Got my 2022 Defender yesterday. Im pleased so far. Cant figure out how to get the drivers side rear seat to fold down but Im sure I'll figure that out, Lol. Coming out of a 2014 X5 Xdrive50i. The defender is a bit heavier and slower than the X5 but no complaints from me. For me, the Defender opens up all sorts of possibilities up in the mountains that my X5 just couldnt reach. If you guys have any questions about the 22 version let me know and I'll do my best to get you an answer.
Lessons learned so far:
1. The Meridian sound system is great but there is an option to enable "meridian" so make sure you dig through the menu to turn it on.
2. Black looks great but, no surprise, picks up dirt and fingerprints like crazy. Doesnt bother me but if dust bothers you then black might not be the best color choice.
3. Didnt get the bigger Nav screen but the standard one is massive IMO. Looks great.
4. Love the seating position in the Defender, Nice upright captain chair style. Very comfortable for me.
5. This thing is huge, but doesnt drive like a boat. Very pleased with the size and drivability. Shoved my sons mountain bike in the back this morning, no problem.
6. The camera rear view mirror is taking some time to adapt to. Cars look so close that it makes me think Im about to get rear ended. Also didnt realize how often I used the rearview to look at myself, feel like a vampire now.
7. I got the 3rd row, but second row is adjustable for leg room and also reclines. My son loves both rows so far.
8. Took me a couple hours to get the garage door opener sorted out. If you have an "overhead phantom" hit me up and I'll give you the how to.
9. Wish I would have had mud flaps installed, saw the powerfuluk video and not sure I will have the patience to do it myself, same with tow hitch and tow hooks.
10. Bought from JLR Colorado Springs. Best buying experience Ive ever had on a vehicle. Great trade value for me and zero hassle on the finance side. No pressure to add extra dealer stuff or any nonsense. Paid exactly what I expected and left thoroughly pleased with the experience.
There are a 100 other little observations but overall very, very pleased with the Defender.
Cheers,

 

Did my own mudflaps last weekend...it's a bit tedious but not difficult to do yourself. Huuuuge visual improvement imo, plus extra highway rock protection.

Wish I had the 3rd row...glad to hear it's usable.

 

Did you just follow along with the powerful UK video for your mudflaps? Looks doable, Im just being lazy.
3rd row seems pretty useful although it is small. Anyone over 13 is probably not gonna be comfortable in there. If I didnt have the third row it would be cool to figure out how to put a pull out shelf in there. Would be awesome for camping and other outdoor stuff.

 

I found their video pretty quickly as I found the LR instructions to be pretty lacking. Call me a prude but pulling off trim and drilling holes in my new car isn't something to be taken lightly. In all seriousness it would be pretty hard to mess up the install, but it will be a little time consuming no matter what.

With the vehicle in off road height, it's not necessary to remove wheels, which was nice. What wasn't nice was having to drive to the dealer to buy 3 dollars of grey clips to replace the broken ones mid project...why they didn't just include them in the kit I'll never understand.

 

It looks like Simon in the video was able to install the front mud-flaps without removing that little piece of lower body trim. Do you think that's possible, now that you've done it? Looks like it could prevent the risk of breaking those clips?

 

1) Did you remove the headrests first? 2) Did you lift the seat portion from the back first? 3) I got nothing else for you.... Here's the iGuide to it. Maybe it will help. Good luck!

 

Yes, he was able to do it but I wasn't comfortable with that method. I found it very easy to line everything up, drill, etc, with the trim off the car. I believe it is faster to remove the trim as well. The only downside is the broken clips, and they are literally 74 cents a piece at your local JLR dealer. Just make sure you get them (you will break the clips...i was very careful and 3/4 broke) when you pick up the mudflaps so you don't have to make a separate trip.

 

I was stuck on step 1. Couldnt find the pull tab to pull the seat out. Found out today that, for whatever reason, if you have the 3rd row then the 2nd row doesnt fold down like the graphic you posted. The Seat portion doesnt move, you just fold down the back and smash it down so it sits flat'ish.

 

OP congrats on your new Defender! Looks great! What version is that? Is it the Defender X or the XS? Im a newbie still researching mine so excuse the stupid question haha.

f/

 

I installed a couple of weeks ago following Simon's unofficial front install instructions. Was the way to go, for sure. Only thing to watch out for is that he shows the metal bracket going in backwards in his video- I had to go back and re-orient that the correct way.

The rears were super easy. No wheel removal..