Land Rover Defender 110 X-Dynamic SE Review: Would I Buy It Again?

The 2026 Defender 110 X-Dynamic SE is easy to love, but it has a few flaws every buyer should know about.

I chose the Defender 110 because the 90 felt too tight for family use and the 130 felt too long for city driving. Within the 110 range, I went for the P400 X-Dynamic SE. It has the 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine that owners and reviewers keep recommending over the base four-cylinder, and I skipped the V8 versions because they are expensive and use more fuel.

My view after owning this SUV is simple. The 2026 Land Rover Defender 110 is more comfortable and more capable than its boxy shape pretends. But it also uses more fuel than I would like, the infotainment can be frustrating, and a few small build issues remind me this expensive vehicle isn’t perfect.

Here is how it has been in daily use.

The Version I Drive

I drive a 2026 Defender 110 P400 X-Dynamic SE with five seats. It is the most popular 110 trim. Here are the specs that matter to me day to day.

Item	My Defender 110 P400 X-Dynamic SE
Engine	3.0-liter turbocharged and supercharged inline-six with mild hybrid
Power and torque	395 hp, 406 lb-ft
Transmission	8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Fuel economy (EPA)	18 city, 22 highway, 20 combined mpg
Cargo space	34 cu ft behind the second row
Towing	Up to 8,200 lb when properly equipped
Starting price (US)	$75,200 before destination, $77,050 with it

The 2026 model year brought a larger 13.1-inch touchscreen to replace the old 11.4-inch unit, plus new headlights and flush rear lights. You can also add an optional attention camera and off-road adaptive cruise control.

Design, Build Quality and Space

The Defender is a tall, boxy, main-character SUV, and that shape helps in daily use. Large windows and mirrors give me good visibility, and the seating position is slightly higher than in most SUVs.

The cabin features leather, exposed hex bolts, grab handles, and rubber floor mats. It is not as polished as a Mercedes-Benz or BMW interior, but it feels a step above a Jeep Wrangler or Ford Bronco.

Cabin space is also ample. Headroom is excellent in both rows, and the second row is large enough to fit a child seat easily. Rear passengers get small roof windows near the pillars and their own climate controls on each side.

The spare wheel is mounted outside on the tailgate, leaving the under-floor storage area deeper and more useful. I can also raise and lower the height using buttons in the cargo area, which helps when I load heavy items.

But there are a few things about the cargo area that annoy me, such as:

The second row does not fold completely flat.
The tailgate is heavy and swings on its own.
The rear seats are heavy to push back into place.

The 2026 Land Rover Defender 110 is also about 198 inches long with the spare wheel, so I park it carefully in tight spaces.

Driving

This SUV drives like butter. Gear shifting is smooth, braking is solid, and the handling feels like a luxury SUV rather than a trail-only vehicle.

The P400 engine has enough power for my everyday driving. The 2026 Land Rover Defender 110 can go from 0 to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds. Merging on the highway and overtaking is easy, but the Defender doesn’t feel sporty. The engine is smooth and strong, though it does not sound exciting, and the throttle can feel a little soft at first.

The cabin noise is also minimal at highway speeds, with little road noise even on all-terrain tires. However, some owners report whistling or tapping around the windshield pillars at 75 mph, and they usually trace it to loose pillar trim or door seals.

The EPA rates Defender 110 X-Dynamic SE at 20 mpg combined. In mixed driving, I average about 15-17 mpg. It is thirstier than its EPA numbers suggest in its own testing.

Off-Road and Towing

Off-road ability is the Defender’s main strength, and most owners will never use it.

The 8,200-pound tow rating is much higher than what a Ford Bronco or Jeep Wrangler offers. My X-Dynamic SE has Terrain Response 2 with an Auto mode. Auto mode checks the grip at each wheel and selects the settings for me. I can also choose modes such as Grass, Gravel and Snow, Rock Crawl, or set my own throttle, steering, and traction settings in Configurable mode. I can also raise the body for rough ground and lower it for loading using air suspension.

Gravel and unpaved roads feel easy. I’ve taken it to places like Moab, and it handled the terrain with confidence. However, it takes time to learn, because older off-road habits don’t apply to a modern Land Rover.

Tech and Features

The 13.1-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen is the biggest change for the 2026 Land Rover Defender 110 from previous model years. The display is sharper and more responsive with no lag. My problem is the menu layout. Many functions sit several taps deep, and the volume control is on the right side of the screen, away from the driver.

Below the screen are climate dials, which I’d prefer to control with touch. They also change drive modes and seat heating and ventilation, so they take time to learn.

The rest of the tech is mixed jam:

Wireless Apple CarPlay can be unreliable.
There are few USB ports in the front.
The Meridian audio system sounds clear and is easy to set up.

Software updates have improved the system since it launched in 2020, but it is still less polished than some competing systems.

Price and Value

The Land Rover Defender P400 X-Dynamic SE starts at $75,200 before destination, and options add up quickly. I would not expect a large discount. Warranty coverage is four years or 50,000 miles, which is standard for the class. Land Rover does not include free maintenance.