TLDR: Went ahead and ordered the 130 yesterday, thoughts? Picture of my build below and equipment at the very bottom...




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So I was toying with the idea of ordering a Land Rover for the past few weeks. Have a pretty good knowledge on cars, market, etc., and sold quite a few in the last couple of years as well as built one. As far as Land Rover goes, sold my '22 Defender 90 S back in March and wanted back into the brand after realizing it was the best car I've ever had. That was a lot vehicle I managed to pick up on July 5th, 2021 at Land Rover Buffalo. It was MSRP but the lease deal was amazing residual and money factor wise. Anyways, I was debating getting back into a new 90 V8 and then the new gen Full-Size Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. Then on Thursday, I realized that the 130 was all new and just unveiled on May 31st. So did the Build and Price probably a hundred times.

Called up my 3 local dealers, LR Montrose Westside, LR Solon, and LR Akron. Montrose Westside left me with a bad taste in my mouth because they aren't MSRP unless ordering (which I would be but still, and with a $1000 refundable security deposit); and some of the sales people there are just beyond rude. LR Solon on the other hand, the dealer closest to where I live and where I got my sold 90 serviced, was meh, even though they are an MSRP dealer. The people there don't like greeting customers even if there's no one there, and the security deposit for the build was $5,000. Salesperson said that it's for commitment reasons and dealer policy; which didn't make any sense because legally in the state of Ohio it has to be refundable so if I could change my mind anyways with no recourse, why should I put more money down (I can think of a few reasons why, lol). She did tell me she could drop it down to $2,500 though (yeah no, I'm good). Lastly, was Land Rover Akron. I must say, by far the best dealer in the NE Ohio region, as well as being an MSRP dealer; and being in a "protected zone" zipcode according to land rover, left me with no other choice. So I went there yesterday, actually my third time visiting in a year. The people there are friendly, not pushy, provided a lot of nice snacks, and worked with me on my build even though I couldn't make up my mind on equipment, but ultimately let me make the decisions. Store itself is also brand new and it's just well-kept with a nice lot, and even a nice modern bathroom (judge a place by it's cleanliness sort of thing). Their deposit was also $2,500 but said they could do $1,000 no problem. Sales guy said there were 2 others who put down a deposit for a 130 but didn't actually build one. So that makes me first in line as soon as an allocation pops up. For reference as of Thursday, there were 0 people who were waiting for a 130 at Montrose and about 7 or so at Solon (0 allocations at either so far since it's so new, although the RR Sport has allocations filled already and that was unveiled only a few weeks earlier, so fingers crossed on the 130 right?)

So yeah I submitted my order yesterday (July 1st) as a 2023.5 Model Year, and it's now in the order pool awaiting allocation. I can obviously change the order whenever I want, so long as it's before the last amendment date, which I'm assuming is 1-3 months after allocation is picked up for the build, and in general I'll be looking at 3-9 months from yesterday to take delivery of it. So, I would like to know your thoughts on some of the equipment that I'm considering changing and I'll list everything below in a numbered format; if you have a suggestion or criticism, please, by all means, let me know. Thanks guys!

First off, a note about the accessories. The a la carte option to buy things like the Activity Key, Sill Plates, Load Bars, Expedition Roof Rack, Ladder, Dashcam, Partition, Hood Decal, Air Compressor, Premium Storage, Pet Loading Ramps, and Raised Air Intake (stuff I might be interested in), are no longer available directly from a build. I noticed it on the website, and confirmed with my salesperson; they need to be bought from parts separately now, which stinks but it's whatever. Just know I'd be interested in a few of those things possibly when the 130 is close to coming in. Ok now to the rambling about equipment questions/opinions/decisions.

1. Trim/Model and Engine + Wheels: While I like the idea of the First Edition including so much and actually being cheaper overall than what I built, not a fan of the lack of the color palette (although the extended bright pack with the silverish trim [such as that of the old XS] is cool on some colors, I decided against it). So I was left with two trims I knew I was going for. The base S model and the SE model. The largest difference is of course the engine option (which may affect resale value, but I plan on actually keeping this for a little while and my decisions aren't entirely based on that, knowing that even my unpopular 90 sold very well). For the S, you get a P300 (much like my 90 S), however while the HP is the same, it's not the same engine. It's the P400 essentially but detuned to be the same HP as the 4 Cylinder and without the MHEV system (supposedly). The SE on the other hand gets the traditional P400 we all know with about 100 more HP and the MHEV system. However, fuel economy is the same, (Pulling a 2nd Gen Genesis G90 or Third Gen Toyota Tundra where the hybrid tech is for power and not efficiency sort of thing). Also, the SE gets the better Meridian Surround Sound System w/ 700 W vs the 400 W standard Meridian Sound System which I had on my 90 and would like to upgrade as it was ok but not great. Plus you can't get the full climate seats on the 2nd row for the S, like you can the SE. Buttttttttt, the S you can get the 20 inch gloss black wheels I like, the 6011 style, and can't get them on the SE. I like the 19 inch Gloss Black's you can get on either trim but already had them on my 90, and wanted something new. I also really like the 20 inch Satin Dark Grey 5094's but can only get them on the X-Dynamic, and don't like the two tone seats on it. Regardless for wheels, went with the 22 inch Gloss Black 5098's. The spare wheel cover isn't standard on the S as well (can option it) but is standard on the SE. I'm not entirely sold on the cover yet, but saw it in person yesterday and it's nice.

2. Signature Graphic + Exterior Color : Yeah it's standard on the 130 and not removable as an option. I like it without it, like on my 90, but I also don't mind it, unlike a lot of people here. Question is, I'm going Santorini Black with the White Contrast Roof (whole reason I narrowed down to S or SE models only). I love the look and only ever seen new ones spec-ed that way on the inventory site for dealers in Orlando or Boston. It's an awesome look. Soooo, because of that, while having a black exterior, which is the metallic santorini, you can still for some reason option to change the signature graphic to gloss black (meaning the narvik black), which blends in better to supposedly match the tint of the rear glass, but...it's not metallic, which I kinda like the idea of. I dunno, thoughts? I currently have the gloss black option on the build, which is $200, but its free if ya do the same color as the exterior. As far as packs, yes I like the extended bright pack on the colors it's available for but went with the standard bright pack because I wasn't a fan of the flat black plastic look on my 90's lower body trim. Plus I love the Ceres Silver. My 90 had the standard black pack and don't want it again, and extended black pack isn't available on S or SE.

3. Interior Color: This is easier because my decision is based on two options. I absolutely love the Light Oyster white look. It is so beautiful, and I keep my cars spotless. I also love the new natural light oak veneer, it looks so good and is my fav wood option. However, you have to get the white to get it and vice versa. Issue is, the person who is going to be purchasing the car with me, despises the white interior, and really likes the Vintage Tan. So I picked that for now but wanted to know everyone's thoughts. The Vintage Tan is an orangey brown and it's growing on me, reminded me of my fav brand, Hermès and their logo, but I dunno. I really like the Walnut wood too but not as much as the natural light oak. Also, if it's gonna be tan, I'm def doing the black headliner but if I went white I'm not sure.

4. Number of Seats: I prefer the 8 seats over the 5 you can option for free, as it's just a cool platform even if not using them all, plus the seats fold down (some photos show completely flat, others show a hump so hmmmm, but don't care I'm keeping 8).

5. Instrument Cluster/Gauges: So for the last decision I was curious about was regarding the cluster. I know the whole parts shortage thing where people would order the full interactive digital screen and then be forced with the analog. I had the interactive full digital on my 90 and loved it, specifically because of the full map mode with integrated satellite function. However, the analog gauges don't look half bad, kinda unique; although something dumb like that might affect resale value down the road as well. What do you guys think? Side note, the 11.4 inch infotainment which is an LG sourced screen is super nice and glad it's standard. Had the 10 inch on my 90.

Thanks for reading the rambling guys, I appreciate it!

 

Royalist: Welcome back to the fold!
I bought my P300 110 S, Tasmin Blue, white contrast roof, khaki, & steelies, through Land Rover Solon and my experience with them was good. Picked it up two weeks ago. Yes, I had to lay down $5K to order, but I didn't mind that so much as I figured it let them know that I was serious about the purchase and I thought it gave me a leg up when the allocations were made. I suppose my truck is relatively down market from their typical order, but I did add things like ACC, tow, and the off road package. I also "splurged" on the center console fridge and the oak trim. All-in-all I came away very happy and at 600 miles I am driving around every day with a big smile on my face. As you note they sell at MRSP and did not try to pressure me on options or "paint protection" and the usual dealer scams. Also, they are relatively close to me compared to those other dealers. We shall see how they do over my ownership.

Funny story: I had a 2 door Bronco on order since January, 2021 and it finally came to Preston Ford in the same week as my Landy. I wanted to buy it and sell it to my son-in-law but they wanted me to sign a no-flip agreement that killed that idea. If you see a 2 door Eruption Green Bronco driving hereabout by a nice young woman, that was my truck. I did get to drive the Bronco and there is simply no comparison to the Defender as a daily driver.

My truck has the "small" screen, the analog gauges, and no Clear sight. Not having used the larger screen I guess I don't miss it; the small one is doing the job and I feel my attention should be on the road, not looking at that thing. I really like the gauges, but then I am old school. I only wish the temp and fuel gauges, now located at the top, were a bit larger or even as separate units. The thing I always loved about old British cars was the plethora of gauges. The gawd-awful instrument cluster was another black mark against the Bronco. I don't miss the Clearsight either. The Defender that I test drove had it and my reaction to it was meh. I do fine with the three real mirrors.
Hope to see you on the roads of Geauga County!
Andy

 

Hey I know I’ll see you! If you ever seen a Turbo Blue ‘22 Audi A5 coupe recently, that’s me lol. And yeah my Lightning reservation is through Preston. Really don’t even want it, was just going to flip it after a year. And I love the clear sight, have it on my mother’s ram and my old ram. It’s amazing and one of my favorite features. Believe it’s standard on the 130. I got used to it real quick.

 

Nice. Wish they'd kept the alpine windows on the 130 (especially with your white roof, looks super cool on the shorter models).

Is the pano glass roof larger / longer on the 130 than the 110?

 

I believe it is larger, you get the pano roof that opens and a second fixed roof for the third row. Whole roof is glass though from the outside for the most part.

 

Taken from a FB group post from Nick P. Info suggests both are MHEV. Curious if software de-tune, or maybe non turbo.

 

Exactly! It’s so confusing cuz some of the press releases say it is but on the build and price and official site it says it’s not mhev. My assumption is it’s detuned but whether that means no turbo/supercharger or no mhev, I don’t know.

 

@Drednot Hey I’m 99% sure I just saw you and your ride on center street past Huntington bank and Dunkin’. It looks awesome, and super clean.

 

Yep, that was me. Thanks!

 

Yeah we gotta compare defenders when mine comes in, shame I got rid of that 90.