Mixed bag for me. I'm 13 months in and have a bronco sport on order now building on aug 29th, anyway, Defender looks great, was fun for a while but let's see, intermittent stalling, continues, dealer said maybe it was the fuel, changed fuel, stalled again this week, now once every week or two at low speeds the stall happens, seat backs loose, dealer noted the issue but couldn't fix it without some sort of bulletin / recall (yet), seat tracks or some sort of seat clicking with each weight transfer (just junk on these seats, sorry folks, I'd spec the very best seats if I had it to do-over, maybe you'll have better luck) electrical gremlins, tail lights (fixed months ago) but now driver's side headlight is out intermittently, just passed inspection 3 weeks ago, wtf... anyway tonight the headlight was back on but now the DRL for it is off, smh. Also the a-pillar flap, yes, from day one but that's probably been the least annoying of the issues, dealer will probably have a reliable fix for that by the time you take delivery.

Have fun. I suppose as long as you have the time to go back and forth to the dealer for service it may be worth it to you, with a velar I take it you may have the time. I honestly won't miss it much. JLR styling and what not is on-point, no doubt about that. I may be back for an F-Pace or an Evoque someday if I ever have more time on my hands.

 

I am now just finishing my first month of ownership and coming up on 1,000 miles on my 23 P300 110S. No problems, no issues, no complaints. Everything is working as it should. It puts a big smile on my face every time I drive it, and like the others I can't keep my eyes off of it. I also had a 2 door Bronco on order since Jan. 2021. It finally got off Dirt Mountain and arrived the same week as the Defender, which I ordered 1 year later this past January. I bought the Defender and passed on the Bronco. There is no comparison as far a being an every day driver. I haven't had it off road yet, but doubtless it will be just as impressive there too. So, no regrets. I am hoping that many of the issues others have had with the earlier models have been worked out. We shall see.

 

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Wow, that's a rough go and I would likely be switching vehicles too if I ran into a lemon like that. However, a Bronco Sport is such an odd choice to move to. If you wanted an off roader then I would imagine you'd be looking at a regular Bronco, Wrangler, G Wagon and if you wanted more luxury, Q8, GLE, etc. I personally don't love the Bronco Sport looks or performance, but hoping you'll be happy with it.

 

Doubt the market is gonna crash anytime soon, and even if it does, it wouldn’t affect the defender.

 

I basically just need a daily driver that's really good in the snow and the badlands edition of the sport should be good enough, I knew when I saw this vid it was plenty capable off-road for me but wanted to try the new Defender more as previous bad luck with Fords in my younger days had me worried. Tbh I'll never do a climb like that with it and I doubt 9 out of 10 Defender owners will either. Off-road isn't even legal in my state so again really for me personally the Defender is just a safe-driving winter storm vehicle, that's all I needed. I'll miss that heated windshield though.

Payment relief at 40k will be much appreciated too, I can't lie about that. The Defender looks amazing and it can tow if needed etc so I hear you, it's in another class vs a Bronco Sport which IMO is a striking looking little 'budget' CUV. A Q8 would be nice but the cost is high for my budget at the moment, I traded the 2018 Q5 for a Defender and Audi was good to me over the years.

Anyway I'm giving Ford another chance, I do hope your luck is better than mine with your Defender. Some people haven't had any issues.

 

In my second year of ownership with my 110 and it’s been great, hasn’t seen the dealer since delivery. I had both my Defender 110 and a 2022 Bronco Wildtrak, I ended up getting well over MSRP offers for both last month and decided the one to sell was the Bronco. The Defender is well worth the premium. It’s a tremendous vehicle.

 

@Finite - Here is my take on regrets or not.
Do I regret getting a Defender ? No.
There isn't another vehicle on the market with the same capabilities as the new Defender. If they are, they have one, and not the other, or has this and not that.
Nobody comes close.
Is it a perfect vehicle [ insert laugh here ] ? No.
Then again, show me a perfect one.
Would I buy it again ? No.
Why ? because of the "boutique" flavor. What does that mean ? Very finicky in a lot of aspects ( electrical especially and in certain ways, mechanical ) but then again, is a very complicated vehicle, and a bit ahead of its time. Not there just yet.
Service, is a hit or miss. If you get a good dealership, you may be ok, but if you are in an area with a bad one, good luck to you.
Parts and over all support from JLR is poor in my opinion.
They will nickel and dime you for every single little item ( e.g. sun glasses support has been removed so TATA can save a few Rupees ). Sad....
Now, compared with Discovery (if you think of it ) I would buy a Defender any day vs. a Discovery. I had more issues with Disco than any other vehicle I owned in such a short time.
Don't get me wrong, the dealer was above and beyond on the Disco to fix it, but built quality is no near Defender. No idea why, they are made in the same factory, but it is my experience.
Over all, I am enjoying the Defender as much as I can, and don't think of the residual value or resale .... just enjoy it, life is short. You must have fun.

 

I've had a '64 Series IIa, a '94 Defender 90, and a '22 Defender 110. They are all flakey in their own way and each & every one has been cursed by the Demon Lucas. Or its progeny. I will not willingly give up my Defender, but I hope I don't live long enough to have to go thru similar problems when the '52 version comes out....

 

My only regret is not getting the built-in compressor. It seemed like so much money at the time, but in the big picture it wouldn't have made a difference. And while a Viair compressor does the same for 1/10 the cost, it's a PITA to have to connect it to the battery terminals to power it.

 

DoctorofRocks - the compressor is a port-installed accessory, so you can still add it!

No regrets from me. '22 P300 S... finally got the A-pillar fixed, and have > 13K miles on it. Everything is great -- I still miss my old Discovery, but overall this is a much better vehicle.