Small Engines No Longer Available In Small Defender
The Defender may be Land Rover’s best-selling model, but JLR is slimming the lineup and minimizing choice. First reported by CarBuzz, JLR has quietly removed the $56,900 Defender 90 P300 S trim from its U.S. configurator, leaving only the supercharged V8 option available for the shortest-wheelbase Defender, which starts at $114,400 – almost double what the Defender 90 started at previously. As a result, the cheapest Defender you can buy is now the medium-length Defender 110, which is $2,700 pricier than it was for 2025. All pricing excludes a $1,850 destination charge.
Defender Price Structure Looks Very Different
Land Rover
As a reminder, the Defender 90 P300 S was powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder delivering 296 horsepower, and that engine is still available in the 110, while the 130’s base engine is a 3.0-liter six-cylinder producing the same peak figure, and the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 delivers 518 hp in any of the three Defenders.
|
Defender 90 V8 |
$114,400 |
|
Defender 100 |
$63,500 |
|
Defender 130 |
$73,000 |
|
Defender OCTA |
$158,300 |
With six trims still available for the 110 and another four for the 130, plus the hardcore OCTA, it makes sense to slim the lineup. Although the four-cylinder Defender 90 was a handy off-roader in its own right, it’s not practical for much else. Most buyers chose it for its style, while those with family requirements went for the larger models anyway. If looks and presence are all that matter, a two-door V8 fits the bill.
Preparation For An EV?
Land Rover
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Specific sales for the V8 version of the Defender 90 are not released by JLR, but we suspect they were in the minority for the body style, especially with that six-figure starting price, and with JLR preparing several electric vehicles for the second half of the decade, one can’t help but wonder if the Defender 90 may be phased out altogether. An all-electric “baby” Defender was confirmed in 2023 and is expected to be given the name Defender ‘Sport,’ which indicates that it may replace the Discovery Sport, itself a replacement for the Freelander.
Expected in 2027, this will do battle with a new “baby” G-Class, though the Mercedes is expected to offer combustion alongside an electric powertrain. But things may still change for JLR. A new report from the U.K.’s The Guardian says a trio of JLR EVs have been delayed as the company waits “for demand to pick up.”
