Netherlands due to its moderate emissions. In Belgium, on the other hand, it is 20,000 euros more expensive than the entry-level diesel. With 50 kilometers of electric range (in practice it will be 30 to 40) you can reduce the petrol costs for your commute and with 404 hp and 640 Nm you can overtake an Aygo.
It is still the ‘old’ PHEV drivetrain from Land Rover, because in the Range Rover the four-cylinder has been exchanged for a six-cylinder and the electric range has increased to 109 kilometers. Once you’ve experienced that six-cylinder, you’ll soon be a bit spoiled. The smaller engine sounds a bit rawer and nothing beats the beautiful running of an inline six. But we can’t actually complain about the four-cylinder in this Defender. The sound insulation is in order and the petrol engine switches on or off at the right times while driving.
The plug-in hybrid Defender sometimes wakes you up
Only from a standstill does the plug-in hybrid Defender P400e sometimes react a little slowly to the accelerator pedal, only to suddenly jump out of place. That’s strange, since an electric motor can respond very immediately. Make sure your front wheels are straight at such times, because the steering system on the Defender has been replaced by a fax connection, making it sometimes difficult to correct quickly.
This is a typical off-road feature, just like the soft damping – which is very pleasant. The seats, like the rest of the interior, look very utilitarian, but are otherwise comfortable. Besides the fact that it is a bulky car, you don’t actually sacrifice anything in terms of comfort or convenience by choosing a Defender 110 as your daily car. With a Range Rover you actually have a more suitable package; Everything is finished a little better, it is a little more comfortable and it steers more like a normal car. But it is also almost 50,000 euros more expensive.
Specifications of the Defender 110 P400e SE (2024)
Engine
1,997 cc
four-cylinder turbo hybrid
404 hp @ 5,500 rpm
640 Nm @ 1,500 rpm
Drive
four wheels
8v automatic
Performance
0-100 km/h in 5.6 seconds
top 191 km/h
Consumption (average)
2.6 l/100 km
58 g/km CO2 A label
Dimensions
4,758×2,008x
1,967 mm (lxwxh)
3,022 mm (wheelbase)
2,613 kg
90 l (petrol)
696 / 1,759 liters (luggage)
Prices
€94,470 (NL)
€89,270 (B)