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Compared to a Defender - some general thoughts and concerns.

xcxv

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I was just reading Land Rover has been focusing on quality issues. There is still work to be done, but they've made great strides in just the last year (warranty costs on '21 models dropped by 1/3 compared to the previous year). They also have someone responsible for customer satisfaction who reports directly to their newish CEO, so another good move. I would probably not buy a '20 Defender, but the 22 seems like a safe bet. Anyhow, I've had Ford vehicles all my life - I had multiple Rangers with throwout bearing issues and I had an Escape that needed the entire engine (Ecoboost) replaced under warranty, so some of it either comes down to luck or just being happy enough with the vehicle that you can accept flaws (my past Ford issues were not keeping me away from the Bronco, for example).

As far as style, one of the best things about the Defender is nobody is forced to buy it if they don't like it.
Hey DryYourTears dog šŸ¶, which dealer are you working with? LRChantilly?
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wrbix

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As far as style, one of the best things about the Defender is nobody is forced to buy it if they don't like it.
ā€¦.but we old-style Defender owners are offended, I say, offended!šŸ„“
 

PrepVet

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I didnā€™t read all the posts as I could see where this was going in the first few.


I too specā€™ed out a new Defender a while back but couldnā€™t justify the $80g+ build for it the way I would have gone. I like them well enough but the new family face of the Range Rovers is not the greatest to look at.
 

PDiddy

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The second or third year of the defender may be a nice purchase. It is a good looking suv and the tow specs are nice. It doesnā€™t quite have the cool factor of the Bronco.

My Gladiator road noise is not great, but I guess you just get used to it. Maybe if I drove something quieter for a while I wouldnā€™t want to go back. But I had a 4runner with big tires and a roof rack before the gladiator. It was load too on the freeway too. So I think I have lower standards.

I think FCA is by far the best, when it comes to interiors, in comparison to Ford, Chevy, gmc, and Toyota. The defender is on another level, of course. All the plastic on the bronco reminds of an FJ, which isnā€™t a great thing. But itā€™s utilitarian and Iā€™m sure it will hold up well. The styling of the bronco interior is super nice. The seats look comfortable too. Looking forward to sitting in our MGV seats.
 

DryYourTears

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Hey DryYourTears dog šŸ¶, which dealer are you working with? LRChantilly?
So, I test drove one in Tysons (which I believe is the same dealer?), and while I liked the guy I dealt with, when I got to order time I didn't get an email reply from him... maybe he moved on? In any case, I had been contacting dealers all over trying to find dealer stock, and calling Bethesda and others was not great, so I went with a dealer outside the area. They were the first that would do MSRP + legit tax (and only $50 for doc fees). No deposit.

I bias towards no-BS because I have no time or patience for haggling games (my Bronco was ordered from my original / only Ford dealer, 7 hours away, for the same reason, and also, Koons Ford is hot garbage).
 

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Had a chance to drive the Defender 110 last night.

I was extremely impressed with how it drove. Iā€˜m seriously considering ordering one instead of the Bronco. I think itā€™s a lot more livable vehicle for day to day with lots of capability for the 20 days a year I need it.
 

xcxv

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I went to LR yesterday. It's pretty nice even for a base 90 model. super heavy doors. too bad they raised prices by $2000 for 2022. Base is now $50000 and goes up to $100000.
 

DryYourTears

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Well, something is finally happening for me:

Bronco - Reserved morning of 7/14/20. A year later, no build date, no hope of one.

Defender - Ordered 6/17/21. Emailed the dealer today, and it's built!! šŸ„³šŸ„³

Honestly, I emailed the guy this morning for an update and I even said I expected it had been delayed due to the chip shortage (original build date was going to be 7/16, but I saw earlier this month there was a shutdown due to chips), but he got right back to me and told me it was in the build market waiting to ship. My original delivery date was early September but it might even make it in August at this point. After waiting over a year for a new vehicle, I'm glad I put in the Defender order - super excited to get it, and already have plans for accessories and mods.

Who knows, I might get back to a Bronco after issues are sorted and maybe once they have a hybrid option or something, but for now I'm getting my very first non-Ford. Bronco order is a "99" so I can hold that for a bit, too.
 

mcdoogs

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Well, something is finally happening for me:

Bronco - Reserved morning of 7/14/20. A year later, no build date, no hope of one.

Defender - Ordered 6/17/21. Emailed the dealer today, and it's built!! šŸ„³šŸ„³

Honestly, I emailed the guy this morning for an update and I even said I expected it had been delayed due to the chip shortage (original build date was going to be 7/16, but I saw earlier this month there was a shutdown due to chips), but he got right back to me and told me it was in the build market waiting to ship. My original delivery date was early September but it might even make it in August at this point. After waiting over a year for a new vehicle, I'm glad I put in the Defender order - super excited to get it, and already have plans for accessories and mods.

Who knows, I might get back to a Bronco after issues are sorted and maybe once they have a hybrid option or something, but for now I'm getting my very first non-Ford. Bronco order is a "99" so I can hold that for a bit, too.
Dang that is awesome! Darn it, I should have ordered my Defender way earlier, I waited too long and now Iā€™m stuck behind the factory shut downs lol
 
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Well, something is finally happening for me:

Bronco - Reserved morning of 7/14/20. A year later, no build date, no hope of one.

Defender - Ordered 6/17/21. Emailed the dealer today, and it's built!! šŸ„³šŸ„³

Honestly, I emailed the guy this morning for an update and I even said I expected it had been delayed due to the chip shortage (original build date was going to be 7/16, but I saw earlier this month there was a shutdown due to chips), but he got right back to me and told me it was in the build market waiting to ship. My original delivery date was early September but it might even make it in August at this point. After waiting over a year for a new vehicle, I'm glad I put in the Defender order - super excited to get it, and already have plans for accessories and mods.

Who knows, I might get back to a Bronco after issues are sorted and maybe once they have a hybrid option or something, but for now I'm getting my very first non-Ford. Bronco order is a "99" so I can hold that for a bit, too.
Congratulations! I placed my order last week. Looks like I am in for an extended wait on mine.

Hope you enjoy it when it arrives!
 

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gmichael

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I was regretting liking the Defender because I doubt I could justify getting the one I would want (better engine, leather, moonroof, sound system, and the advanced four-wheel-drive stuff) and my builds always landed in the 70K range. I really love the Panega Green with a white roof but
I did the Bronco Off Rodeo and loved the Bronco but with no date in sight I decided to just go drive the Defender because after hearing and reading the decibel level is pretty close in Bronco and Jeep and the hardtop is squeaky I just wanted to see the difference. I love the look of Defender and they had just gotten 4 at our local dealer a day or two before. They already sold the other 3 when I got there and I got there the perfect time to drive as they just pulled it around from the dealer prep to put out for sale.


I just love the interior and features. Just such a smooth vehicle on the highway which is where I will be most of the time. It was 73K and the Badlands I ordered was 61K so to me and how I would really use it was a no-brainer. Anyway, long story short I bought it on the spot and the other salespeople were telling me how lucky I was to just show up there and buy one. They had people on the list :). Either way, I was buying a 72MOS 100K warranty as I do not trust the completely first model year of a vehicle (which is another thing I like about getting a 2022 Defender being the 3rd model year).

You will have to decide for yourself and I have not canceled my Bronco order I will decide what I want to do when it gets here but right now I don't see me keep the Bronco when I finally get it.

I am attaching a pic of my Defender behind a Bronco someone had parked at our local Mayton.

IMG_9952.jpg
 

gmichael

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I've recently come to the realization that the bronco I want is around the same cost as a defender, exactly as you mentioned here. I can't get past the fact that the defender feels like you are getting way more car for the money, and only compromising slightly on offroad ability. I test drove the P400 the other day, drives like a range rover with a higher driving position, it's amazing on road. I'm coming from an FJ, so the bronco would also feel like an improvement, but it won't get close to the defender on road. For my use case thats 95% of where it'll be driving.

Valid points on reliability, extended warranty is always an option. I plan on waiting a year or two and seeing how bad it is. You can extend the warranty all the way out to 10 years 200k km for around 7k CAD, they wouldn't offer that if they are really THAT bad. Depreciation also might not be as bad as you'd think, both the bronco and defender are iconic brand new models. Ultimately I think reliability will be the biggest factor in which depreciates faster. The defender is definitely more of a gamble, but even if you need the extended warranty you'll get at least 10 years out of it.

While I was in the dealership they had a customers car there with 1.5" lift (johnson rods) and aftermarket 33" (275/60R20) duratracs on it, it looked amazing and is definitely luring me away from my bad squatch. The more aggressive rubber makes a huge difference to the look of the truck, and won't hurt offroad too. You'd have a hard time going bigger than 33", but you really don't need to.

For my use case I honestly think the defender is a better option than a lux badsquatch. Cost of ownership will probably end up higher, but you are also getting a far more luxurious vehicle for the money.

Ford Bronco Compared to a Defender - some general thoughts and concerns. IMG_9952
Ford Bronco Compared to a Defender - some general thoughts and concerns. IMG_9952
Love the look in that color. I ended up all black.
 

Iceman153

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I did the Bronco Off Rodeo and loved the Bronco but with no date in sight I decided to just go drive the Defender because after hearing and reading the decibel level is pretty close in Bronco and Jeep and the hardtop is squeaky I just wanted to see the difference. I love the look of Defender and they had just gotten 4 at our local dealer a day or two before. They already sold the other 3 when I got there and I got there the perfect time to drive as they just pulled it around from the dealer prep to put out for sale.


I just love the interior and features. Just such a smooth vehicle on the highway which is where I will be most of the time. It was 73K and the Badlands I ordered was 61K so to me and how I would really use it was a no-brainer. Anyway, long story short I bought it on the spot and the other salespeople were telling me how lucky I was to just show up there and buy one. They had people on the list :). Either way, I was buying a 72MOS 100K warranty as I do not trust the completely first model year of a vehicle (which is another thing I like about getting a 2022 Defender being the 3rd model year).

You will have to decide for yourself and I have not canceled my Bronco order I will decide what I want to do when it gets here but right now I don't see me keep the Bronco when I finally get it.

I am attaching a pic of my Defender behind a Bronco someone had parked at our local Mayton.

Ford Bronco Compared to a Defender - some general thoughts and concerns. IMG_9952
completely agree, and it looks like you have a pretty high level trim on that bad boy, x-dynamic? Black would have been my second choice I think! If you jump through all the hoops with a factory order it's possible to get a defender at basically the same price, less even if you settle for the P300. Should finally have mine within the next week or so after 6 months of waiting, so i'm excited.

The Bronco is great, but the pricing only makes sense in the more basic trims. If you want all the tech and use it as a daily the defender destroys it unless you have to have the open air experience.
 

bdub2you

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Well, something is finally happening for me:

Bronco - Reserved morning of 7/14/20. A year later, no build date, no hope of one.

Defender - Ordered 6/17/21. Emailed the dealer today, and it's built!! šŸ„³šŸ„³

Honestly, I emailed the guy this morning for an update and I even said I expected it had been delayed due to the chip shortage (original build date was going to be 7/16, but I saw earlier this month there was a shutdown due to chips), but he got right back to me and told me it was in the build market waiting to ship. My original delivery date was early September but it might even make it in August at this point. After waiting over a year for a new vehicle, I'm glad I put in the Defender order - super excited to get it, and already have plans for accessories and mods.

Who knows, I might get back to a Bronco after issues are sorted and maybe once they have a hybrid option or something, but for now I'm getting my very first non-Ford. Bronco order is a "99" so I can hold that for a bit, too.
I am also in NoVa and also considered a Defender back in January when I placed my Bronco order after I took a test drive of the Defender 110. I have a VIN and built date (not that it's worth anything), but the deciding factor for me was that in 7 year a Defender is guaranteed to cost more in terms of maintenance. The reality is that Land Rover has a decades old well earned reputation for poor build quality and high maintenance costs. The air suspension has a near 100% failure rate. I expect the bronco to have several issues, but over the long term the Defender is going to cost tens of thousands more to own.
 

DryYourTears

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I am also in NoVa and also considered a Defender back in January when I placed my Bronco order after I took a test drive of the Defender 110. I have a VIN and built date (not that it's worth anything), but the deciding factor for me was that in 7 year a Defender is guaranteed to cost more in terms of maintenance. The reality is that Land Rover has a decades old well earned reputation for poor build quality and high maintenance costs. The air suspension has a near 100% failure rate. I expect the bronco to have several issues, but over the long term the Defender is going to cost tens of thousands more to own.
I agree the long-term maintenance costs will probably be higher, which can make a big difference (though I feel like "tens of thousands more" is overblown). My current vehicle is two months over 5 years old, and I've really only had it this long because I was waiting on the Bronco. ~5 years is pretty normal for me to switch vehicles, mostly based on me enjoying a warranty, enjoying new tech features, and just enjoying something different, so the math is slightly different in my case. I figure if the Defender is lemon-territory with issues, I'll ditch it before the warranty is gone. It seems like now that they're in year 3 of this model, many of the "common" issues have been sorted, and as I've mentioned elsewhere, my current Ford was in the shop for two weeks getting the engine replaced, so it's always a bit of luck, too.
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