2023 Land Rover Defender price and features: Two powertrains dropped and pricing up for rugged 4x4's model year update

Land Rover has dropped two engine variants and increased pricing as part of next year’s rollout of the model year 2023 Defender range.

For the five-door 110 range, Land Rover has dropped the entry-level D250 powertrain, leaving just one diesel offering – the D300 – and three petrols, including the P300 and P400 as well as the fire-breathing V8-powered P525.

The D250 is a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-diesel offering up 183kW and 570Nm paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It will remain in the line-up until the changeover of model year in April 2022.

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Changes have also been made to the three-door short-wheelbase Defender 90 range, with the entry D200 diesel engine dropped from the roster. That engine is a detuned version of the D250, delivering 147kW/500Nm.

That means the new entry powertrain for both the Defender 90 and 110 is the P300 2.0-litre 221kW/400Nm turbocharged petrol engine.

The D250, however, does live on in the Defender 90 in just one grade and that is the sole diesel option for the short-wheelbase variants.

Pricing has increased for all variants, with the entry price for a 110 increasing by a touch under $3000 to $79,830 before on-road costs for the Defender P300.

The starting price for the Defender 90 has gone up by just under $4000 to $78,480 for the P300.

Most price increases are between about $3000 and $4500, but the biggest jump is for the flagship P525 V8 which has gone up by $4764 to $210,716 for the 90 and by $4854 to $220,530 for the 110.

That new price is about $15,000 more than the price Land Rover announced for the P525 from its launch earlier this year. 

The Defender 90 P525 V8 has increased in price by about ,000.

Despite the price hike, the performance-focused Defender P525 still undercuts its V8-powered Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S rival which starts at $243,300. But it is now more expensive than the BMW X5 M Competition which starts at $212,900.

The P525 is propelled by a 5.0-litre supercharged V8 pumping out 386kW and 625Nm and it was added to the range at the start of this year. Land Rover upped the price on a number of variants when it added the P525 back in February this year.

As part of the model year 2023 update, all Defenders now come standard with wireless charging, an 11.4-inch multimedia touchscreen, and the activity key wristband that can lock and unlock the vehicle.

Other changes include a contrast roof as standard on the X-Dynamic grades, a change to black (from blue) brake callipers for the V8 P525, some new materials and other new options.

Land Rover Defender sales are up a whopping 444 per cent so far this year, with 1590 finding homes to the end of October. It only trails the Mercedes-Benz GLE, BMW X5 and Lexus RX in the premium large SUV segment.

The Defender is now Land Rover’s top-selling model locally and its sales success has also ensured Land Rover’s overall sales are up by 20 per cent year on year.

2023 Land Rover Defender pricing before on-road costs