DIESEL D

LAND ROVER HAS DROPPED THE FIRST OF THE NEW SIX-CYLINDER DIESEL-POWERED DEFENDERS ON US, WITH THE D250 110.

- MATT RAUDONIKIS

ALMOST a year after the first shipment of 2021 model Land Rover Defenders lobbed on Australian shores, the 2022 models have arrived and with them the introduction of the six-cylinder diesel ‘Ingenium’ engines. There was a very small batch of four-cylinder diesels among those 2021 Defenders, but they were all pre-sold and most of the 2021 vehicles were powered by the petrol P400 six-cylinder drivetrain.

Australia is primarily a diesel market when it comes to large 4x4 vehicles, so many potential Defender buyers were keenly awaiting the arrival of the new engine which has landed in two states of tune: D250 and D300 variants.

Our first taste comes with the D250, fitted here to a Defender 110 S along with a few options that are also new to the 2022 specification. The base price for the car is $91,000, but start adding things like the height-adjustable air suspension ($1309), Off-Road Capability pack ($2210), rear diff lock ($806); heated front seats ($806), white painted roof ($2171); and metallic blue paint ($2060) among others, and the price of this particular car climbs to $111,860 plus ORC.

POWERTRAIN & PERFORMANCE

THE new Ingenium diesel is a 3.0-litre in-line six with twin turbochargers set up in a sequential system. In this D250 trim it makes a healthy 183kW and 570Nm. Step up to the D300 engine, which is only available in SE spec and above, and you’re getting 220kW and 650Nm from the same hardware.