Hello,

First time poster, I don't own a Defender, I have owned Jeep Wranglers for almost 7 years now. I do mild off roading especially in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, I am a forum member at Wranglerforums.
I have always liked Defenders, luckily my son is placing an order for a 2023 Defender S.
He is dead set on Pangea Green, which I approve but he is a little bit torn on what color of leather interior: I have suggested the Khaki leather but he thinks it will be "too much" green with the Pangea. He wants to go the ebony (black) leather, but I think Khaki on Pangea will look amazing.
Not trying to convince my son, just want to make sure he makes an informed decision. Problem is that there is hardly any inventory around here that he could see/compare for himself.
Can you fellow members post some nice pictures of khahi leather next to the Pangea, say from the door inside panels? Same for ebony?
Also, anybody have regrets interior color ebony over Khaki on Pangea?

He is trying to control costs on the options:
Pangea green $710
panoramic sunroof $1800
Air suspension $1600
Cold weather package (We live in Michigan)
premium LED and fog lights $600
Basic tow hitch (are there better aftermarket hitches with wiring for less than $700?)
I am suggesting the off road tires for $350
I also suggested him the advanced off-road capability pack ($750), but is it worth it? He will be doing mild off roading, primarly driving to hiking trailheads, which some can get pretty gnarly out west in Colorado.

Would you guys agree with the above? Anything we might be missing of great value?

Very happy for my son and for and for myself that I will be "occasionally" driving my son's Defender!

Thanks in advance.

One more question/request: Is there a way to get a small discount/allowance? The dealer here will order at MSRP, won't hit us with ADM but doesn't seem to want to discount either...

....Picture of my jeep below:

 

1. Don't trust any khaki pictures anyone posts on here. For some weird reason, it's kinda like Pangea Green. Depending on the light, it always looks different. I would try to see one live even if you have to hook up on Tinder and just write "Wanted: Someone with a Khaki Defender". Possibly use your son's picture<g>.
2. If you are going with a roof rack, save the money on the panorama roof. I got one with my trim level and would NOT pay for it again. I have a roof rack and basically it is unusable because I can't see anything. Yes, I can open it for the breeze, but that's of little to no value. Also, it is almost impossible to clean with the rack in place so it is just a crazy mud ball now when I retract the shade.
3. Air Suspension is going to start another Religious conversation. If you want it, GET the off-road and tow packs. Those are the better investments. The former ensures the e-Diff and both will get you better resale. Also they are VERY expensive (and "almost" impossible for the e-diff) to have added afterwards. If you add it afterwards, it's not like my Chevy where I just bolted it to the frame and plugged in a harness. You have to do almost open heart surgery thru a LOT of trim, undershielding, etc. If you hired it out, it would be cheaper to add it now. And you get all the electronics.
4. More important than the off-road tires are the wheels. Do NOT get the 19" or your options in the aftermarket will be slim. I would recommend a pass. While only $350 the off-road are only mildly better (imho), talk to the Dealer about the Duratracs (it's like a restaurant "off-menu" item). If they won't or it costs too much, get your favorite tire AFTER you pick it up and sell the old ones.
5. I live in Texas, cold weather was a pass<g>. You may want it in Michigan.
6. I like the premium lights but to me they are both too bright in low beam and too dim in high beam. I wouldn't get them because I've added lights for off-roading and the need. Also I never use fog lights. Those who do, however, are really peeved and there are lots of threads on this forum about the efforts to make that happen. If you like fog lights, get them now.

For your Q's, I hit most of them above. The one thing to note is to be VERY cautious of any option (rack, ladders, undershield) that say "Costs will be added by dealer". That means that they will run it thru their service department at full rates. You will get gouged here. If you are handy, most you can do yourself. If you are in a populated area, you'll find a 3rd party Land Rover service department that will do it MUCH cheaper than the Dealer. If none of those apply, get the costs from the Dealer BEFORE ordering.

I haven't heard of anyone getting a discount in over two years. If you can get it at MSRP, consider yourself at a huge win.

Good luck and you'll (or he'll) love it.

 

Thank you GrouseK9 for all these helpful replies!

1.- Haha, really made my laugh! I don't think his girlfriend would appreciate that!

I'll review them with my son.

Yes, I have told him to "downgrade" to the 18" wheels, for better offroading.

Yes, I did notice that a lot of the accesories are "plus installation"..

What interior color is yours?

 

@new to landrover - That interior is Khaki. Others may post pics (or you can "Advance Search" for them) and they will all look a little different. I got the hibachi (habuki) silver and it went well. I think the khaki will go great with anything. I didn't want the darker interior because where I live, every little bit to keep the interior from being a furnace in the summer is a Plus.

 

Obligatory note to ensure he specs out either the 18" or 20" wheels, tire options down the line on 19" are not great.
Realistically you're probably fine without the advanced off-road pack but I optioned it in myself so that I'd never look back and wish I got it.

I don't have a Pangea Defender (Fuji White) but I will say that the khaki interior is beautiful. Without cooled seats I would expect a non-ebony color to be cooler after a long day hiking in the Colorado sun (part of my logic for choosing khaki over my initial choice of ebony).

 

20” BFGs KO2 (275x60x20) with 1.5” Johnson Rods



Raised height (air suspension)

 

Wow! those 20" with the BFG's look awesome!
And thanks for the khaki on pangea picture! Feel free to post more pictures under different light and other views!

 

I went with ebony interior with my pangea green Defender (and even optioned the ebony headliner). It was less of a matchy-matchy concern and more because I really don't like the lighter colors and the risk (at least in other brands) of colors staining the material. I'll need to get out and grab an interior photo for you later today.

I didn't get the cold weather package because despite it being cold here (and me visiting Ohio with some frequency), I didn't want to deal with the windshield being even more pricey and hard to get (I seem to attract windshield cracks to all vehicles I've ever owned), so the only thing it would have provided that I wanted was the heated steering wheel, and the optioned heated/cooled seats are a good enough offset.

 

1. When it comes to color/hue, you can’t rely on a still photographic image because the color/hue might not be accurate due to various factors when the shot was taken (e.g. lighting condition, setting of the camera and etc). Hence, film/tv productions go through a color-timing process to ensure/adjust proper color/hue of the final images. A better gauge is to watch a video that’s taken from a wide or medium perspective so you can tell if the surrounding looks “correct” with reference to the subject that you are examining. (E.g. the sky, the road, the skin tone of the person, the Pangea exterior color of the vehicle compared to the seat upholstery color).

2. Get the off-road pack which comes with the rear electronic differential which not only aids off-road driving but also on-road driving in the form of stability and agility especially in high speed cornering.

3. Air suspension - great road handling and comfort on-road, navigating low ceiling structure, wading, off-roading, easy and convenience ingress and egress and etc.

4. Cold weather package - my d90 was parked outdoor during a freezing overnight and the windscreen was completely covered with ice. Turned on the heated windscreen and all the ice was melted away in a few minutes, no scraping needed. Heated steering wheel and heated seats are great after a full day of skiing.

 

UPDATE: My son picked up a unit at sticker, he will drive this "bridge" Defender until his order shows up! Yesterday he stopped by to show it to us and then we went to the country side to grab lunch, drove by a lot with used Defenders and couldn't pass the opportunity for a photo shoot!