Yup, I ordered them from LR Palm Beach (had them in stock) and installed them myself. Simple install if you take your time.

 

I'm going to address this since there seems to be a great deal of interest. The decision to not offer a roof rack has absolutely NOTHING to do with design or marketing. Marketing is shouting at the top of their lungs right now for a roof rack. Some retailers are shouting for a roof rack. This whole situation has been argued at the board level with the CEO himself. The organisation as a whole wants a roof rack. It's purely for engineering reasons that the rack is not available.

There are dynamic certification tests that must be cleared before we allow someone to strap over 100 kilos to the roof. The V8 is VERY heavy and it has imposed limitations because of the weigh increase combined with heightened handling limits.

It would be very costly to make the roof rack work at the moment, so its all a big mess. The choice was don't offer the V8, or offer the V8 without the roof capability. We assumed it's easier for everyone to find a way to put their own roof rack on than install their own V8. The fact that the V8 is even allowed in the Defender is a triumph itself given the resistance to fuel guzzling vehicles in the world right now and the low volumes.

Keep telling the retailers (sales managers, owners, etc) you want one offered. Keep emailing executives and tell them you would have purchased a V8 if they had offered the rack. Eventually we'll give a green light to engineering to address the problem at great cost if enough people create enough noise.

 

Dear Insider:

Thank you for your note. Here is what I wrote back in May of 2021:

"Paying the piper for the V8 in (reduced) payload (lbs).:
90 V8 -- 1210 90 P400 -- 1650 90 P300 -- 1760
110 V8 - 1365 110 P400 - 1760 110 P300 --1870 "

That V8 engine and transmission are not light !! There is insufficient useable payload to carry fuel, 7 passengers and the roof load. Note to Insider -- the Gwagon suffers the same penalty (poor payload)
I will stay with my 110 P300 load. It is 505 lbs. (37%) greater payload than the V8 ! "

-----------------------

Note to Insider -- I was happily shocked when I first saw that the tow ratings for all vehicles are essentially the same. Wonderful to see the horse trailer weight test applies to the entire family. I have used my P300 110 to tow >6000 lbs. Darn if it doesn't get the job done (excepting on a high-speed interstate) with more rolling stability than my V8 powered LR4 !!

I am not a terribly trendy nor socially astute American. So, I just don't understand why JLR is offering a V8 in the 110 and 90 (maybe it makes more sense in the 130? - or not) ---- other than the fact the MB offers a V8 in their Gwagon.

Your non-V8 Defender out specs and out performs the GWagon in every category except for 4WD system simplicity and brand model recognition.

Very confusing .... Or Not.

Enjoy !!

 

Having owned and driven both, you simply have to drive the V8 to understand why it works so well in the Defender. Throttle response, crispness, slow-rolling composure.. Sure, it's expensive and heavy, but for me it's the only drivetrain that should be in the car.

 

I will officially declare that I'm bipolar when it comes to the V8. Love the raw emotional vision of me in a V8 Defender. However, I'm really not seeing anything in the metrics that appeal to me (and many that are unappealing). At the end of the day, all of our purchasing decisions are largely driven from emotional parts of the brain. In the US where gas is (comparatively) crazy cheaper, there's a larger base that lets their desire overcome their logic. I've got to tell you, I've been HUGELY impressed with my P400. Nothing I've thrown at it that it can't do. Drive, accelerate, tow, trails. What absolutely amazes me, is that after riding in other Defenders, trailing with other Defenders, talking & posting with other Defender owners - my next one is not going to be a V8 but will very likely be a P300 and I'd be happy with a Diesel. I think across the board the Defender has been well designed & engineered to meet our needs that the emotions are driving the higher engines not actual needs.

If you own a V8, I'm hugely jealous. If you're buying a V8, I think I should have waited longer. If you don't have a V8, welcome to my world and I LOVE it.

Told you I was bipolar on the topic. Or is that a different disorder? I own a Land Rover, so I'm sure I have a few.

 

LOL, not if you’re averaging 17mpg in a P400.

 

I'll start by saying, the Defender is the best JLR product I've ever owned and one of my favorite vehicles ever. But -- I am not sure which is the bigger whiff by LR on the Defender:

1) no roof rack on the v8
2) the absolutely ridiculous useless nonsensical bar that goes across the cargo floor of the 90

These are both ... terrible terrible terrible terrible terrible product decisions. These problems needed to be solved before the variants were brought to market and they were not. Simple as that.

 

I disagree. Roof options are there if you want them, so what's the issue? On the seats, it was obviously a compromise between backseat seating position and cargo fold. Reality is if you're buying a defender 90 to haul anything that requires a flat floor you've probably made the wrong decision. I'd much rather have a compromise on that vs having kids, friends, etc be uncomfortable.

 

No roof rack factory fit - but possible afterwards. Not an issue!

 

I'll throw in my 2 cents regarding payload...I work in the printing industry and deliver rush jobs to clients. I just had 1800 pounds of boxes in my P400 110 and I barely noticed the difference. A bit slower acceleration from a stop but amazing handling with all that weight onboard. Having the rear wheels placed far back under the cargo area helps. But this is one strong chassis and suspension system. When I put this much weight in our old LR4 it handled like an elephant on stilts. Hard to imagine you can't have a V8 and carry a couple hundreds pounds on the roof given the strength of this Defender.