Hey Everyone,

A bit of a long time lurker but not really a poster until now.

I am a bit torn on which engine to order with the Defender. I drove the P400 for about 400 miles and honestly I wasn't completely impressed. I felt like there was a bit of a deadzone in the rev-range from 2000-2500rpm before what I am assuming is the "turbo" kicks on and the supercharger kicks off. Is that normal or did I have some sort of a odd model with some sort of a fault (no CE present)

I then decided to drive a P300 for comparison sake, and I hate to say perhaps I liked it MORE than the P400?! The torque comes on earlier in the smaller motor and it doesn't seem to have the same peaky "dip" in the power band that you actually use daily.

Without question the P400 is an absolute gem above 2500 and has a more enjoyable power delivery once you're IN IT. However for daily driving... it seems like the P300 is completely adequate, yes it revs higher but the power delivery seemed smooth, and it seems like the entire vehicle is also a bit lighter on its feet?!

What's your take for those that have experience in both?

 

I haven't driven the P400 - but have put about 8K miles on my 110 P300 and have been completely happy with it. For a mix of city, highway, and light offroad driving it has been great. I live in a pretty hilly area and haven't ever been wanting for power, even with 5 people and a full trunk.

It gets up to speed quickly on the freeway and has plenty of power to pass on two lane roads. And for those times when I do want a little more response, the "S" mode lets the engine work a bit more in the higher rev ranges, and it seems to be happy there.

I haven't done any towing, so I can't speak to that capability - but I'm guessing that is where the P400 would have a more significant advantage.

Oh - and with the P300 you can get the steelies as stock.

 

I only drove the 400 on my initial test drive. I now have 15k on my P300. I agree with BRW, I am rarely left wanting for power. There are only a few occasions when I have been trying to pass at 75+ uphill when I wish I just had a little extra. As far as around the city or needing to step on it on an on-ramp, it feels no different than what I remember the 400 feeling like when I drove it around.

But I haven't towed anything either so I can't speak to that. Overall, very happy with my choice. If I did it again, I honestly don't think I would go for the 400, I have been perfectly happy.

 

Maxmk8:

I have a P300 2020 D110. There are multiple threads over the past 18 months which answer this recurring question. I find the topic really interesting, so you can find all of them by looking at my post categories or searching out "P300 P400".

In summary, the very consistent summary I recall is:

1) do NOT buy a P300 if you will tow more than 4000 lbs or so.
2) buy a P300 if you want to go straight to 18" off-road wheels/brakes without modification.
3) Buy a P400 if you want to have excess power for fast interstate acceleration, lots of Rocky / Alps Mountain driving, or Zoom Zoom hard out of the corners driving.
4) P300 mileage in comparative reality is one to two mpgs or so better than the P400 (which is opposite to the formal rating) -- but there's not enough difference to swing the decision. Likely, people drive their P400s harder, maybe -- because of the zoom zoom thing?
5) Not a person I can recall has regreted their P300 choice -- all were happily surprised by the flat torque curve and the power from a 2.0 L.
6) a very small fraction of persons note some initial feeling that the P400 hybrid thing is not absolutely perfect, but I get a sense they get used to it.
7) The $10K USD price difference is enough to make each person pause to think very hard on the topic, but not enough to drive the decision.

Enjoy !!

 

I was hoping that someone would chime in on the torque dip in the 3.0 from 2000-2500 I found it to be quite annoying to be honest.

the 2.0 I found to be a far smoother and more linear power plant.

not worried about the price difference. I am just concerned about driving dynamics. There is no need to go fast in a house sized vehicle imo, I would however like things to feel “effortless”.

Something about the 3.0 really didn’t sit well with me in some of the rpm range, which shocked me, as all my I6 3liter bmws didn’t have this issue and I much preferred them to the 2.0, somehow it’s a different story in the JLR engine family.

 

My 0.02 $ on this: I tested a P300 for almost a day. It was ok(ish) but no thrills .... The P400 on the other hand, had a better feel. It all comes down to personal choice I think.
If you go with a 300, you can never get up to a 400 performance.
If you get a 400, you can tweak it as you may wish. Check this out: https://tdi-tuning.com/en-us/why-tuning-works
Some one here on the forum got one, and they may share more of the experience if you ask ( I think ).

 

Yea I am not really interested in any sort of tune. I found the performance if one can call it that, adequate on the P300 and obviously the P400 was quite quick once it spooled up. I just didn't find it to be a very linear power delivery.

I suppose I need to drive another one to understand whether or not it was a fluke.

 

Even if the tuning solved that power curve issue?

 

Correct. I don't trust tunes. Too many fun stories from the days of APR and all those fun times. And this set of engines are complex and tuned from the factory to pretty insane power levels... Not worth the risk.

 

I got the p400 as we needed a 7 seater for when the in-laws are in town. (Rare event now with international travel difficulties) Once you pick that 7 seat option you can't go P300. Not sure why that is although I subsequently saw a 7 seater P300 S trim on my dealer's website. Didn't see car myself so it may have been an error in the spec.

If I was able, I'd have gone with the P300 18" wheels and all the same options. Would have saved a nice chunk of change too.

I'm no gear-head so doubt I'd be able to tell the difference between 300 and 400HP in a truck that's built like a brick outhouse.

I suppose the extra oomph opens up more towing options but that's about it. No long term data on reliability between the two engines. Is the gas efficiency better in the p300? I suppose it must be.

Both are equally capable off-road, far exceeding my abilities before their own limitations are ever in view.

I think in most of the world the excellent diesel options and the P300 that are the norm. Here in US and A we like our gas-guzzlers.

So I guess P400 with a large fries and a coke it is.