That is correct.

 

My sales rep originally told me we could swap my HSE order to the XS but then he said it required a whole new order. They held my HSE order and said I could swap back if I wanted. I waited till the configurator went live and confirmed I was going to proceed with the XS.

I had wanted carpathian grey but moving to Silicon Silver in the XS. Both colors look great and I think I will be happy with either.

The drop to the XS essentially saved me the price hike from the 21 to 22. I did not like the two tone leather colors the HSE has and the XS has all leather vs leather and the synthetic in the HSE which is also a win for me. So the only loss is the rear recovery hooks.

I like that the XS will have the body matching lower body. Sets it apart a little from the others.

 

Imagine an uninformed regular Joe and his wife purchasing a Defender off the dealership lot, only to discover "it does not go up and down" while loading groceries, as advertised on TV.

 

Ha. I would imagine the majority of buyers are only minimally informed at best. I think the switch to coil springs is a bit odd for the North American market. I probably would want coil springs if I was driving multiple days through Namibia, so I think its great to have the opportunity to have both suspension options in general.

I wonder what percentage of coil spring defenders are going to hit dealer lots. Will it be similar to vehicles that don't have heated seats (which my dealer said are very hard to sell here, so they only ordered previous defenders with heated seats)?

 

I just checked in with my sales rep and he says my order is in a holding queue with no dates confirmed due to wanting the larger screen.

 

Personally, we turned down what was a really well optioned 90 due to the coil springs vs air suspension. Having had two LR4's previously we don't think we could do without the air suspension especially in rocky terrain. I think dealers order whatever they think they can sell, and not unlike every other dealer, load the Defender up with options many don't want, but have to buy because they are on the sticker. The coat hanger and hook for $140 is useless to us, so we have them tossed in a box on a shelf, along with the windshield sunscreen. Oh and the trunk organizer that takes up more cargo space unless you fold it up all the time.

I am in amazement over all the new options on the 2022 that were not on the 2021 order list. That said, when they are dealer installed the cost appears to differ wildly among dealers. Here in Southern CA, the dealers in the higher priced cities charge more for installed options than the outlying dealers in other counties. For example, one dealer charges $386 for the spare tire cover installed (LOL..a one minute job) while another sells it for $220 including tax.

 

The XS doesn't have adaptive cruise control which I love on my current vehicle. It also seems to have less towing functionality...or at least the towing options are not the same from an X Dynamic SE build.

 

How much do you want for the windshield sunscreen?

 

Too bad none have lane centering

 

Bit the bullet and ordered a V8 in Santorini Black with 22” Gloss Grey wheels and the larger screen. No sign of the Carpathian Edition here which sucks.

Hoping to be able to add the roof rack and ladder after market.