2024 Defender 110 P400e X-Dynamic SE review

Land Rover Defender Pros

• Excellent refinement, comfort
• Still big on cool factor
• Powerful, mostly efficient PHEV

Land Rover Defender Cons

• Don’t expect to achieve claimed economy
• Boot space impacted by battery placement
• Battery arguably too small for this application

Land Rover must be rubbing its hands together over the number of Defender models it has sold in Australia.

Since its launch and until the mid-point of 2024, there have been 9184 examples of the new-generation Defender sold here, and the majority aren't base models.

That number, of course, is spread across the 90 three-door, the 110 five-door, and the most recent arrival, the extended Defender 130

Across all grades the powertrain offering has changed over the few years since its introduction, with adjustments to the combustion model lines a constant consideration for consumers.

But there's now electrification as part of the mix too. The Defender 110 tested in this review is the newly added P400e plug-in hybrid, which is available in a couple of trim levels.

It pairs up a four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine an electric motor and a battery pack. There's all-electric all-wheel drive available, but there are also a few caveats – read on to find out.

There are a couple of versions of the P400e plug-in hybrid in the Defender 110 lineup. It's not offered in the Defender 90 short-wheelbase three-door, nor the longer Defender 130.

On test here is a model year 2024 (MY24) Defender 110 P400e X-Dynamic SE with a wide range of optional extras, though Land Rover dealers are taking orders of MY25 examples which have tweaked specifications.

2024 Defender 110 P400e pricing:

2025 Defender 110 P400e pricing:

To see how the Defender lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool.

I've always thought the cabin of the Defender is delightfully utilitarian. This isn't a luxury SUV, though the interior is a thoughtful, clever, well designed, and very usable space.

I love the dashboard shelf in front of the passenger area. There are storage sections in front of the driver, as well as massive door pockets. Sadly however there are no moulded bottle holders, so things can rattle a bit.

There's a huge centre console area with tiered bin storage options for larger items, a cupholder section above that with a wireless phone charger, and a sealed centre console bin under the centre armrest.

The controls are all exceptionally easy to get to grips with, literally and figuratively. There are twin rotary dials for air conditioning and fan control, as well as a number of different buttons available for other controls in the car. The big touchscreen media system also has a number of different menu options on it.

Further, there's an EV mode button nestled in an existing button zone which allows you to choose between EV, Hybrid, and Save modes.

The media controls are largely easy to come to terms with. The touchscreen is crisp and very fast to react to touch inputs.

I really appreciate the amount of information available to the driver – including things like whether the centre or rear differential is locked, how much load is on each airbag shock absorber, and other stuff like vehicle dimensions.

The usual stuff like wireless smartphone mirroring technology (Apple CarPlay and Android Auto) worked pretty well during my time with the car. The 10-speaker Meridian stereo is excellent, too.

There is an array of charging points through both rows of seats, and even a household-style powerpoint in the boot area.

Space in the second row for someone my size (182cm / 6'0") seated in the arrears of my own driving position is fine, and likewise headroom and shoulder space is good. Three adults across is a doable thing in this rig.

If your passengers are of the smaller and younger variety, there are three top-tethers and two ISOFIX points for child seats. Kids love the view from the back row, and the extra light from the overhead glass panels adds some wow factor.

Second-row amenities include good sized air-vents, mesh pockets on the backs of the seats, storage bins in the doors, and a pair of cupholders in a flip-down armrest.

My family consists of three and two dogs, and we could easily fit in here for a trip away – but I have to say, the 110 PHEV is not the ideal choice for those who prioritise boot space, because it has a smaller cargo area than other petrol and diesel 110 Defenders.

This is due to the PHEV's battery pack being packaged under the boot floor. They tried to fit it under the boot floor, but it didn't fit, so there's a big bulge in the boot that makes it a bit annoying to deal with. 

The claimed number is 853 litres to the headlining, but that's considerably less than the 916L of the petrol and diesel models.

You might want to add a mat to the boot area because it has edges that fall away, so loose items will move around. Also, the PHEV model has cable bags that need to go somewhere, and thankfully they have clips on them, but they still make a racket when you're driving around corners.

There's a removable cargo cover which is very flexible – it's not like other cargo covers that have a hard shell that the cover retracts into. It's more like a curtain that plugs into place over the stuff in the back. Also, if you're loading in bulky items, you can lower or raise the air suspension to make it easier.

One thing that everyone considering a Defender should be mindful of is the side-swinging tailgate, which is heavy to operate. It can swing back towards you if you are parked on an incline.

You also need to be mindful when you're reversing into a parking space, because it opens up a fair way, and can make for a frustrating experience.

This P400e version of the Defender runs a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine (producing 221kW/400Nm), paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission with drive sent through a four-wheel drive system with a low-range transfer case for off-roading.

The 105kW electric motor is integrated into the transmission, and that means you can feel gearshifts when driving in EV mode. It's quirky. The motor is fed by a 19.2kWh lithium-ion battery pack housed in the boot area.

Total system outputs are 297kW of power and 640Nm of torque, which is enough to propel this sizeable machine from 0-100km/h in just 5.6 seconds, according to Land Rover. That's no mean feat considering the PHEV model tips the scales at 2613kg.

Recharging options for the battery pack include AC at a rate of 7kW, and DC fast-charging is also available at rates up to 50kW. Land Rover claims a charge time of about 2.0 hours on AC from a 7.4kW wallbox (0-80 per cent), while DC fast-charging the battery from 0-80 per cent is said to be achievable in 30 mins.

As for EV driving range Land Rover claims 52km according to the more lenient claimed NEDC testing cycle, or 43km on the more realistic WLTP test protocol. Both times I had the car fully charged, the dash display showed 43km to empty.

Towing capacity is 750kg for an unbraked trailer and 3000kg for a braked trailer – 500kg less than equivalent petrol and diesel examples of the Defender 110. The gross vehicle mass (GVM) is 3300kg for this model, while the gross combined mass (GCM) is 6300kg.

Official claimed combined cycle fuel use figure is 3.6 litres per 100km, but like all plug-in hybrids, that's really only representative of what you might achieve for the first 100km (if you're lucky).

This is because once the battery is depleted, the car can't possibly be as efficient.

In the name of science, I fully charged the battery and took off for a 100km drive across a mix of disciplines, including urban, stop-start, arterial roads and freeways. Like the WLTP claim suggests, I got 43km of EV driving from the battery before the car switched to Hybrid mode, where I then saw an indicated 5.5 litres after 100km.

After this I did the same loop with the battery depleted to see what you might expect in a worst-case scenario of just driving by yourself – no load, no off-road – and the display read 9.7 litres per 100km.

That might seem high – 63 per cent higher than the claimed number – but that's a penalty that must be paid for having hardcore off-road underpinnings and capability, not to mention bluff angles that are hardly aero-friendly.

The new powertrain is the big change to the drive experience here, because it remains the composed and compelling SUV to drive in many other ways.

As mentioned above, I recharged the battery overnight and left home with a full battery, driving in EV mode until the powertrain decided the battery was depleted after 43km.

I was driving in a mix of urban, stop-start, highway and arterial roads, and it was never short of power, nor rough or unrefined. When you plant your foot in EV mode it hustles.

When the battery charge is depleted, the petrol engine kicks to life, and you can hear it in contrast to the relative silence of EV movement – in fact, there's a bit of a raspy note to this Ingenium four-cylinder turbo petrol, which I like.

Thereafter, the powertrain still jumped between EV and Hybrid modes, depending on the situation. When you ask for everything in Hybrid mode, this 2.6-tonne rig really rockets. It's seriously way faster than you might expect a fuel-efficiency-focused offering to be.

There's still a level of refinement however between the driving modes which makes it an urban-friendly option, and that's likely where it will have most of its appeal.

There was no off-road testing component of this review. It was used like most owners will likely use it, with a full battery leaving home, which may or may run out during a day's worth of driving.

But like I said in the powertrain section, I ran it for 100km to see the fuel use, and then another 100km without a fully charged battery, and it's clear this isn't as efficient as it could be when driven purely as a hybrid.

Even so, I think the alternative petrol options in the lineup likely will use more juice, and personally, if I wasn't spending up to the V8 powered model, I'd be choosing a diesel Defender.

Our tester's ride is one thing that stands out as a highlight, with a soft and comfortable setup thanks to the air suspension, which includes adaptive technology to adjust to the surface.

Of course, you can raise and lower it depending on the terrain, and if you're in Eco mode it will lower the vehicle to cut through the air a bit more cleanly.

Regardless of the mode comfort is excellent. Sure, you can feel the road below, or even certain lumps and bumps, but the car is never uncomfortable. I say this having recently spent some time in the Toyota LandCruiser 300 on the same roads, and this was like a magic carpet by comparison.

What is more of a consideration is the weight. This is a heavy car, and you can feel that mass in the bends and under braking. Thankfully the steering is well sorted and predictable, so moving this machine through the bends is easy enough, but you need to be mindful that it is a large, lumbering thing.

The brake pedal feel could do with some fine tuning, however. It has a bitey and unpredictable feel to it at times, and I struggled to judge how much pressure to apply at times.

Visibility from the driver's seat is greatly aided by the optional digital camera mirror fitted to this test vehicle, because without it you get a rearview mirror full of headrests and spare wheel.

However, it does have a strange perspective given it's mounted on the roof, which can make you feel the car behind you is closer than they actually are.

On test here is the more affordable plug-in hybrid Defender, the X-Dynamic SE.

Defender 110 P400e X-Dynamic SE highlights:

This particular tester however was fitted with a number of optional extras and accessories fitted, bringing the as-tested price to $151,798.

Here's a rundown of all the options as tested: 

The Defender 110 scored a five-star ANCAP safety rating based on testing in 2020 by Euro NCAP, and that rating does include PHEV models like this one.

Standard safety equipment includes:

There is a helpful system to lessen the sensitivity of the safety features quickly and easily – just push a button on the steering wheel and you can set the safety systems to have moderate or minimal intervention. 

Dual frontal, front side, and side curtain airbags for all three rows are standard too.

There's a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, which you might find to be an important consideration for the Defender as the reliability record for this vehicle has been sketchy, to say the least, since it launched.

There's also five years of roadside assistance as part of that warranty cover, which again could put your mind at ease.

The brand also has a five-year/102,000km servicing plan for the Defender PHEV models, priced at $2100, which is cheaper than some of the ICE alternatives in the lineup.

The Defender 110 is a superb family SUV for those who want a tough and rugged, yet refined and comfortable SUV.

While the PHEV powertrain on test might only appeal to a very small subset of customers, there is no doubt that for those who only do a 15km drive to work and back each day, it could be superb choice.

Whether or not you can get past the reliability question marks is another story entirely, but I can totally see the appeal.

MORE: Buy a DefenderMORE: Everything Defender

Content originally sourced from: CarExpert.com.au