Ask your dealer how many of those e-diff packs they see go out the door. When I was spec'ing mine out last year they said they rarely see anyone buy that package. We don't have a huge offroad community here, so the e-diff isn't popular.
I also went the coil route. I've had a lot of air ride vehicles and it was time to just simplify things and go coils. I don't miss the air. I won't miss the expense before 100k miles when they start needing replacements.
Use your local dealer for advice so you don't build a unicorn that no one wants later. Make sure you put a trailer hitch on it... that's a ridiculous cost and effort if anyone wants to add it. That is the best $700 you'll spend even if you don't ever want to tow anything.

 

I have a 110 S P300 and I optioned both the off-road pack and the advanced-off road pack. the Terrain Response 2 is nice, and it is quick to react when left in auto. ATPC is also a nice feature to have. Since mine is a 2021MY, all 110s came standard with the air suspension. LR air suspension is a lot better than it used to be, but I can't imagine it will be faultless. I had an LR4 for ten years before I got my 110 and I will say the air suspension on that never failed in the 10 years and 95k miles I had it. Another reason to go for the air is that you get the adaptive dampers. They work brilliantly and they're always adjusting, so when you're at speed on a rough gravel road, they wash up the road quite well. I have driven one with coils and the ride quality, while good, isn't on the level of the air.

 

My area is mostly upscale buyers looking for a Range Rover. In my interactions with dealers, they push loaded D110 X P400's with 22" wheels and any V8's they can get, always and only in white, various grays or black. If you ask about a mere S model or a weird color like, you know, blue, or a dirt-bag option like steel wheels, you get a sour look and they just go back to pushing whatever is on the lot.

I know there must be genuinely-knowledgeable enthusiasts amongst them, but I haven't hooked up with one yet. Anyway, if I based my decisions on what buyers in my area want, I'd never get a Defender in the first place, I'd get a G-wagon. But I'm not very concerned about resale ease or value as I mostly expect to keep it a while.

Anyway, based on all your feedback and some more thought, here's my current idea:

* D90 with P300.
* Blue with white top and headliner, extended leather in black.
* Springs not air. I've been happy with them in the past, and fewer worries.
* Steel wheels with the stock AT's. I'll replace them with something better down the line.
* ClearSight camera.
* I'm leaning towards the rear differential ("off road pack") - still debating.
* The stand-alone tow receiver option.

The last two I'm mostly considering only because they are impossible or expensive to add later.

A person above mentioned a front skid plate and the lack of front recovery eyes. These are not on the configurator, so if available these look to be dealer add-ons, and I'd likely do without or look elsewhere.

A question about the "off road pack" without the "advanced off road pack": Do you have the ability to manually lock them, or are they just computer-controlled? Maybe the computers are smarter than I am, but I'd like to know they are locked.

Thanks again for all the commentary and advice.

 

Just saw Cincy's post that snuck in while I was typing. Yes, actually, any amount of smoothing out those miserable wash-board roads would be very nice indeed! My old D90 hated them! The Disco-II (springs) tolerated them a little better. The new D90 has about the same wheelbase as the old Disco, so maybe it would be a little better.

 

Yes, the adaptive dampers are 100% worth getting the air suspension. Don't get me wrong, the adaptive dampers don't make it feel like its on tarmac, but it is significantly better than any SUV/4x4 I've experienced.

 

Oh, I forgot the Clearsight camera. I don't like LCD screens instead of a mirror due to the need to refocus my eyes so much. But it's quite crisp and a useful safety feature, and at least you can turn it off, though it's darker than a normal mirror if you do.

I've noted that some vehicles, like from Volvo, are unnecessarily ditching rear glass altogether now. I think that's a terrible idea, but apparently it's considered an avant-guard styling statement. Eye roll!

 

Once you build your S, go in and configure one level up and see what the price difference is and what options it adds. Mine is a P300 23.5 and when I was building a base I dual pathed an S and found that a bunch of options I added were then standard and the price hardly changed. I ended up with an S instead of a base.

At the end of the day you build it for your needs and comfort level and a little for that resale value. I've yet to see one that was so under spec'd that it would cause a problem down the road. You'll like the P300 motor. It's got plenty of grunt.

 

For 2024 D90 there is only P300/S, P400/X-Dynamic SE, and then the V8’s.

 

[QUOTE=ba_;888350]For 2024 D90 there is only P300/S, P400/X-Dynamic SE, and then the V8’s.[/QUOTE

ahh... .thanks for the clarification. I haven't dug into the 90 specs in awhile.

 

Right. The X-dynamic is the only P400 option now. Specified the same way as I did for the S, none of the chosen options are included in the X-dynamic, and it comes to about $10,000 more. So that's just for the engine, and you can't order steel wheels or the white roof in the X-dynamic trim.

So now I'm thinking to keep it simple, but to include the tow receiver despite never expecting to tow, based on member's feedback.

* D90 with P300.
* Blue with white top and headliner.
* Extended leather in black.
* Springs not air.
* Steel wheels with the stock AT's.
* ClearSight camera.
* The stand-alone tow receiver option.

Maybe it's equipped and will look more like a mail carrier than a rock crawler, but when I was in college a friend bought an actual mail carrier for $500, and I was secretly quite jealous! Now it's finally my turn - haha!