Land Cruiser 250 versus Land Rover Defender

[doc5339]

Recently purchased a 2024 LC 250 and previously owned a 2020 Defender 110 S (L663). These are my highly biased observations:

The Defender is vastly superior in many ways:
-Comfort: seats are just way better and have more options, quieter and more compliant on the road and off road
-Build Quality: door thunk, material choices and quality, solid feeling interior/exterior
-UX (Infotainment and vehicle control logic): PIVI Pro just works and has OTA updates, Toyota systems is clunky and disjointed
-Utility
-Driving Dynamics: very little body roll, feels like a much smaller vehicle while the LC 250 drives like an older SUV
-Driving Range: 428-miles real world/EPA vs. the LC 250 at 322.5-miles real world driving super slow back roads on long road trip well past the low fuel warning in Eco mode/412-miles EPA (no idea how they came up with that)
-Ground Clearance: 11.5"maximum with Adaptive Air Suspension compared to LC 250 8.7" no to mention almost a flat bottom due to four corner independent suspension
-Engine Options (U.S.A.): P300, P400, AJ133 Supercharger 5.0-liter V8, Octa (BMW TTV8) compared to the buzzy 2.4-liter I4 turbo Hybrid in the LC 250
-Comprehensive Warranty: 4-years or 50,000-miles vs. LC 250 3-years or 36,000-miles
-Off Road Modes and Camera views

The Land Cruiser 250 is superior in terms of:
-Exterior Design: more traditional box-like shape harkens back to older Land Cruiser models
-Selectable Center and Rear Locking Differentials: Defender does it all for you electronically (optional active rear electronic locker though one probably does not need it), and while excellent has less control at low speed crawling
-Ability to add larger wheels without too much a$$ pain (Defender requires sub-frame drop to add 35" wheels
-Long Term Reliability (hopefully): *(edit) Direct and Port Fuel Injection is superior to only Direct Injection in the Defender; carbon build up is real af* though no issues with the Defender under warranty
-Lower Depreciation (hopefully)
-Lower fuel cost (fueleconomy.gov)
-(edit) Direct and Port Fuel Injection is superior to only Direct Injection; carbon build up is real af

Hoping I end up adding more lines to the LC 250 as I own it longer. I think I could have purchased a good bit of pre-owned Land Rover Defender 110 for the $62,777 than I spent on the pre-owned 2024 Land Cruiser (base). Land Rovers have more electronic modules, less aftermarket support, and can be a gamble long term; generally best to buy after massive depreciation with money and skills to service, repair, and modify. Purchased the LC 250 because I am hoping for a relatively drama free ownership experience without the need to use the warranty much or at all as well as the looks.

 

[MRego]

Recently purchased a 2024 LC 250 and previously owned a 2020 Defender 110 S (L663). These are my highly biased observations:

The Defender is vastly superior in many ways:
-Comfort: seats are just way better and have more options, quieter and more compliant on the road and off road
-Build Quality: door thunk, material choices and quality, solid feeling interior/exterior
-UX (Infotainment and vehicle control logic): PIVI Pro just works and has OTA updates, Toyota systems is clunky and disjointed
-Utility
-Driving Dynamics: very little body roll, feels like a much smaller vehicle while the LC 250 drives like an older SUV
-Driving Range: 428-miles real world/EPA vs. the LC 250 at 322.5-miles real world driving super slow back roads on long road trip well past the low fuel warning in Eco mode/412-miles EPA (no idea how they came up with that)
-Ground Clearance: 11.5"maximum with Adaptive Air Suspension compared to LC 250 8.7" no to mention almost a flat bottom due to four corner independent suspension
-Engine Options (U.S.A.): P300, P400, AJ133 Supercharger 5.0-liter V8, Octa (BMW TTV8) compared to the buzzy 2.4-liter I4 turbo Hybrid in the LC 250
-Comprehensive Warranty: 4-years or 50,000-miles vs. LC 250 3-years or 36,000-miles
-Off Road Modes and Camera views

The Land Cruiser 250 is superior in terms of:
-Exterior Design: more traditional box-like shape harkens back to older Land Cruiser models
-Selectable Center and Rear Locking Differentials: Defender does it all for you electronically (optional active rear electronic locker though one probably does not need it), and while excellent has less control at low speed crawling
-Ability to add larger wheels without too much a$$ pain (Defender requires sub-frame drop to add 35" wheels
-Long Term Reliability (hopefully): Had no issues with the Defender under warranty
-Lower Depreciation (hopefully)
-Lower fuel cost (fueleconomy.gov)

Hoping I end up adding more lines to the LC 250 as I own it longer. I think I could have purchased a good bit of pre-owned Land Rover Defender 110 for the $62,777 than I spent on the pre-owned 2024 Land Cruiser (base). Land Rovers have more electronic modules, less aftermarket support, and can be a gamble long term; generally best to buy after massive depreciation with money and skills to service, repair, and modify. Purchased the LC 250 because I am hoping for a relatively drama free ownership experience without the need to use the warranty much or at all as well as the looks.

Congrats and thank you for providing a highly UNbiased opinion. Contrary to some that buy the 250 Prado and only see flowers and rainbows you actually provided a good comparison between it and the defender. With real life experience too.

I think you will be better of long term with the 250, though not as well built and with a noisy 4banger, it is still a Toyota. I too owned a defender in the past and could not stomach keeping it past the warranty period. I did not have any catastrophic failures but you are always waiting the other shoe to drop. Good luck.

 

[doc5339]

Congrats and thank you for providing a highly UNbiased opinion. Contrary to some that buy the 250 Prado and only see flowers and rainbows you actually provided a good comparison between it and the defender. With real life experience too.

I think you will be better of long term with the 250, though not as well built and with a noisy 4banger, it is still a Toyota. I too owned a defender in the past and could not stomach keeping it past the warranty period. I did not have any catastrophic failures but you are always waiting the other shoe to drop. Good luck.

Appreciate your reply! I think you are correct. I am already planning on adding some Dynamat Extreme or similar to the doors as well as adding weatherstrip in hopes of improving door thunk and reducing wind noise.

I will be trolling FB Marketplace for GX550 parts vehicles looking for seats and maybe acoustic glass if they will fit the LC 250 doors. We certainly appreciate the LC 250 though coming from other vehicles like the Rivian R1T, Range Rover (L405) Supercharged 5.0 V8, Audi E-Tron Chronos, Defender (L663) 110 S, Range Rover (L322) HSE 5.0 V8 it is impossible to ignore the shortfalls of the LC 250 in the "premium" vehicle category.

Honestly the door thunk on my rolled/repaired 2nd Gen Xterra Off Road is superior to the LC 250. I was moving vehicles around, hoping in and out of the LC 250 and Xterra and could not believe the difference

 

[TexasHusker]

The "new" Defender is entering it's 6th year. There are plenty of 2020s on the market out there with 90K plus miles, most selling for the mid to high $30s. For ease of math, that's 40 percent-ish depreciation in 6 years, and after 90K miles. I think that's pretty darn respectable. Land Rover built a brand new multibillion $ factory to build the Defender, and it appears they got it right. These units look right and feel right.

 

[doc5339]

The "new" Defender is entering it's 6th year. There are plenty of 2020s on the market out there with 90K plus miles, most selling for the mid to high $30s. For ease of math, that's 40 percent-ish depreciation in 6 years, and after 90K miles. I think that's pretty darn respectable. Land Rover built a brand new multibillion $ factory to build the Defender, and it appears they got it right.

Land Rover did a great job with the L633 though it pissed off all of the Defender purists. Great mall crawler/mom car and pretty great wheeler. Did very well getting to and at Uwharrie and Imogene Pass for us.

 

[TexasHusker]

Land Rover did a great job with the L633 though it pissed off all of the Defender purists. Great mall crawler/mom car and pretty great wheeler. Did very well getting to and at Uwharrie and Imogene Pass for us.

I'm planning to buy a gently used one this spring for my fly fishing rig. I have to drive 500 miles round trip to the nearest water, and the Defender ride will be of great help to my achy back.

 

[stridertexas]

I'm planning to buy a gently used one this spring for my fly fishing rig. I have to drive 500 miles round trip to the nearest water, and the Defender ride will be of great help to my achy back.

Be careful with the flat bottom seats in the Defender. They’re different & just something to be aware of. Super plush but may not support right. Anything over 2 hours and I was hurting. So just be aware.

I loved my Defender outside of that and the endless unsourced coolant leak.

 

[joseywales]

Be careful with the flat bottom seats in the Defender. They’re different & just something to be aware of. Super plush but may not support right. Anything over 2 hours and I was hurting. So just be aware.

I loved my Defender outside of that and the endless unsourced coolant leak.

I found this exact issue with the seats in our ‘19 Tundra Platinum. They are flat and hard. I came to the conclusion later in the ownership cycle (it’s getting traded in on Tuesday for our new ‘25 1958) that they are likely intended for “Texas sized” humans. You know, ‘cause everything is BIG in Texas. But seriously, they must have taken the size/weight of the average obese person into account, as both my wife and I are “average” sized at 5’10” 175 lbs and 5’7” 120 lbs, and neither of us have ever been comfortable in the truck. The extra size and weight of the “new average” person must make the seats seem plush.

We take our 2003 Sequoia SR5 on our long 5,000 mile + road trips just because it is so much more comfortable. The fact that it drives like a Toyota and not a Chevy is also a bonus. I’m really hoping the 250 seats are comfortable for longer trips.

 

[stridertexas]

I found this exact issue with the seats in our ‘19 Tundra Platinum. They are flat and hard. I came to the conclusion later in the ownership cycle (it’s getting traded in on Tuesday for our new ‘25 1958) that they are likely intended for “Texas sized” humans. You know, ‘cause everything is BIG in Texas. But seriously, they must have taken the size/weight of the average obese person into account, as both my wife and I are “average” sized at 5’10” 175 lbs and 5’7” 120 lbs, and neither of us have ever been comfortable in the truck. The extra size and weight of the “new average” person must make the seats seem plush.

We take our 2003 Sequoia SR5 on our long 5,000 mile + road trips just because it is so much more comfortable. The fact that it drives like a Toyota and not a Chevy is also a bonus. I’m really hoping the 250 seats are comfortable for longer trips.

Since the seats have a form where you sit down in the seat, it’s much much better than the Defender flat bottom.

Now the rear seat is horrible. It’s flat and short and at an odd angle because of the tiny legroom. I have 3 drivers in my family and we rotate driving to help and whoever is in the back for the next 2-3 hours loathes it.

 

[joseywales]

Since the seats have a form where you sit down in the seat, it’s much much better than the Defender flat bottom.

Now the rear seat is horrible. It’s flat and short and at an odd angle because of the tiny legroom. I have 3 drivers in my family and we rotate driving to help and whoever is in the back for the next 2-3 hours loathes it.

Both my wife and I love the front seats. So far the dogs have yet to complain about the rear seats.

 

[TexasHusker]

Both my wife and I love the front seats. So far the dogs have yet to complain about the rear seats.

The Defender is very comfortable. Never sat in the back.

 

[MrPiggy]

For some entertainment:

 

[TexasHusker]

For some entertainment:

Yeah, you can't believe everything that's on YouTube. He says at the end "why would you buy one of these when you can find a comparably equipped GX 550 for less?" Show me. That simply isn't true, by at least $10,000. And while I admit, due to reputation, the Lexus running car is probably superior to the Defender, the fit and finish is no comparison to the Defender.

"Most of the cooling system parts are plastic." Well yeah, as in most cars these days. My LC 200 has a plastic radiator. So what?

"The software updates run down the battery." Huh? To whom and when?

"Surveys show that customer satisfaction with these is low." Huh? Go to Edmunds.com and look at the owner reviews of the Defender. Owner reviews on the Defender are quite robust.

"Resale value on these is awful." Huh? Six-year-old Defender 110s are bringing high $30s to low 40s on average. That's 45 to 50 percent depreciation in 6 years. Many in the 100K miles range already. Pretty strong.

Now, I own an LX 600 and a Defender, and I don't think the Defender is the greatest thing on wheels, but let's get real here with actual facts.

 

[MRego]

Yeah, you can't believe everything that's on YouTube. He says at the end "why would you buy one of these when you can find a comparably equipped GX 550 for less?" Show me. That simply isn't true, by at least $10,000. And while I admit, due to reputation, the Lexus running car is probably superior to the Defender, the fit and finish is no comparison to the Defender.

"Most of the cooling system parts are plastic." Well yeah, as in most cars these days. My LC 200 has a plastic radiator. So what?

"The software updates run down the battery." Huh? To whom and when?

"Surveys show that customer satisfaction with these is low." Huh? Go to Edmunds.com and look at the owner reviews of the Defender. Owner reviews on the Defender are quite robust.

"Resale value on these is awful." Huh? Six-year-old Defender 110s are bringing high $30s to low 40s on average. That's 45 to 50 percent depreciation in 6 years. Many in the 100K miles range already. Pretty strong.

Now, I own an LX 600 and a Defender, and I don't think the Defender is the greatest thing on wheels, but let's get real here with actual facts.

This is from someone that actually owned a Defender in the recent past.

Most of the issues he pointed out actually happen and are discussed at length in the LR Forums (I was there during my ownership). The good and bad. The driving experience is really great, and the car feels like on tracks going 70mph in the interstate. I felt many of those issues. It particularly resonated with me when he described the Defender owners listing the bunch of issues they were having and five posts later saying the car has been solid and problem-free. That is exactly what I saw there and what they would say is that some of these "problems" are not really problems, they are more quirks and part of the "Land Rover experience". "People should understand this before buying an LR" they would also say.

Now, you are right about the build construction. It honestly felt like the 200 in terms of door "thunk", rigidity and presence on the road. Although, rattles galore are to be expected with the amount of plastic LR used in some of the door cards and materials in the trunk. The guys in the LR forum would say "it is a Defender; you should expect rattles and leaks ". A lightly used grocery gather might be a good value proposition, but if you go down this path, do get an extended warranty, otherwise you might be in for a financial disaster.

 

[TexasHusker]

This is from someone that actually owned a Defender in the recent past.

Most of the issues he pointed out actually happen and are discussed at length in the LR Forums (I was there during my ownership). The good and bad. The driving experience is really great, and the car feels like on tracks going 70mph in the interstate. I felt many of those issues. It particularly resonated with me when he described the Defender owners listing the bunch of issues they were having and five posts later saying the car has been solid and problem-free. That is exactly what I saw there and what they would say is that some of these "problems" are not really problems, they are more quirks and part of the "Land Rover experience". "People should understand this before buying an LR" they would also say.

Now, you are right about the build construction. It honestly felt like the 200 in terms of door "thunk", rigidity and presence on the road. Although, rattles galore are to be expected with the amount of plastic LR used in some of the door cards and materials in the trunk. The guys in the LR forum would say "it is a Defender; you should expect rattles and leaks ". A lightly used grocery gather might be a good value proposition, but if you go down this path, do get an extended warranty, otherwise you might be in for a financial disaster.

I drove a CPO Defender with 40K on the clock and had no rattles. My LX 600 has two niggling rattles - one in the moonroof tracks - that the dealer can't seem to get stopped. I'm ditching it this week and will just keep my green 200. Why own a $100K car when the 200 is just about as good or better in so many ways? Other than ride quality and a few creature comforts.

 

[MrPiggy]

If money wasn't an issue, I'd have considered a Defender too. But in NZ the 5 door Defender starts at $128k (75k USD), compared to the Prado which starts at $84k (49k USD) at tops out at $106k (61k USD).

Don't keep a car that doesn't make you happy, especially at this price point.

 

[TexasHusker]

If money wasn't an issue, I'd have considered a Defender too. But in NZ the 5 door Defender starts at $128k (75k USD), compared to the Prado which starts at $84k (49k USD) at tops out at $106k (61k USD).

Don't keep a car that doesn't make you happy, especially at this price point.

Wow. Why is a Defender so much more in NZ do you think? Tariffs?

 

[MrPiggy]

Wow. Why is a Defender so much more in NZ do you think? Tariffs?

I think the new Defender started off around 100k and the dollar just kept getting weaker and weaker. Japanese manufacturers just didn’t raise prices as much as others did.
Three years ago the old Prado would have cost me 107k iirc, partly because there was a shortage and partly because we used to have a “clean car discount” ant “ute tax”. The house market was great, interest rates were cheap so people could afford it even when they couldn’t, then all that collapsed. The clean discount and dirty tax went away too, while the prices went up for the clean cars they didn’t go down too much for the dirty ones.

I’m actually surprised that they launched the Prado in this price range. I expect that’ll change sooner rather than later.

 

[MRego]

I drove a CPO Defender with 40K on the clock and had no rattles. My LX 600 has two niggling rattles - one in the moonroof tracks - that the dealer can't seem to get stopped. I'm ditching it this week and will just keep my green 200. Why own a $100K car when the 200 is just about as good or better in so many ways? Other than ride quality and a few creature comforts.

Oh yeah. On that we agree 100%. I have toyed around trading my 200 for a lightly used grocery getter 2023 LX, but can’t stomach not having the 200 anymore. It would be dumb and I know better.

 

[TexasHusker]

Oh yeah. On that we agree 100%. I have toyed around trading my 200 for a lightly used grocery getter 2023 LX, but can’t stomach not having the 200 anymore. It would be dumb and I know better.

To be honest, for me the LX is "too nice". It's like a limousine more than an SUV. I never want to get it dirty. The thing doesn't look right with mud on it. If I want to go out and romp around I grab my 200. So I decided there's not much point having it around. It's not like a collector car or something, that will appreciate over time. So it's just sitting in the garage depreciating at $1K a month and I'm hesitant to drive it because it's too nice.

That all probably sounds weird, but that's where I am after 18 months of ownership.