New Defender News
- Thread starter blackangie
- Start date
Defender and other JLR production shutdown due to chip shortage.
SkiWill
Well-known member
Any reports on fuel mileage with the P300? I think it's interesting that the P400 is rated higher 19 combined vs. 18 combined for P300. Also the P400 is rated 22 mpg highway vs 20 for the P300. I know the TDV6 bests them all, but since that's no longer an option, curious as to what P300 or P400 users are seeing real world since range is a major consideration in Utah and Wyoming where I drive.
JackW
Explorer
I get around 14-16 mpg in city driving and 17-19 mpg on the highway with my P300. Its not great but its not horrible either - better than my old LR3 and I feel the power of the four cylinder is just fine.
The differential gearing is lower in the four cylinder than the six cylinder Defenders which accounts for some of the lower mileage than you might expect but that works in your favor off road.
70 mph is right at 2000 rpm on the 18" stock tires and fuel range on a highway trip should be over 400 miles. I put 370 miles on just over 18 gallons of fuel in one recent trip to Florida (24 gallon tank).
All three of the new Defenders on the trail ride last week were P300 four cylinder trucks. All of us wanted to avoid the potential complications of the MHEV system.
The TDV6 Discovery 5 I had previously could get 31 mpg and over 600 miles on one tank of diesel - Atlanta to central Pennsylvania on one tank - it really spoiled me.
The differential gearing is lower in the four cylinder than the six cylinder Defenders which accounts for some of the lower mileage than you might expect but that works in your favor off road.
70 mph is right at 2000 rpm on the 18" stock tires and fuel range on a highway trip should be over 400 miles. I put 370 miles on just over 18 gallons of fuel in one recent trip to Florida (24 gallon tank).
All three of the new Defenders on the trail ride last week were P300 four cylinder trucks. All of us wanted to avoid the potential complications of the MHEV system.
The TDV6 Discovery 5 I had previously could get 31 mpg and over 600 miles on one tank of diesel - Atlanta to central Pennsylvania on one tank - it really spoiled me.
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DieselRanger
Well-known member
I have to believe the Defender is quite a bit less aerodynamic than the Disco too. That frontal area is one giant slab, never mind the rack and whatever you put on top of it.
The MHEV likely helps most on takeoff and acceleration where the bulk of your fuel burn happens. Just imagine how good the D300 MHEV is....
DieselRanger
Well-known member
Yeah, thanks for nothing, Volkswagen. Ironically, Volkswagen basically subsidized by D5 Td6 by about 50% with their buyback of my 7-year-old, 110,000+ mile Touareg TDI for close to $30K. Was literally an offer I couldn't refuse - otherwise I'd probably still be in it, and probably looking at the D110 P400. But totally happy with my D5 Td6. Perfect Colorado car.
SkiWill
Well-known member
Thanks for the real world feedback. Ever do any towing with that P300? Just curious how it does. Honestly, I was hoping for better mileage from a turbocharged 4 cylinder, but that would still be a substantial step up from my V8 LR4. Makes sense that the P400 with taller gearing would do a bit better on the highway.
If I could get the range from my wife's diesel ML350 in my LR4, it would be the perfect vehicle for my needs. As it is, I just go slower in the LR4 and try to eek out mid teens mpg on the highway and carry extra fuel when appropriate. Maybe a P300 in the future for me one day when manufacturing capacity gets back to normal.
How's the noise from the roof rack?
JackW
Explorer
I have a small travel trailer and a utility trailer that it tows without seeming to affect it in any way - but that's only around 2500 lbs max that I've towed with it. I'm sure it would handle well over 4000 lbs without any effects.
The roof rack is noisy between 60-70 mph, I will eventually see if there is anything we can do to modify it. If I move the roof tent onto it from my D90 it might quiet it down some.
Dogpilot
Active member
Tell me more about the roof rack noise. I noticed the noise when I test drove the 90 the other day, but the one I drove also had the sunroof. It seemed to kick in around 40mph and above. I found I could cut down the noise on my RTT on the Range Rover by putting on a Yakima fairing to deflect the flow upwards. Since I can't order my 2022 yet I am unsure weather to get the LR rack or keep my Front Runner one with the fairing. So my question is; have you tried a faring and does it change when you attach anything to it?
DieselRanger
Well-known member
Those issues were all user error.
SkiWill
Well-known member
Thank you again for the feedback. The Front Runner rack on my LR4 was quite loud, but the fairing I installed quieted it down considerably. I see one of your club members has the Front Runner rack on his Defender as well. I had a similar experience to Dogpilot, and the purchased separately, at considerable expense, Front Runner fairing did work well. I was curious whether a Land Rover designed rack would be quieter since presumably they could test it in their own wind tunnel or as part of their own Defender testing, but I suspect that there really is only so much one can do from a physics standpoint to get a reasonably quiet roof rack. I think that a front fairing is really the best bet, but I also find wind noise to be annoying and fatiguing more than most.
We are considering a small travel trailer, but it would probably be 2-4k lbs, so similar to your experience. That's helpful. I really would prefer my vehicles to either be fully internal combustion or fully electric at this point from a complexity and drivability experience, so it's good to know that the P300 would fit our needs in the future.