2025 Land Rover Defender: Four Thoughts

The 2025 Land Rover Defender offers the most expansive lineup of any of the traditional off-roaders. You can get a basic two-door model that’s somewhat close to the notion of a traditional Defender for just over $60,000. Or spend nearly $100 grand more and drive off with the luxurious V8-powered OCTA edition. There’s also a cavernous three-row model and a middle-child two-row variant. Got all that?

From the Jeep Wrangler to the Mercedes G-Glass, to the Chevy Tahoe to the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, the Defender takes on all comers.

I spent a week in the 2025 Defender 110 X-Dynamic SE, a six-cylinder mild hybrid with room for five that slots in the center of the Defender portfolio in both power and purpose. My family liked the space, I liked the engine’s grunt, and we all enjoyed its distinctive style.

Here are four thoughts.

The powertrain is a surprise… and delight

The 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder delivers 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Maximum twist comes on at just 2,000 rpm, allowing sprints to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds. In real-world driving, that means you can blitz through yellow lights and defeat most rivals when jockeying for lane position. The Defender also offers the 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 in a guest appearance (better known for starring in BMWs) and a 2.0-liter Ingenium turbo four.

The interior design is everything I want in an off-roader

The 110 X-Dynamic SE I tested had exposed body-colored metal on the doors and exposed bolts on the door pulls. They complement the black leather seats, accents and dashboard. It’s the right vibe for an off-roader. The cubbyholes are backlit, which is kinda cool, though I found the cupholders to be too narrow, which is pretty annoying.

I also liked the large steering wheel, which offers light feedback but is still communicative. I don’t enjoy the Land Rover infotainment system known as Entune, which is colorful yet dense to navigate. Modulating the HVAC and changing the radio were cumbersome.

The exterior style has grown on me

Land Rover has done a solid job of creating a modern Defender, and its appearance demonstrates that. Those looking for an old-school Defender have several resto-mod options, and the Ineos Grenadier is closer to the execution of the original. The new Defender is not a throwback. Instead, it’s a modern interpretation of the idea of a Defender going forward. Admittedly, I was hoping for something from the greatest hits catalog, a la the reborn Bronco. Now, I appreciate the evolved look of the new Defender.

To my surprise, I liked the Defender a bit more. It has more character. The interior felt truer to the ethos of a Defender and the exterior is more distinctive. In a vacuum, the Land Cruiser is probably better looking and actually has a nicer interior with a slightly better infotainment (powertrains are a wash), but the Land Cruiser and Lexus GX are near twins, and they both run right up to where the 4Runner leaves off, with a bit of overlap. There’s no impulse to want one more than the other. The Defender, on the other hand, makes a stronger appeal to and stirs emotion. That’s why you buy an off-roader, even a very nice one.

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