2022 Land Rover Defender

P300 is the base/volume engine across the 2022 Defender 110 range; US SAE net figure matches manufacturer and third-party spec sheets.

Peak torque for the base P300 turbo-4, the volume powertrain for US-market Defender 110.

US market dealer/spec aggregators (KBB, Cars.com) consistently list 7.7s for the US-spec P300 Defender 110, slightly slower than Land Rover's European homologation figure (7.0-7.4s) due to US equipment/weight.

The P300 turbo-four is adequate for daily driving with linear throttle response in normal use, but reviewers and long-term owners consistently note turbo lag below ~2,500-3,000 rpm and a less refined, coarser character than the smoother P400 inline-six, especially under hard acceleration or towing.

The ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic used across the Defender range shifts smoothly and is well regarded industry-wide, though it is tuned conservatively with the P300 which can blunt responsiveness and occasionally hesitate before kicking down.

Manufacturer-rated maximum towing capacity for the P300 Defender 110 when properly equipped with the factory tow package.

Permanent all-wheel drive is standard across every 2022 Defender trim and engine, paired with a two-speed transfer case (low range standard), Terrain Response 2 with configurable off-road modes, and an available locking rear differential/active locking center differential — among the most sophisticated systems in the segment.

The Defender 110 is a purpose-built off-roader: up to 11.5 in of ground clearance and best-in-class 35.4 in (900mm) wading depth with available air suspension, approach/departure/breakover angles of roughly 38/40/28 degrees, standard skid plates, low-range transfer case, and Terrain Response 2 with Wade Sensing — this is the vehicle's defining strength.

For 2022 the US Defender lineup spans the base P300 turbo-4 gas engine, the P400 mild-hybrid turbocharged inline-6, and the plug-in hybrid P400e, plus a high-output supercharged V8 (P525) added mid-cycle — a genuinely broad range including two electrified options, though no full-hybrid or full-EV variant yet exists.

EPA combined rating for the base 2.0L turbo-4 Defender 110, the volume gas powertrain for 2022.

EPA city rating for the P300 Defender 110.

EPA highway rating for the P300 Defender 110, at the bottom of the gas-SUV normalization band given the vehicle's boxy, high-drag body and curb weight.

EPA-derived total range from the 23.8-gallon fuel tank and combined fuel economy for the P300 Defender 110.

EPA's standard annual fuel cost estimate for the P300 Defender 110, well above the gas-SUV normalization band ceiling because of both low combined MPG and the premium-fuel requirement.

Every 2022 Defender engine, including the base P300, requires premium unleaded gasoline, adding a real cost burden on top of its already below-average fuel economy.

NHTSA has not published an overall crash-test rating for the Defender for any model year through 2022; it is a low-volume luxury import not submitted for US federal testing.

IIHS has not crash-tested the Defender and it holds no Top Safety Pick award, so it cannot be credited at the level of tested segment rivals; however the 2020-generation L663 platform (unchanged structurally for 2022) earned a 5-star Euro NCAP rating across all four categories (Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Vulnerable Road User, Safety Assist), which is reasonable corroborating evidence the structure is not a weak point, just an untested one in the US regime.

Every 2022 Defender trim (90 and 110) carries a broad standard suite — forward collision warning, AEB with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, blind spot monitor with steering correction, rear cross-traffic alert, driver condition monitor and a 360-degree camera — but full-speed-range adaptive cruise control is a standalone option on the base Defender/S trims and only standard on upper trims (X-Dynamic HSE, XS, V8, Carpathian Edition), so one meaningful item is trim-gated.

AEB with pedestrian detection is standard and manufacturer-documented to operate above roughly 3 mph, but IIHS has not run its front crash prevention vehicle-to-vehicle or pedestrian day/night tests on the Defender, so there is no independent Superior/Advanced rating to credit — scored on documented capability alone rather than a verified test result.

Blind Spot Assist is standard fleet-wide for 2022 and actively intervenes with steering correction to guide the vehicle away from a detected vehicle, not just an alert, and rear cross-traffic alert/warning (standard since the 2021 model year) covers cross traffic from roughly 2 to 43 mph in reverse.

Lane keep assist and lane departure warning are standard, but contemporary reviews describe the system as functional rather than refined — explicitly 'not as smart as some of the more autonomous-capable lane centring systems now available' — placing it in the competent-but-unpolished middle band rather than among confident, trusted centering systems.

Adaptive cruise control is available and reviewed as intuitive to use, but it is a stand-alone option not standard on the volume Defender/S trim, and reviewers note it only adjusts set speed in 2 km/h increments — a rough edge relative to more refined full-speed-range systems — with no instrumented stop-and-go or highway-assist data found.

No hands-free highway driving system (BlueCruise/Super Cruise/FSD-equivalent) was available on the 2022 Defender in the US; Land Rover's hands-free offering did not reach Consumer Reports' testing roster until late 2022 at the earliest, after this model year's launch configuration.

LED headlights (with an adaptive/matrix LED option on upper trims) are fitted, but IIHS has not published a headlight rating for the Defender, so there is no Good/Acceptable/Marginal result to anchor the score against — scored to the middle of the range on hardware alone, pending an independent test.

Reviewers consistently praise the tall windshield, low cowl and large glass area for excellent forward sightlines, but also flag thick roof pillars that create real side/rear blind spots and a rear-mounted spare that blocks the central rearview mirror — both offset by a standard 360-degree camera system and optional ClearSight digital rearview mirror, landing it at good-with-some-blind-zones rather than class-leading.

Cars.com's certified child-passenger-safety technicians gave the five-seat Defender 110 the highest grade in their test group for LATCH accessibility and for rear-facing convertible and infant seat fitment, with two full LATCH connector sets on the outboard second-row seats; the only deductions were a thick rear tether anchor bar complicating forward-facing convertible installs and low seatbelt buckles hurting booster-seat independence.

Defender 110 volume trim (S/SE P300) ships 5-seat standard; the 6th-seat front jump seat and 7-seat third-row bench are cost options, not the base configuration.

Boxy roofline gives generous front headroom, mid-pack for the luxury SUV segment.

Front legroom sits below the segment's typical luxury-SUV floor, a consequence of the upright seating position and short dash-to-axle layout.

Second-row headroom is excellent, among the best in the segment thanks to the slab-sided, tall greenhouse.

Second-row legroom is well above average for the segment, supporting adult-friendly rear seating.

The optional third-row bench is a tight, kid-only jump seat carved into the cargo area with minimal legroom and poor access — reviewers (Cars.com) frame it as a question mark rather than a genuine third row, and it is not even standard equipment.

Cargo volume behind the second row is on the smaller side for the segment given the Defender's exterior footprint, since much of the boxy volume goes to interior headroom rather than a deep load floor.

Maximum cargo volume with seats folded is solidly mid-pack for a mid-size luxury SUV.

The Defender's cabin is praised for practical touches: an exposed structural cross-car beam with grab handles, deep door bins, a raised center console with underfloor storage, and an optional front jump seat that doubles as a flat work surface.

Front seats are well-bolstered and supportive on most trims; owner feedback is generally positive though not segment-leading.

Standard air suspension delivers a controlled, notably smoother ride than body-on-frame rivals like the Wrangler or 4Runner, though larger-wheel configurations firm up over broken pavement.

Cabin noise insulation was a recurring owner complaint for the 2022 model year, with boxy aerodynamics and available all-terrain tires adding wind and road noise versus car-based luxury SUV rivals.

Heated front seats are standard on the volume trim; heated rear seats, ventilated seats, and remote pre-conditioning via the InControl Remote app are available as options on higher trims.

Entry-point 110 S AWD trim with the 296-hp P300 turbo-four; the 90 two-door starts lower ($52,100) but 110 is the volume body style.

Industry reporting on 2022 Defender sales identifies the 110 SE — with the 395-hp P400 mild-hybrid six — as the most popular configuration.

CarEdge's 5-year maintenance-and-repair estimate for the Defender, which it notes runs slightly below the luxury-SUV class average; RepairPal's separate annual maintenance-only figure (~$904/yr for the 110) is consistent with this total once repair incidence is added.

iSeeCars' cross-model-year resale analysis puts Defender depreciation at 48.7% over 5 years, i.e. 51.3% retained — better than the broader luxury midsize SUV class average (~50.1% retained) thanks to strong early demand, though 2022-specific retention will also reflect that year's supply-constrained pricing.

Land Rover's New Vehicle Limited Warranty is 4 years or 50,000 miles, whichever comes first, unchanged for MY2022.

Unlike many rivals that carry a longer standalone powertrain warranty, Land Rover bundles powertrain coverage into the same 4-year/50,000-mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty, well short of the segment's 5–10 year powertrain norm.

The 2022 Defender includes 4 years/50,000 miles of roadside assistance (flat tire, jump start, lockout, emergency towing, trip-interruption reimbursement) bundled with the warranty, but — per Land Rover's own ownership pages and third-party maintenance-cost write-ups — carries no complimentary scheduled maintenance plan; owners pay out of pocket for all service visits from day one, a thinner ownership benefit than rivals offering multi-year included maintenance.

$66,400 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (51.3% retained, or about $34,063) leaves about $32,337 in depreciation. Add the projected $5,765 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $38,102 in total.

Consumer Reports lists no reliability verdict for the 2022 Defender (insufficient owner data), while J.D. Power's 2022 study put the Defender at a 75-76/100 overall quality score but with owner complaints clustering around infotainment-driven battery drain and stalling incidents reported by early owners.

Land Rover has been a chronic bottom-tier brand in multi-year dependability studies; the 2023 J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study ranked Land Rover dead last among all brands with 273 problems per 100 vehicles against an industry average far below that, and the brand sat only mid-pack (193 problems/100) even in its best recent initial-quality showing.

The 2022 Defender was subject to multiple NHTSA safety recalls, including a seat belt pretensioner recall (driver/front passenger belts may not properly restrain occupants) and the broader 2022-23 Defender/Discovery/Range Rover driver airbag clockspring-connector corrosion recall that can prevent airbag deployment — both touch core occupant-protection systems, which is more than typical nuisance-recall activity, though volumes per campaign were moderate (low thousands of units).

The US-market 2022 Defender runs gas Ingenium engines (turbo-4 P300, mild-hybrid turbo-6 P400) — a newer family (launched 2020) without a long high-mileage track record yet, and distinct from the 2.0L Ingenium diesel (not sold in the US) that has drawn the worst reports for timing-chain and oil-dilution failures. No systemic failure pattern specific to the US gas engines had emerged by this model year, but Land Rover's broader electrical/software reliability reputation keeps this from scoring as a proven, low-risk powertrain.

Reviewers consistently praise the Defender's cabin materials — leather, exposed-fastener/woodgrain design details, and switchgear feel are described as class-leading for the segment — even as the same reviews fault assembly execution (see 6.2.2).

Multiple test reviews of 2022-generation Defenders cite misaligned body panels, interior rattles, and premature wear/marking of interior surfaces on test vehicles stickering near $70-72K — build execution lagging the design and material quality.

Land Rover's US dealer footprint is far thinner than mainstream and most luxury rivals, concentrated in larger metros, and the brand's service-satisfaction standing trails most competitors even as dealers themselves are generally competent with the marque's complex systems.

RepairPal rates Land Rover's overall reliability 2.5/5 (31st of 32 brands) with an average annual repair cost near $1,174 — close to segment norms on raw dollars, but parts are largely dealer-sourced/specialist-dependent with a limited independent aftermarket relative to mainstream brands, and a meaningful share of repairs are rated severe.

The volume trim carries the standard 10-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen; the larger 11.4-inch curved-glass unit is reserved for upper trims.

Pivi Pro's menu logic (most tasks in one or two taps) is praised, but early 2022-model-year software was dogged by bugs, lag, and connectivity glitches per owner feedback.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across all 2022 Defender trims, but the connection is wired only — wireless projection was not yet offered that model year, even though wireless phone charging is standard.

Pivi Pro's "Hello Land Rover" voice assistant and native nav are functional but not class-leading, and many owners default to phone-based navigation via CarPlay/Android Auto.

A Meridian-branded premium audio system is available as an upgrade over the base system, delivering solid if not segment-topping sound quality.

A digital instrument cluster is standard on the volume S/SE trims (absent only on the base entry trim), with a larger 12.3-inch configurable display optional on higher trims.

Pivi Pro supports over-the-air software updates for the infotainment system, but 2022 OTA scope was largely software/maps-focused rather than deep whole-vehicle updates.

The InControl Remote app covers core remote functions (lock/unlock, vehicle locate, remote climate) but is less polished and feature-rich than class-leading rivals' apps.

Standard wireless phone charging with an integrated signal booster, plus the 2022 addition of a second-row USB-C port, gives solid device-power coverage across rows.

Proximity keyless entry and remote start are available, plus the signature waterproof Activity Key wristband that lets owners lock gear/electronics in the car while doing water sports.

The 3D Surround Camera with ClearSight Ground View (a see-through-hood feature that overlays a view of the terrain under the front of the vehicle) is a genuinely novel, well-reviewed parking/off-road aid beyond the segment norm.

A head-up display is offered but only on the higher X-Dynamic/X trims, not on the volume S/SE configuration.

Wide-opening rear doors and a tall, boxy cabin ease loading kids and gear, but the high step-in height and firm, upright second-row bench are less effortless than a minivan-style family hauler.

The 2022 Defender offers a full ADAS suite (adaptive cruise, forward collision warning, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitor) but has no US NHTSA or IIHS crash-test rating to validate crashworthiness for American buyers, only a European 5-star Euro NCAP result on the related platform.

Excellent second-row head and legroom plus a smooth air-suspension ride support multi-hour family trips, offset by middling cargo volume with all rows occupied and no rear-seat entertainment screens.

Smooth low-speed manners and an imperceptible 8-speed automatic make stop-and-go traffic tolerable, but the Defender's size, slow steering ratio, and large turning circle add fatigue versus a car-based commuter SUV.

The P300 four-cylinder posts below-average fuel economy for its class, requires premium fuel, and carries luxury-tier maintenance/service costs, making per-mile commuting costs high relative to mainstream SUVs.

A large footprint and a notably wide 42.1-ft curb-to-curb turning circle make the Defender 110 cumbersome in tight urban settings, only partly offset by the standard surround-camera system.

A 7,716-lb tow rating on the P300 and a genuine payload/roof-load capacity give the Defender real work usefulness, though it lacks a bed or dedicated cargo-hauling body style.

Land Rover's reliability reputation remains middling — JD Power rated the 2022 Defender's quality/reliability 73/100, improved from historical lows but still unproven for hard fleet/work use compared to Toyota/Jeep rivals.

A rated roof-load capacity and factory accessory ecosystem (roof racks, tow bars, expedition gear) support light upfitting, but the premium cabin materials aren't washable/work-hardened like a true work vehicle.

The composed air-suspension ride, supportive seats, and available adaptive cruise control make the Defender a capable mile-eater, tempered by only average fuel range for its class.

The Defender is a purpose-built adventure vehicle: Terrain Response 2, locking center/rear differentials, up to 11.4 in of ground clearance and 35.4 in wading depth with air suspension, plus a strong roof-load rating for rooftop tents — among the most genuinely capable vehicles in the segment off-pavement.

Flat-folding rear seats, a flush load floor, standard roof rails rated for dynamic/static loads, and an extensive accessory catalog make the Defender highly adaptable for bulky outdoor gear.

The Defender's unibody construction and air suspension give it composed, secure handling that beats body-on-frame off-roaders like the Wrangler or 4Runner, but tall ride height and considerable mass keep it well short of car-based luxury SUV dynamics.

Steering is slow-geared, as expected for an off-roader, but reviewers single out unusually good precision and feedback for the class.

No major braking complaints surface in owner or press reviews, suggesting adequate, unremarkable stopping performance appropriate for the vehicle's weight class.

The 8-speed automatic shifts smoothly and nearly imperceptibly with the P300 turbo-four, though the four-cylinder lacks the effortless refinement of the optional inline-six mild-hybrid.

The turbocharged four-cylinder is audible but inoffensive under load, with some coarseness typical of the engine type; overall cabin noise complaints in owner feedback relate more to wind/road noise than powertrain vibration.

The Defender 110's 42.1-ft turning circle sits at the very top of (effectively beyond) the SUV normalization band, reflecting its long wheelbase and off-road-oriented steering geometry.

An upright, commanding seating position, excellent outward visibility, and straightforward physical-control layout make the cabin easy to settle into despite the tall step-in height.

The Defender's go-anywhere character, distinctive looks and genuine off-road prowess give it real enthusiast appeal, even though it isn't engineered to be a backroad carver on pavement.

The 2022 110 S starts with standard AWD, a 2-speed transfer case, Terrain Response, a 10-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen, LED lighting, and a full suite of driver-assist tech — reasonable generosity for the segment — but air suspension, the configurable terrain modes, the larger screen, and most off-road hardware (locking rear diff, raised air intake) are reserved for pricier trims.

Genuine body-on-frame-class off-road capability (low range, wading depth, air suspension option, 90/110/130 body choices) and strong critical reception give real capability-per-dollar, but pricing sits well above mainstream off-road rivals (Bronco, Wrangler) for comparable capability, landing it at fair-not-bargain value.

Three body lengths (90/110, with 130 arriving), a dozen-plus trims from S through SE, HSE, X, V8 and limited Carpathian/Bond editions, spanning roughly $52K to $114K — one of the widest configuration spreads in the luxury off-road segment.

15,733 US units in 2022, constrained more by supply than demand — the Defender became Land Rover's best-selling US model during this period, a clear segment leader within the small luxury off-road niche even if absolute volume is modest next to mainstream SUVs.

The relaunched Defender carries a strong adventure/heritage halo and had sustained waitlists into 2022, giving it real aspirational pull, but Land Rover's brand image is persistently weighed down by poor reliability and owner-satisfaction scores relative to other luxury marques.

2022 was a global chip-shortage year with Defender demand still exceeding supply; dealer inventory was thin and buyers commonly reported paying at or above MSRP rather than finding incentives, consistent with other hot-selling SUVs that year.

The L663 generation launched for MY2020 on an all-new aluminum monocoque platform; 2022 is only the third model year, with the lineup still expanding (90 two-door added MY2021, V8 added MY2021) rather than aging toward replacement.

The new-generation Defender won MotorTrend's 2021 SUV of the Year against a six-vehicle finalist field (beating the Cadillac Escalade and Genesis GV80 among others) and Top Gear's 2020 Car of the Year, and carried that critical momentum into the still-current 2022 model with consistently strong reviews.