2022 P300S impressions after ~ 400 miles local and ~ 2,600 mile road trip
#1
08-02-2021, 08:16 AM
2022 P300S impressions after ~ 400 miles local and ~ 2,600 mile road trip
2022 P300S impressions after ~ 400 miles local and ~ 2,600 mile road trip
I've appreciated the feedback from others on this forum, and felt I should also share my experiences with my MY2022 P300S.
A bit of background: we had a '03 Discovery SE that we loved and kept over 10 years. We replaced it with a '12 Acura MDX which has been a very reliable, but lacked the "soul" and fun of the Discovery. These were primarily my wife's cars, so reliability was important (we had small kids at the time). We didn't care for the look/feel of the larger-size LR3 and LR4, and that, combined with the need for reliability, pushed us to the MDX.
In buying the new Defender, I recognize that I'm buying into the quirkiness of the brand (something that I think gives it character). I'm fine with this, and with our kids older now it's less of an issue. It's worth noting -- our older Discovery never left us stranded. It was the 12/16 mpg and ongoing maintenance costs that ultimately resulted in us selling it.
My wife and I test drove both the P300 and P400 back-to-back. We felt the P300 was more responsive and drove less "truckish". Perhaps this was due to the lower weight (200 lbs less), or perhaps it was because it was a simpler turbo engine vs. the electric/twincharged 6 cylinder in the P400. It also seemed like people were getting accurate (or better) MPG with the 4cyl, and less than accurate MPG with the 6 cyl. I really didn't like the range anxiety I had with the Discovery (start looking for gas stations after 200 miles!), so improved range with the 4cyl was appealing. The P300 seemed peppy enough -- my biggest concern in choosing it for my build was that I'd regret not getting the 6cyl.
Since we tend to keep our vehicles ~ 10 years (if we like them), I decided to pick every option that I wanted. I built a spreadsheet and evaluated the pros/cons of each option before deciding. I've listed some of this below, and I think it may help others in their decision process:
19" wheels, gloss black: I liked the way they looked. I may regret the tire size, but worst-case I can always change the wheels to 18" steelies.
Front fog lights: for $200 might as well get them. There's no way you could add aftermarket at this price.
5 seat config: we have 7 seats in our Acura and almost never use them. The back 2 seats seemed pretty small, so the weight/cost penalty didn't seem worth it for us.
Rough-cut walnut veneer: Normally I would never splurge for something like this. BUT... I saw a Defender at the dealer with this and loved it. The trim also extends to the door handles on passenger and back doors.
Air suspension: I'll discuss more in the write-up, but I needed "access height" for my wife
Off-road pack: I wanted the rear locker. Much more expensive (impossible?) to retrofit
Towing pack: this is expensive. But... I would have added the tow hitch receiver and the Terrain Response 2. After these, it wasn't that much more to upgrade to the Towing Pack. Since it's difficult (impossible) to retrofit, I decided to go for the full pack.
Cold climate pack: we had the heated windscreen in our Discovery. I loved that feature, and although it was a splurge I really wanted to have it again.
ClearSight mirror, WiFi module, and 11.4" touchscreen: I'll discuss all these later
Armrest Fridge: I didn't get this. I didn't want the lighting option, and figured I could use a separate cooler just as easily. Also, I wanted to use the armrest for storage.
Adaptive Cruise Control: I've used this on rental cars and didn't like it. It seemed expensive, too.
My dealer experience was excellent. Communication, follow-up and delivery went perfectly. There weren't any last-minute pricing surprises, and the vehicle was ready-to-go when I picked it up. Fortunately, all my measuring paid off and it fit in our garage. It did take me some time to get used to driving it (not sure I'm actually used to it yet!). It feels bigger than our MDX, even thought the MDX is actually wider. It is larger inside than our Discovery was -- I wish they had a flip-down armrest like on the Discovery. It is definitely enjoyable to drive. I found myself making a lot of small in-town trips just as an excuse to go somewhere. For the first 400 in-town miles, the only issue I had was a air suspension fault (perhaps I was playing with it too much?), which had cleared by the next time I drove.
For our road trip, we drove from Austin, TX to Orlando, FL (about 1,200 miles each way), done in 700 and 500 mile days. Here are some of observations from the trip:
Engine/MPG: we saw ~ 21mpg going over and ~ 22.5mpg coming back. The majority of the trip was 75mph roads, so I was pretty happy with this. Operating range was well over 400 miles per tank, which was great. Peppiness/performance was much better than I expected. Even at 75mph, there was plenty of power to pass. I was very careful about break-in, and despite never using more than 1/4-1/2 throttle, power was fine. After I reached the 2,000 mile break-in point, I was surprised how much extra performance was on tap. Granted - this isn't a sports car. But for daily driving you really aren't lacking anything.
Engine Sound/NVH: it was whisper-quiet when cruising at 75mph. Small acceleration could be accomplished without need for a downshift (I could feel the turbo spooling and the boost would make up the difference needed). When a downshift is needed, the 4cyl does sound kind-of ugly - perhaps only because it's breaking up the serenity of a normally quiet environment.
ClearSight mirror: I played with this some during the trip. In general, I preferred the traditional "mirror mode" because I can use the tire as a reference point when looking out the back window. BUT... we had very, very heavy rain during the trip, and ClearSight was wonderful in this environment. Between fogging/windshield wipers and spray, it could be difficult to see out the back. But, the Clearsight was much much better (perhaps because it's up high?). I was very happy to have it, and would option it again because of the flexibility it provides.
Air suspension: this is my first vehicle with air suspension. The ride was very smooth -- my wife commented how comfortable and smooth it was during the trip. She is short (5'4) and so for the Defender config she really wanted running boards. I opted instead for the air springs with "access mode". We didn't off-road the Discovery much because of the running boards (I didn't know about sliders back then), so air suspension provides a nice solution. Plus - it's fun to play with when stopped in traffic
WiFi module: I'm really glad I got this. The built-in navigation has the ability to pull in Google Maps-type views (with actual photos of your surroundings), but it needs data to do this. I use Tidal on my phone (I wish it was one of the InControl apps), and since I don't have a large data plan on my phone the WiFi integration was great. My daughter and I were able to connect to the WiFi the entire trip with no problem. My son and wife had issues though, and many times wouldn't have data. WiFi would show as connected, but there wouldn't be any throughput. Perhaps we had too many connected users?
11.4" touchscreen: I agree that the 10" screen is cosmetically better integrated into the dash, but noticed during an earlier test drive that it was a bit small for all the icons. I figured for $140 the 11.4" display was worth the upgrade, and also wondered if perhaps future Defenders would default to 11.4" anyway. I'm very glad I opted for the 11.4" - usability is great.
Meridian Sound System: our Acura had the Technology package with a really nice stereo, subwoofer, etc. When I first heard the Meridian system, I was disappointed. Fortunately, I realized that I was listening to a bad source (via Sirius) and more experimentation has yielded significantly improved results. We listened to music most of the trip, and the speakers have broken in/warmed up nicely. It has a different type of sound than my Acura stereo, but now I am very happy with it. Also noteworthy is that the system has the ability to play files using a USB flash drive.
Center console/storage area: from a practical sense, this was a disappointment. The "cage-like" structure made it difficult to store things, so from a usability perspective it wasn't great. In time, I'm sure we'll figure out how to use it more productively. During the trip, I primarily used it for trash and phone storage -- not ideal. The armrest storage was a lot smaller than I expected too. I was thinking that the flip-down front row middle seat might have been a better option, since the floor space would be open and usable.
USB ports: it's nice that there are so many ports, but I wish so many weren't USB-C. I purchased some USB-C cables from Amazon before the trip, and they all died pretty quickly. It seems the cables are really finicky and it's best to go with genuine Apple ones. I used a standard USB cable for my iPhone 12 Mini, so I had to take my USB flash drive out of the lone standard USB port for the trip.
Cargo storage: the Defender definitely trades rear storage for second-row seat space. It was fine for us, but is smaller than our Acura and much smaller than our Discovery. My daughter is heading off to college this year, so as a family of 3 this will work. Now I understand why so many of the Defenders have that top roof rack!
Power steering: I'm not a fan of electric power steering, but that seems to be the ways things are going. I didn't "trust" the steering like I do in older hydraulic-pump vehicles. When going around curves with a lot of speed, it was sometimes seem to fight me. "Lane Keeping Assist" was a bit of a surprise when I first purchased the Defender. After trying it out, I've decided to just leave it off all the time. The steering is one area where I still much prefer the feel of my Acura.
Brakes: very, very good. Very easily to modulate, even at high speed. I feel very confident with the brakes in the Defender.
Crackling noise: I did notice this probably 4-5 times the entire trip. It sounded faintly like sand hitting the windshield. It was very intermittent though (maybe it will worsen with time?). It was on the passenger side, so it was hard to locate where the sound was actually coming from. It seems possible that the sound is actually coming from the windshield wipers or some other area instead of the A-pillar. I only noticed it in areas with a lot of cross-wind. In normal driving, etc. (even at speed) it was silent.
Faults/Glitches:
(1) After one rest stop, I wasn't able to connect to Airplay. I tried several cycles of plugging/unplugging, and software disconnecting. I also tried restarting the car, but none of this had any effect. I opted to use the factory navigation and proceeded onward. About 45 min later, Airplay started working.
(2) For some reason, maps and audio don't show up in the driver information cluster. I stopped by my dealer after the trip (for a free car wash), and they agreed something wasn't working properly. I'll make an appointment for them to investigate sometime later.
In all, the Defender exceeded expectations for the trip. It was very comfortable and fun to drive. Personally, I'm still trying to get used to the larger "feel" off it but think that will come in time. I've done very little off-roading so far, but am looking forward to running a Central Texas overland route with my buddy (he has a Jeep) when the weather cools down.
Hopefully this write-up has been helpful. Feel free to ask any questions below!
RedAustinIX (Ed)
I've appreciated the feedback from others on this forum, and felt I should also share my experiences with my MY2022 P300S.
A bit of background: we had a '03 Discovery SE that we loved and kept over 10 years. We replaced it with a '12 Acura MDX which has been a very reliable, but lacked the "soul" and fun of the Discovery. These were primarily my wife's cars, so reliability was important (we had small kids at the time). We didn't care for the look/feel of the larger-size LR3 and LR4, and that, combined with the need for reliability, pushed us to the MDX.
In buying the new Defender, I recognize that I'm buying into the quirkiness of the brand (something that I think gives it character). I'm fine with this, and with our kids older now it's less of an issue. It's worth noting -- our older Discovery never left us stranded. It was the 12/16 mpg and ongoing maintenance costs that ultimately resulted in us selling it.
My wife and I test drove both the P300 and P400 back-to-back. We felt the P300 was more responsive and drove less "truckish". Perhaps this was due to the lower weight (200 lbs less), or perhaps it was because it was a simpler turbo engine vs. the electric/twincharged 6 cylinder in the P400. It also seemed like people were getting accurate (or better) MPG with the 4cyl, and less than accurate MPG with the 6 cyl. I really didn't like the range anxiety I had with the Discovery (start looking for gas stations after 200 miles!), so improved range with the 4cyl was appealing. The P300 seemed peppy enough -- my biggest concern in choosing it for my build was that I'd regret not getting the 6cyl.
Since we tend to keep our vehicles ~ 10 years (if we like them), I decided to pick every option that I wanted. I built a spreadsheet and evaluated the pros/cons of each option before deciding. I've listed some of this below, and I think it may help others in their decision process:
19" wheels, gloss black: I liked the way they looked. I may regret the tire size, but worst-case I can always change the wheels to 18" steelies.
Front fog lights: for $200 might as well get them. There's no way you could add aftermarket at this price.
5 seat config: we have 7 seats in our Acura and almost never use them. The back 2 seats seemed pretty small, so the weight/cost penalty didn't seem worth it for us.
Rough-cut walnut veneer: Normally I would never splurge for something like this. BUT... I saw a Defender at the dealer with this and loved it. The trim also extends to the door handles on passenger and back doors.
Air suspension: I'll discuss more in the write-up, but I needed "access height" for my wife
Off-road pack: I wanted the rear locker. Much more expensive (impossible?) to retrofit
Towing pack: this is expensive. But... I would have added the tow hitch receiver and the Terrain Response 2. After these, it wasn't that much more to upgrade to the Towing Pack. Since it's difficult (impossible) to retrofit, I decided to go for the full pack.
Cold climate pack: we had the heated windscreen in our Discovery. I loved that feature, and although it was a splurge I really wanted to have it again.
ClearSight mirror, WiFi module, and 11.4" touchscreen: I'll discuss all these later
Armrest Fridge: I didn't get this. I didn't want the lighting option, and figured I could use a separate cooler just as easily. Also, I wanted to use the armrest for storage.
Adaptive Cruise Control: I've used this on rental cars and didn't like it. It seemed expensive, too.
My dealer experience was excellent. Communication, follow-up and delivery went perfectly. There weren't any last-minute pricing surprises, and the vehicle was ready-to-go when I picked it up. Fortunately, all my measuring paid off and it fit in our garage. It did take me some time to get used to driving it (not sure I'm actually used to it yet!). It feels bigger than our MDX, even thought the MDX is actually wider. It is larger inside than our Discovery was -- I wish they had a flip-down armrest like on the Discovery. It is definitely enjoyable to drive. I found myself making a lot of small in-town trips just as an excuse to go somewhere. For the first 400 in-town miles, the only issue I had was a air suspension fault (perhaps I was playing with it too much?), which had cleared by the next time I drove.
For our road trip, we drove from Austin, TX to Orlando, FL (about 1,200 miles each way), done in 700 and 500 mile days. Here are some of observations from the trip:
Engine/MPG: we saw ~ 21mpg going over and ~ 22.5mpg coming back. The majority of the trip was 75mph roads, so I was pretty happy with this. Operating range was well over 400 miles per tank, which was great. Peppiness/performance was much better than I expected. Even at 75mph, there was plenty of power to pass. I was very careful about break-in, and despite never using more than 1/4-1/2 throttle, power was fine. After I reached the 2,000 mile break-in point, I was surprised how much extra performance was on tap. Granted - this isn't a sports car. But for daily driving you really aren't lacking anything.
Engine Sound/NVH: it was whisper-quiet when cruising at 75mph. Small acceleration could be accomplished without need for a downshift (I could feel the turbo spooling and the boost would make up the difference needed). When a downshift is needed, the 4cyl does sound kind-of ugly - perhaps only because it's breaking up the serenity of a normally quiet environment.
ClearSight mirror: I played with this some during the trip. In general, I preferred the traditional "mirror mode" because I can use the tire as a reference point when looking out the back window. BUT... we had very, very heavy rain during the trip, and ClearSight was wonderful in this environment. Between fogging/windshield wipers and spray, it could be difficult to see out the back. But, the Clearsight was much much better (perhaps because it's up high?). I was very happy to have it, and would option it again because of the flexibility it provides.
Air suspension: this is my first vehicle with air suspension. The ride was very smooth -- my wife commented how comfortable and smooth it was during the trip. She is short (5'4) and so for the Defender config she really wanted running boards. I opted instead for the air springs with "access mode". We didn't off-road the Discovery much because of the running boards (I didn't know about sliders back then), so air suspension provides a nice solution. Plus - it's fun to play with when stopped in traffic
WiFi module: I'm really glad I got this. The built-in navigation has the ability to pull in Google Maps-type views (with actual photos of your surroundings), but it needs data to do this. I use Tidal on my phone (I wish it was one of the InControl apps), and since I don't have a large data plan on my phone the WiFi integration was great. My daughter and I were able to connect to the WiFi the entire trip with no problem. My son and wife had issues though, and many times wouldn't have data. WiFi would show as connected, but there wouldn't be any throughput. Perhaps we had too many connected users?
11.4" touchscreen: I agree that the 10" screen is cosmetically better integrated into the dash, but noticed during an earlier test drive that it was a bit small for all the icons. I figured for $140 the 11.4" display was worth the upgrade, and also wondered if perhaps future Defenders would default to 11.4" anyway. I'm very glad I opted for the 11.4" - usability is great.
Meridian Sound System: our Acura had the Technology package with a really nice stereo, subwoofer, etc. When I first heard the Meridian system, I was disappointed. Fortunately, I realized that I was listening to a bad source (via Sirius) and more experimentation has yielded significantly improved results. We listened to music most of the trip, and the speakers have broken in/warmed up nicely. It has a different type of sound than my Acura stereo, but now I am very happy with it. Also noteworthy is that the system has the ability to play files using a USB flash drive.
Center console/storage area: from a practical sense, this was a disappointment. The "cage-like" structure made it difficult to store things, so from a usability perspective it wasn't great. In time, I'm sure we'll figure out how to use it more productively. During the trip, I primarily used it for trash and phone storage -- not ideal. The armrest storage was a lot smaller than I expected too. I was thinking that the flip-down front row middle seat might have been a better option, since the floor space would be open and usable.
USB ports: it's nice that there are so many ports, but I wish so many weren't USB-C. I purchased some USB-C cables from Amazon before the trip, and they all died pretty quickly. It seems the cables are really finicky and it's best to go with genuine Apple ones. I used a standard USB cable for my iPhone 12 Mini, so I had to take my USB flash drive out of the lone standard USB port for the trip.
Cargo storage: the Defender definitely trades rear storage for second-row seat space. It was fine for us, but is smaller than our Acura and much smaller than our Discovery. My daughter is heading off to college this year, so as a family of 3 this will work. Now I understand why so many of the Defenders have that top roof rack!
Power steering: I'm not a fan of electric power steering, but that seems to be the ways things are going. I didn't "trust" the steering like I do in older hydraulic-pump vehicles. When going around curves with a lot of speed, it was sometimes seem to fight me. "Lane Keeping Assist" was a bit of a surprise when I first purchased the Defender. After trying it out, I've decided to just leave it off all the time. The steering is one area where I still much prefer the feel of my Acura.
Brakes: very, very good. Very easily to modulate, even at high speed. I feel very confident with the brakes in the Defender.
Crackling noise: I did notice this probably 4-5 times the entire trip. It sounded faintly like sand hitting the windshield. It was very intermittent though (maybe it will worsen with time?). It was on the passenger side, so it was hard to locate where the sound was actually coming from. It seems possible that the sound is actually coming from the windshield wipers or some other area instead of the A-pillar. I only noticed it in areas with a lot of cross-wind. In normal driving, etc. (even at speed) it was silent.
Faults/Glitches:
(1) After one rest stop, I wasn't able to connect to Airplay. I tried several cycles of plugging/unplugging, and software disconnecting. I also tried restarting the car, but none of this had any effect. I opted to use the factory navigation and proceeded onward. About 45 min later, Airplay started working.
(2) For some reason, maps and audio don't show up in the driver information cluster. I stopped by my dealer after the trip (for a free car wash), and they agreed something wasn't working properly. I'll make an appointment for them to investigate sometime later.
In all, the Defender exceeded expectations for the trip. It was very comfortable and fun to drive. Personally, I'm still trying to get used to the larger "feel" off it but think that will come in time. I've done very little off-roading so far, but am looking forward to running a Central Texas overland route with my buddy (he has a Jeep) when the weather cools down.
Hopefully this write-up has been helpful. Feel free to ask any questions below!
RedAustinIX (Ed)
The following 17 users liked this post by RedAustinIX:
Ace7711 (08-09-2021),
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#2
08-02-2021, 11:19 AM
Great write up!
re: Crackling noise - I noticed this as well during a long road trip with my 22. I'm almost certain this is the a-pillar issue others have mentioned.
I believe I already have the updated A pillar version but mine will only make noise above 85mph or 75 with high cross winds.
re: Crackling noise - I noticed this as well during a long road trip with my 22. I'm almost certain this is the a-pillar issue others have mentioned.
I believe I already have the updated A pillar version but mine will only make noise above 85mph or 75 with high cross winds.
#4
08-02-2021, 12:37 PM
Pro Wrench
Great to read your notes! Thanks for posting them. I'm about to go on my first long journey out to West Texas and some light off-roading around Big Bend. You've inspired me to do a similar write up afterwards. Since I'll be coming back pretty dirty, dusty, muddy - you got to share more about that "free carwarsh"! I didn't know anything was free from a JLR dealer...
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angelboing (08-02-2021)
#5
08-02-2021, 01:09 PM
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angelboing (08-02-2021)
#6
08-02-2021, 01:54 PM
Pro Wrench
DANG! I got mine from JLR-Austin. What I missed for an extra 30 minute drive...
Reminds me of a Toyota Tundra I bought maybe 15 years ago. I drove up, sight unseen and picked it up. I was in a hurry because I was on my way from Virginia to Maine with my dogs to go hunting. I had to pull the dogs out of their kennel when they test drove it for the trade in. They were way behind and asked if I wanted a final detail or would I take a rain check for a detail later. I just smiled and said, later will work. For the next week if I was lucky, I was driving on a gravel logging road. At worse, I was in marsh & creek crossings that would be fun in the Defender. I came back after a week chasing birds with two dogs and basically living in it. I dropped it off for my "free detail". Later that afternoon, I get a call. "Mr. McLemore, we've spent six hours and we just finished the inside". I could hear them sweat. Me: "Great, I look forward to seeing how the outside goes!" I think they were hoping I would be content with them finishing there.
Now I'm thinking I REALLY should have bought it in N. Austin....
Reminds me of a Toyota Tundra I bought maybe 15 years ago. I drove up, sight unseen and picked it up. I was in a hurry because I was on my way from Virginia to Maine with my dogs to go hunting. I had to pull the dogs out of their kennel when they test drove it for the trade in. They were way behind and asked if I wanted a final detail or would I take a rain check for a detail later. I just smiled and said, later will work. For the next week if I was lucky, I was driving on a gravel logging road. At worse, I was in marsh & creek crossings that would be fun in the Defender. I came back after a week chasing birds with two dogs and basically living in it. I dropped it off for my "free detail". Later that afternoon, I get a call. "Mr. McLemore, we've spent six hours and we just finished the inside". I could hear them sweat. Me: "Great, I look forward to seeing how the outside goes!" I think they were hoping I would be content with them finishing there.
Now I'm thinking I REALLY should have bought it in N. Austin....
#7
08-02-2021, 02:00 PM
Great write up!
I just got back from a 1k mile road trip in my new 2022 Defender i took delivery on last week.
My feedback and experience is very similar to yours. I did see the apple carplay glitch once as well. The lights were off on the USB ports in the front, looked like power wasn't going down there.- but this was resolved after a reboot of pivi pro.
I just got back from a 1k mile road trip in my new 2022 Defender i took delivery on last week.
My feedback and experience is very similar to yours. I did see the apple carplay glitch once as well. The lights were off on the USB ports in the front, looked like power wasn't going down there.- but this was resolved after a reboot of pivi pro.
#8
08-02-2021, 03:13 PM
Rock Crawling
Great write up! To address just one point, those CarPlay glitches seem to happen on a lot of cars. My BMW for example had both wired and wireless CarPlay, and it would occasionally exhibit the same behavior as described in the OP. It worked great almost all of the time, but every now and then it just won't connect. So it's not just Land Rovers where you'll see those wrinkles.
#9
08-02-2021, 03:22 PM
Rock Crawling
#10
08-02-2021, 04:45 PM
The main benefit for us with the six is for towing. It tows effortlessly at any speed, though mileage will suffer. You have a great set of options otherwise, except for the fridge, which is possibly the best thing since cheez wiz, and adaptive cruise control which I don’t think I could ever do without now that I’ve had it on three cars.
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drcoop (08-15-2021)