Site icon Gay Car Boys

2022 Land Rover Defender 90 P300-A Gay Man’s All Terrain Coupe

gaycarboys - Alan Zurvas

2022 Land Rover Defender 90 P300 review

Just like the ol’days, the Short Wheelbase Land Rover Defender is a more playful version of the full-size model. Yeah, yeah I know, the SWB Land Rover came first all those years ago, but it was overshadowed by the space and grace of her big sister.

If you ask me, the 2 door is, and always was, top dog.

Think of it as you’re personal all-terrain-sports-coupe. It even has a raggedy top that folds back, 50’s style. It is quirky and charming, but it doesn’t stop there.

The white steel wheels come sans cost, and here’s the kicker, their 18” diameter is a full inch smaller than the standard alloys. Halla-bloody-lujah. Someone has finally had the common sense not to shove on rims that can be seen from space. It doesn’t help the grip, nor does it improve the ride. All it does is make you sound like a complete tosser.

Off roaders that spend much of their time on tarmac need something better for general use.

The Defender 90 is very high off the ground, and a set of side steps would be a sensible box to tick.

Our defender is as near to the bottom of the pile as it is possible, yet it manages to mix elegance with practicality. If you want to know what is at the top, start at the bottom. As my late mate David Bermingham used to say, “there is nothing worse than all fur coat and no knickers.” In other words, no matter how much you dress it up, it is what you start with that counts.

The old model was iconic. For mor than half a century, if you showed someone a picture of a Land Rover, they knew exactly what it is. The old fossils pooh-poohing the new 110, grasp desperately at a pastiche that reminds them of a time when they could walk without wincing. The rest of us have moved on.

The new model brings technological joy that can only come by accepting inevitable change. I want a tyre-blower-upper, and a cool digital dash, and I want my folding sunroof to open with a button. Moreover, I love the driver aids, and I want to feel safe.

Driving off road is better with gizmos, but for the 99% of the time you’ll be in town, safety first, last, and always.

Above: This Week – 2022 Land Rover Defender 90 P300 GayCarBoys Review

Help Support Gay Car Boys Subscribe to our Youtube Channel 

ABOVE: 2022 Land Rover Defender

What I like about the 2022 Land Rover Defender

Unlike early Land Rovers, Defender is not entry level, and that brings much expectation. At around $90,000, the P300 looks the business. Sure, it lacks the fancy matrix headlights of the top models, and the rubber floor mats seem more Coles cafeteria than Michelin Star, but that’s the beauty of it.

You can spend a bunch of money on things you neither want nor need, or, save your money but still be 100% happy.

The exterior is as sexy as hell. The short chassis allows nifty owners to park in small spaces as long as there is the head height, and it is brilliant in traffic.

Gay buyers like a brand, but it has to represent value for money.

What is not so hot

The back seats are a nightmare to get in to unless you’re a Circe du Soleil escapee. It is a long way up, back, and around. Who cares, you’re not going to be the one using them.

There is still a long list of add-ons too, and that is one thing that really gives me the irrits about all posh car makers. It isn’t just JLR (Jaguar Land Rover), they’re all at it, and it must stop. If you can get it standard in a KIA for half the price, then surely you can expect the same techy goodness in something nearing a hundred grand.

Our car also had an annoying buzz in one of the speakers, and a squeak in the driver’s seat belt. Both needed mending sooner rather than later.

The Cabin

You probably want a 2 door with the thought of freeloaders in back being something you’ll tolerate infrequently. I suggest leaving the back seats down. The Defender 90 then becomes an entirely different animal with tons of cargo area and no place for kids. Gay readers are less likely to have a family and can get away with doing the 2 door thing.

For this money you could also consider a BMW, Audi, or Mercedes. Sedans are even cheaper, even at Jaguar. Even Jaguar does a nice line in posh sedans, but none of them can go where Defender can. There is a rugged sex appeal bout the integrated grab handles, and rubber floors add a certain reverse snobbery.

Everything is easy to use, and as Jaguar embraces cutting edge over tradition, function improves with each year model.

Comfort is a huge step up for anyone familiar with old Defenders. The seats are supportive and the switches and dials are easy to use. Temperature dials for climate controls double their function, with the left dial also doing fan duty, and the right acting as the drive modes selector.

Voice controls are better than they used to be, but are something I rarely bother with. Siri is another matter. That makes life so much easier, and wireless CarPlay means it is available every time you start the engine without the need to press buttons.

The Drive

Defender is an ethereal experience in town. The ride on standard coils is wafty, soaking up errant potholes without breaking a sweat. Steering is light, but there is no road feel. In fact, very few new cars do with electric steering being the result of good or bad calibration.

The steering allows for modern marvels like lane centering, automated parking, and collision avoidance. Automated braking helps avoid accidents that even careful drivers may have and a radar will help the cruise control keep up with traffic even in town, and works with down to a full stop. Most of these come with many Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, but there is a tendency to include Smart Cruise in a options pack. In Defender, it is standard.

The short wheelbase would be fun out in the scrub, and rocky climbs look like a hoot.

We took the Defender 90 “up the cabins” as Max calls it. Read about it HERE

Highways mean roadtrips, and roadtrips mean mates, food, and fun. We filled the Landy to the brim, but there was a to-do about who got to sit in the back. Yes, there is a ton of room, once you’re on board. Getting in and out is another thing altogether.

You sit very high up, and the semi-electric seat will prop you up even further. You survey over the tops of almost everything else on the road, with an almost hypnotic sense superiority. You know you can go anywhere the steering wheel can point, and it makes you feel both capable and powerful. Car brands spend a lot of ad money to put you in a particular lifestyle. They have lilting voice overs of beautiful 20-somethings driving to the top of a snowy peaks, or camping by a picturesque pond. Defender makes you feel like your there even if you’re not.

Conclusion:

Power is plenty, but the 4-cylinder Ingenium works hard and that shows in the fuel figures.

After balancing the good and the bad, Defender comes out on top.

Price:

  • $87.073 (as tested – $95,172)
  • Engine: 2.0 Turbo Petrol
  • Power 221kw/400Nm
  • Econ: 10.1L/100k
  • Trans: 8 Speed Auto

Other Jaguar Stories

 

Defender IN DETAIL

Standard Features

Vehicle: 22MY Land Rover Defender 90 S P300

ENGINE TRANSMISSION, SUSPENSION & DRIVING DYNAMICS

  • All Wheel Drive (AWD)
  • Twin-speed transfer box (high/low range)
  • 8-speed Automatic Transmission
  • Terrain Response
  • Coil Suspension
  • Hill Launch Assist
  • Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS)
  • Dynamic Stability Control (DSC)
  • Low traction launch
  • Electronic Traction Control (ETC)
  • Roll Stability Control (RSC)
  • Cornering Brake Control (CBC)
  • Hill Descent Control (HDC)
  • Brake Hold
  • Electric Parking Brake (EPB)
  • Brake pad wear indicator
  • Emergency Brake Assist
  • Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
  • Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD)
  • Leather Gearshift

EXTERIOR FEATURES AND FINISHERS

  • LED Headlights and Taillights
  • Heated, electric, power fold door mirrors with approach lights and auto-dimming driver side
  • Electric windows with one-touch open/close and anti-trap
  • Heated rear window with timer
  • Rear wash wiper
  • Alpine lights
  • Puddle lights
  • Trailer Stability Assist (TSA)
  • Side-hinged tailgate
  • Automatic headlights and rain sensing wipers
  • Follow me home lighting
  • Rear fog light(s)
  • Centre high-mounted stop light
  • Manual Headlight Levelling
  • Auto High Beam Assist (AHBA)

WHEELS AND TYRES

  • 19” Style 6010, 6 spoke, Gloss Sparkle Silver w/- Off-Road Tyres (wrangler A/T)
  • 19” Full-Size Spare Wheel

SEATING, INTERIOR FEATURES AND FINISHERS

  • Two-zone Climate Control
  • 12-way Semi-powered Front Seats
  • 40:20:40 Fixed Rear Seats with Centre Armrest
  • Durable rubber cabin flooring
  • Durable rubber loadspace flooring
  • Sunvisors with illuminated vanity mirrors
  • Driver and Passenger Sunvisors
  • Footwell lights
  • Rear reading lights
  • Twin front cupholders
  • Overhead stowage for sunglasses
  • Glovebox storage with mechanical lock and light
  • Loadspace cover
  • Hook(s) in loadspace
  • Assisted tailgate
  • Soft Door Close for tailgate (not powered)
  • Cross Car Beam in Light Grey Powder Coat Brushed Finish
  • Manually adjustable steering column
  • Leather Steering Wheel
  • Light Oyster Morzine Headlining
  • Cabin Lighting
  • Cabin Walk-Through
  • Auto-Dimming Interior Rear View Mirror
  • Centre Console with Armrest

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION & ENTERTAINMENT

  • Digital Audio Broadcast (DAB) radio
  • Apple CarPlay® & Android Auto™
  • Online Pack with Data Plan
  • Pivi Pro (Connected)
  • 10” Touchscreen
  • Remote
  • 12V power socket in loadspace
  • Trip computer Sound System – 6 speakers, 180w amplifier
  • Analogue Dials with Central TFT Display
  • Interactive Driver Display

SAFETY, SECURITY & DRIVER ASSISTANCE

  • Keyless Entry and Push Button Start
  • Adaptive Cruise Control
  • Wade Sensing
  • Perimetric alarm
  • Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
  • 3D Surround Camera – Includes Multi Camera View, 360º View, 180º Rear View. Forward View
  • Front airbags, with passenger seat occupant detector
  • Emergency Braking
  • Blind Spot Assist
  • Forward Traffic Detection
  • Forward Vehicle Guidance
  • Tow Hitch Assist
  • ClearSight Ground View
  • Clear Exit Monitor
  • Lane Keep Assist
  • 360° Parking Aid
  • Rear Collision Monitor
  • Lane Keeping Aid,
  • Closing Vehicle Sensing,
  • Reverse Traffic Detection,
  • Rear Pre-Crash
  • Driver Initiated Evasive Steering Support.
  • Rear Traffic Monitor
  • Traffic Sign Recognition and Adaptive Speed Limiter
  • Customer Configurable Autolock
  • Power operated child locks
  • Seat belt reminder
  • Rear ISOFIX – Row 2 outboard seats
  • Driver Condition Monitor
  • Locking Wheel Nuts
 Vehicle Variant: 22MY Land Rover Defender 90 S P300
Registration / VIN: NCD77V / SALEA6AX7M2048129
Drivetrain: 1,997cc Ingenium Inline 4-Cylinder Turbocharged Petrol

w/- 8-speed Automatic, All-Wheel Drive
Power: 221kW @ 5,500 rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1,500-4,500 rpm
Max Speed: 191 km/h
Acceleration: 0-100km/h in 7.1 secs
Fuel Economy: 10.1 Litres per 100km
Weight: From 2,140 kgs
Towing Capacity: 750 kgs unbraked/3,500 kgs braked (max tow ball weight – 350kg)
Max Wading Depth: 850mm (coil)
Service Plans: 5 Years/102,000 max kms (whichever occurs first) – $1,950
Warranty: 5 Years/Unlimited kms with 5 years roadside assistance
Colour / Trim: Pangea Green / Acorn Grained Leather and Robust Textile Seat

Facings with Lunar Interior
RRP: $87,073
Options: Folding Fabric Roof $4,810
Clearsight Interior Rear-View Mirror $1,274
Leisure Activity Key $910
Electronic Active Differential w/-Torque Vectoring by braking $806
Cross Car Beam Finish-White $299
18″ 10 Spoke Style 5093 Sparkle White (ilo 19” alloys) NCO
Pangea Green Metallic Paint NCO
Price-As-Tested: $95,172*

Tags:

land rover australia, gay landrover, gay ladn river defender, gay campers, gay SUVs, land rover defender 90 p300

Exit mobile version