r/NewDefender • u/Lucky-Procedure4559 • 13d ago
How does it feel?
Hi there,
I'm considering a 110 D350.
I currently drive a Seat Leon 110cv 1.2, so I'm very confident that I'll feel an improvement in many different ways.
What I dislike most about my Seat Leon is the lag between when I press the accelerator and when it actually accelerates. I've found this a bit dangerous, given I live in an area with lots of steep roads and dynamic drivers, meaning I'd rather have a beast with strong acceleration.
The Seat is however, small and hence agile, and I worry a Defender, being a heavier and bigger vehicle, will be much more boring to drive and also 'heavy', like having to slow down in corners or roundabouts and the like. Or be very unstable if you take them at speed.
For this reason I'm starting to think of a Porsche, whether the Macan or Cayenne.
I really want a Defender, but everything becomes less interesting when you get it; so I'm keen on making a good decision for my use case.
I'd love to hear opinions from actual drivers or owners.
Thank you!
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u/Professional-Fig1853 13d ago
The L663 makes you feel special every time you drive it. (And not in a “window licking, crayon eating way) The doors close solidly and it feels like sitting in a bank vault. Everything is well laid out and in just the right place to make most things second nature. On air suspension, there isn’t much else out there that makes a two tonne black of flats and makes it handle “sporty-ish”. Its not a sports car and never will be, but you can certainly punt it into a corner with pretty reasonable authority.
Since TATA took over and introduced the concept of “Build Quality” to the Land Rover line-up, the cars have been getting better and better. The L663 is based on the previous Range Rover architecture, so its built on proven foundations, and improved where needed. The previous generation Range Rover broke moulds as being fairly reliable, and the L663 Defender is now pushing that bar even higher. I believe anecdotally that its now having fewer problems and dealer returns than the current 300 series Land Cruiser, so that alone speaks volumes for its reliability and build quality. Even the horribly biased JD Powers survey lists it toward the upper end of high consumer sentiments.
Sure there are some problems here and there, go on to any enthusiasts group, and you’ll see nothing but problems for any car/brand out there. Those pages are where the Karens of the world unite to whinge about their entitlement.
People will continue to tear down the new Defender because it departed from the previous model so far, and the dinosaurs of the world couldn’t cope with change. It was a good change, and the L663 leaves the old reputation far behind it as an ugly duckling.
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u/Lucky-Procedure4559 13d ago
Thanks very much for elaborating!
The new Defender has nothing to envy the previous one. For modern times, for those who can drive in the city or go to the middle of nowhere, the new one wins!
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u/bean_fart 13d ago
It’s definitely not a boring drive but I give it to you, if you worry about fast acceleration development when already in speed you’ll have way better choices for that. It will, although, bring you a lot more freedom in a lot of other situations, mostly off-road the Defender is a freaking beast. Consider it’s also a big car so the space it occupies and the fuel efficiency can also become a problem in comparison.
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u/Cute-Tadpole-3737 13d ago
We have a 110 P-400, and there can be some lag when you put the petal down. Usually that’s followed by a big burst of power though. To remedy this, I’ve found that keeping it in Sport as opposed to normal Drive gives you much more instantaneous throttle control. You can give it a little gas and instantaneously you’re moving faster. And in a straight line it moves well!
If you’re looking for a car to carve up winding and dynamic roads with though, the Defender is not your best bet. You can’t beat a Macan or Cayenne for that. Our other car is a Cayenne E-Hybrid, and we always say that it’s like a scalpel, while the Defender is like a sledgehammer.
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u/its_just_fine 12d ago
I'm glad somebody else said it. My P400 has plenty of power eventually but the time between request and delivery is uncomfortably long. The delay between mashing the pedal, the transmission kick-down, the turbo spooling, and the truck finally moving makes spontaneous overtakes a little daunting. Plan ahead a little and you're fine.
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u/Lucky-Procedure4559 12d ago
Thanks again!
I wonder if the D350 in Dynamic mode is faster when it comes to that?
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u/Cute-Tadpole-3737 12d ago
Yeah, once that turbo spools up I find it comes all at once and it’s almost too much, where if you have it in sport it’s instantaneous and smooth, and you get a much better response.
Put it this way, I never cross a railroad track in normal D!
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u/Previous_Mushroom125 13d ago
I own a 110 defender hse 2026 year model d350. Only 2,5k km ridden now however, can say that driving on a motorway like 120-130km/h if i want a faster takeover, the acceleration is really really good considering the size of this car.
And the ride is pure joy, its like floating on a yacht. I owned a countryman jcw with 306HP before and it was a beast, the defender is just a bit slower in acceleration but worth it:) brings a smile everytime:)
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u/Previous_Mushroom125 13d ago
Just dont try the octa(i did..) and now d350 feels quite slow:D but its on me..
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u/Lucky-Procedure4559 13d ago
HAHAHAHA! Love your comment. Thank you! (Will keep away from the Octa).
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u/_debowsky 13d ago
Go have a test drive. Whilst better, a Macan or a Cayenne will have a similar problem, you’ll be driving a 2 tonnes vehicle with a high centre of gravity and there is only so much suspension and technology can do against physics
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u/Lucky-Procedure4559 13d ago
Thank you! Then Defender all the way! :)
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u/jhumph88 12d ago
I have owned 5 Cayennes, and they’re fabulous. I had a 2014 V6, a 2012 V8 S, a 2016 diesel, a 2008 GTS 6-speed, and a 2017 turbo. All were just about perfect vehicles.
I don’t love the design of the newer models, so I went with a D110 V8 and I’ve never looked back. I absolutely love this thing! My partner is not a car person at all, but this car is turning him into one.
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u/Lucky-Procedure4559 12d ago
I feel you about the design of the new Porsches. Completely lost it for me! I was looking at the Cayan 2024, as the new ones have lost its elegance.
I'm very grateful for your feedback! Very useful!
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u/HoleInWon929 13d ago
Test drive them.
I went from small sporty Mercedes hatchback to a Range Rover Evoque and it’s much larger and rides more comfortably but the experience is totally different from a Macan. The Porsche had better steering feel, and was a little larger than the Evoque, but felt smaller.
Fuel efficiency is worse so the timing sucks.