Im having a tough time deciding between the 90 p400 and 110 p300

The 90 seems to be a bit wobbly to drive with it's height and small wheel base, but easy to navigate and pep to make city driving easy

And the 110 I haven't been able to test drive as it's out of state.

I would only go offroading twice a year. If I go with the 110, will it feel like an underpowered school bus i am lugging around the roads when not offroading? Can a 4 cylinder get up to speed from the ramp on to the highway quickly?

Thank you, all advise appreciated.

 

I have the four-cylinder and it really moves. With the air ride suspension and the Perelli scorpion tires it’s really great on the highway. I’m not a commuter as I work out of my house so I go to the gym I go to the club and an occasional road trip. I will not off-road with this car but I don’t sense those tires being a problem. only once in a while does the car sound like a four-cylinder and then are very quickly get over that

 

I've had my 110 P300 for over four years and use it daily. I never once have I felt it lacked power. Sure, there have been times where I wanted more power, but I never felt it needed more power. It gets up to speed quite well, and is faster than the average compact and mid-size crossovers that are all the rage these days. 0-60 in 7 seconds flat is pretty good for a 5,000 lb. SUV with a boosted four cylinder. It has plenty of passing power on the highway, as well. There is a bit of turbo lag under 3000 rpm at wide open throttle from a standstill, but in normal driving it is imperceptible.

I originally was going to get the P400, but the early cars had throttle programming that was like an on/off switch, and felt completely dead under 1500 rpm despite having an electric supercharger. Other than the turbo lag when you floor it from a stop (which let's face it, is something that doesn't really happen that often), the P300 felt more linear and progressive, and was more drivable around town. Not as fast as the P400, but was much quicker than I was expecting. Coming from a V8 LR4, I felt the P300's performance was on par with my old LR4, which had a 375 horsepower V8, but also weighed a good 700 lbs. more.

If you're towing, both are very good, but the P400 would be the better option. It can tow an extra 500 lbs. and the extra power & torque helps, too. P300 is still an excellent towing rig.

Having since driven newer P400 Defenders, my issues with the throttle programming has since been remedied, and if I were to buy another Defender, I'd get the P400, as it is smoother and more refined (I6 engines are naturally balanced, I4s are not), the extra power is nice to have sometimes, and it gets better fuel economy thanks to the MHEV system. That being said, I still think the P300 is excellent, and one of the smoothest and most refined I4s on the market.

Overall, I have zero regrets with my P300. It is more than adequate, and unless you're coming from a performance car, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I would test drive both a P300 & P400 110 if you can so you can figure out which one works best for you. There's really no wrong answer, as both are brilliant.

 

I agree with the other folks here - I had my 110 P300 for 3.5 years with coil springs and loved it - absolutely trouble free and a perfect daily driver. A lot of people talk about the engines, but the ZF 8 speed trans is the hero here - it is the best trans on the market, always in the perfect gear, which makes the 4 cylinder shine (and the 6 as well). I never once felt the P300 had a lack of power and it would cruise all day on the highway at 75 or 80.

The other think to keep in mind is the great 360 cameras on both the 90 and 110 - no navigation issues when you have all those cameras!

The 110 is super stable and really comfortable - my previous SUV was a BMW X5 with 20" rims and it road rougher than my P300 with coil springs.

Good luck on your search!

 

I have also driven my P300 110 daily for (almost) 4 years. Never once felt like I needed more power or acceleration. Admittedly I'm not a lead foot doing 90+ in the left lane, but I do drive regularly in Boston and NYC which requires decent acceleration and overall performance. I spent the $10,000 I saved on the engine on equipping the Defender the way I liked and avoiding the extra complexity of the MHEV. Lifetime MPG is right around 19-20mpg - balancing 16-18mpg around town with 22 or more on long road trips. Personally I prefer the air suspension (having driven and ridden in friend's defenders with coil springs) but there are arguments pro and con both sides. The transmission is excellent.

Things I paid for and wouldn't live without - clear sight rear view mirror, Premium LED lights, cold weather package with heated windshield, larger screen for PIVI.

 

Eh. I won't dive into it but I'm in the camp that thinks that the p400 could use a little bump in power (torque). Nothing against the p300 but, my next Defender will be a p525... at least.

 

Each to their own - if you like to do 90 towing a trailer then the P300 isn't for you. If you are happy doing 65-70 for 1000 miles, the P300 is perfect. I no longer see driving as a gladiator sport, but then I don't drive in LA, Long Island, Maryland, New Jersey or Atlanta if I can help it.

If I won the lottery, would I have an Octa? Yes I would, but in this world the P300 suits me fine. Can certainly appreciate people wanting more power, though, that's just not me. Maybe because I spent the first 15 years of my driving career at <100hp (Renault 4, VW Bug, Toyota 4x4 with 22R, FJ40 )

 

I think this ultimately comes down to your personal preference and driving style. Most that have the P300 seem to be happy with it. I test drove a 90 P400 and 110 P300 and decided to go with the P400. The bigger engine just felt a bit more lively to me, and even more so after I unlocked dynamic mode on it. But aside from engine, the 90 and 110 also drive and function quite a bit differently so consider that in your consideration too if it's only 90 P400 or 110 P300 that you're considering. I liked the dynamics of the shorter wheelbase driving around town but for more highway driving the 110 might be better. And depending on your use case, the 90 might be tough. There is very little storage in back with the rear seats up and those seats aren't very easy to access, though are pretty roomy once you're back there. The 90 is a third car for me so I don't need to drive it all the time and I do love it. But if you frequently needed those backs seats and storage I would lean 110 for sure.

 

Couldn't have said it better myself!

P300 110 owner here. Went into the dealership meaning to get a P400, but the one I wanted to test drive was stuck behind a P300, so I figured I'd test drive that as well since they already had to pull it out. I was honestly felt the P300 was more than enough power and ended up with it. Truth be told, I wasn't really thinking about being under load at the time. Although 95% of my driving is commuting solo, I felt the lack of power during my first camping trip. Had a full load with both my girlfriend and dog and was going through an uphill section of a highway and had to pass a car. Definitely felt like it was struggling a bit, but this was a rare occasion and totally fine most of the time.

 

P300 for sure. I owned both the P525 and the P400. Personally, I think the P300 is the perfect engine for the 110. Ask any serious off roaders out there, and most will tell you to go with the P300.