Hi, there.
I am considering "build" myself a P300 s, 2024.

I do not quite understand what is the fundamental differences between two options:

1. "Off Road Package" , mainly for "Electronic Active Differential with Torque Vectoring by Braking"
2. "Advanced Off Road Package", for "All Terrain Progress Control (ATPC); Terrain Response 2; Configurable Terrain Response"

How significantly different are they, apart from the latter is nearly double the cost?

Anyone care to share your thoughts or, better yet, your experiences on the two options?

Thanks in advance.

 

The active differential is a must have for more challenging trails. I think it the active center differential is sufficient and the optional rear locking differential is not required (though I'm sure a nice to have).

I'm not sure if the Hill Descent Control (HDC) system is available without ATPC. If not, the fee for ATPC is worth it, especially if you expect to encounter low speed ( <20 mph ) descents on slick trails. This feature really helped this weekend navigating snowy WV trails. Unlike one in the party driving a 2014 Toyota 4Runner whose slid off the shelf road and rolled 100 ft down the mountain, I felt completely solid.

While configurable terrain response is a neat idea, I have not run into a situation where one of the existing terrain programs didn't meet the need.

 

Off-road pack gives you the hardware of a locking rear eDiff. I'd add that.
Advanced off-road pack gives you some very handy stuff like ATPC and configurable TR and Auto TR, all software and all of which can be added for $0 with the use of a GAP IID tool. Gen4 is coming soon. I have Gen3 and it can be used to activate the advanced off-road pack among lots of other useful features.

^^Hill Descent Control (HDC) is standard on all. ^^

 

The advanced off road pack is just the added ability to set your own configurable off road mode, auto mode and all terrain progress control. The 1st 2 do not really add any actual off road benefit, but I use ATPC quite a bit off road. Definitely a cool piece of tech. However, as stated above, this can be easily added via activations amongst other options via a gap tool or a few people offering activations for a fee.

The off road pack gives you the torque biasing electronic active differential, all terrain tires (not great ones) and a very small inverter (not sure why this is in an off road pack) . The active differential is an actual hardware / ecu system so it is tangible. It is a variable locking differential using a flat motor, ball ramp and clutches controlled by an externally mounted ECU that is controlled by the traction control system. It uses data and feedback from the traction control system and the user input to determine when and how much to lock the rear differential.

I will be the outlier here in saying that the active differential (off road pack) is not a requirement at all for off road driving including more advanced trails. I have 70k miles on my D90 and have only added a selectable air locker in the rear about 5k miles ago. The factory locking differential is a very complex piece of kit that does wear. We have already replaced a few of these for clunking. Also if you have a reaction control fault, there is no more locking. I have dricen my 90 on some extreme terrain and at no time did i feel like i needed the off road pack. The Torque Bias by Braking system is so good (much better than the LR3 and 4) that there is hardly any delay.

​​​​​i prefer the reliability, longevity and simplicity of the standard differential. Also the left rear axle is almost as long as the right (the active diff has a much shorter axle on the left).

I like having a selectable ARB in mine since i can lock it no matter what the situation (Even with a broken axle) also the ARB is a cross pinned differential, so the unit is much stronger than a factory active diff. I like it for peace of mind and yes, it makes the vehicle a bit more capable. Our air locker comes at a much higher pricepoint installed than the factory unit (if you select it at time of build), but it is a better option. That is why we dont feel the need to say it is a must for off roading. It is definitely not.

We suggest like in the builds we do for clients to get a peoper set of tires as a 1st step, followed by a coil spring lift (air suspension is for another discussion and i catch grief for that also ) and a good winch. If you get a 110, i would also say that a good set of rock sliders is a must. A longer set of rear dampers also helps tremendously ( note that without the factory locker you can safely droop your rear suspension further down since your left axle is not super short). Keeping the wheels on the ground (contact patch) as much as possible is more important for traction than a locker.

This is just my 2 cents and i know you will get an alternative opinion. I have done and a lot of R and D and have pushed the new Defender to its limits. It is an incredible all around vehicle and is great off road. Enjoy picking out what you want and be aware that you will get tons of opinions on this .
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Hi Ralf (Steve from GAP here :-p),
I think you meant "locking" and not "non locking" here:

 

Thank you steve. I have corrected it in the post.

 

Many thanks for all the valuable input from you all.

Do you guys agree, it would be better to order BOTH packages? Any comments?

I feel the dealers would say yes, but would you seasoned off-roader, LR enthusiasts agree?

 

I ordered both when I specced mine out. You can install the advanced off road pack with a GAP tool, but keep in mind the GAP tool costs over $500 to purchase.

 

I wound not get either