Land Rover Defender L663
Weaknesses, engine ratings and buying advice
525–634 PS
4.4L V8 BMW BiTurbo Benzin
Defender V8 P635: brute force on four wheels
Legendary!360–400 PS
3.0L Ingenium I6 Benzin Turbo Benzin
6 weaknesses
Stay Away!Engine Overview
The Land Rover Defender L663 is available with 12 engine variants — from 200 to 634 hp.
The Land Rover Defender D200 (Diesel, 200 PS) has the 204DT (2.0L Ingenium Diesel) — rated: "Stay Away!", 4 known weaknesses.
The Land Rover Defender D240 (Diesel, 241 PS) has the 204DT (2.0L Ingenium Diesel) — rated: "Stay Away!", 4 known weaknesses.
The Land Rover Defender 130 P500 (Benziner, 500 PS) has the S68B44B (4.4L V8 BMW BiTurbo) — rated: "Be Careful", 5 known weaknesses.
The Land Rover Defender P300 (Benziner, 300 PS) has the PT204 (2.0L Ingenium Benzin Turbo) — rated: "Stay Away!", 3 known weaknesses.
The Land Rover Defender V8 P530 (Benziner, 530 PS) has the S68B44B (4.4L V8 BMW BiTurbo) — rated: "Be Careful", 5 known weaknesses.
The Land Rover Defender V8 P635 (Benziner, 634 PS) has the S68B44B (4.4L V8 BMW BiTurbo) — rated: "Be Careful", 5 known weaknesses.
The Land Rover Defender P400 (Benziner Mild-Hybrid, 400 PS) has the PT306 (3.0L Ingenium I6 Benzin Turbo) — rated: "Stay Away!", 6 known weaknesses.
The Land Rover Defender P300e (Benziner Plug-in-Hybrid, 300 PS) has the PT204 (2.0L Ingenium Benzin Turbo) — rated: "Stay Away!", 3 known weaknesses.
The Land Rover Defender P400e (Benziner Plug-in-Hybrid, 404 PS) has the PT306-PHEV (3.0L I6 Turbo + E-Motor) — rated: "Be Careful", 5 known weaknesses.
The Land Rover Defender D200 (Diesel Mild-Hybrid, 200 PS) has the DT306 (3.0L Ingenium I6 Diesel) — rated: "Stay Away!", 6 known weaknesses.
The Land Rover Defender D250 (Diesel Mild-Hybrid, 249 PS) has the DT306 (3.0L Ingenium I6 Diesel) — rated: "Stay Away!", 6 known weaknesses.
The Land Rover Defender D300 (Diesel Mild-Hybrid, 300 PS) has the DT306 (3.0L Ingenium I6 Diesel) — rated: "Stay Away!", 6 known weaknesses.
Vehicle Weaknesses
| Weakness | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| D250/D300: Electrical injector fault Early D250 and D300 diesel models show electrical injector failure as early as around 13,000 km, triggering limp-home mode. Parts on order, vehicle stuck in the workshop for weeks. Affects build years 2020–2022. Symptoms: Engine warning light, limp-home mode, significantly reduced power, rough running from 13,000 km | Medium | |
| Missing standard equipment due to chip shortage Models from 2021–2022 were delivered without ordered optional equipment due to the semiconductor shortage: ClearSight mirror, adaptive cruise control or fully digital instrument cluster were sometimes missing. Order configuration must be checked against vehicle specification. Symptoms: Ordered equipment features not present, menu options greyed out in the system | High | |
| Pivi Pro infotainment: freezing and rebooting Pivi Pro system freezes while driving or spontaneously restarts. Early 2020–2021 models particularly affected — black screen, Bluetooth dropouts, loss of Apple CarPlay. Software updates from mid-2021 significantly improve stability. Symptoms: Black screen while driving, reboot loop, wireless smartphone pairing drops out from 20,000 km | Medium |
Top Reported Issues
Alternatives
Known Problems and Issues
A total of 37 weaknesses have been documented for the Land Rover Defender L663 (2019–2026) — 29 engine-related and 8 vehicle-related. 4 problem engines: 204DT (2.0L Ingenium Diesel), DT306 (3.0L Ingenium I6 Diesel), PT204 (2.0L Ingenium Benzin Turbo), PT306 (3.0L Ingenium I6 Benzin Turbo). Typical issues affect Electronics, Body, Brakes, Suspension.
Defender (204DT, 2019–2020) — Stay Away!: Timing chain stretches prematurely, Oil dilution from DPF regeneration, Turbocharger failure. Power: 241 PS.
Defender (204DT, 2019–2020) — Stay Away!: Timing chain stretches prematurely, Oil dilution from DPF regeneration, Turbocharger failure. Power: 200 PS.
Defender (PT204, 2020–2021) — Stay Away!: Timing chain stretches prematurely, Thermostat housing leak, Turbocharger failure. Power: 300 PS.
Defender (S68B44B, 2021–2026) — Be Careful: Turbocharger problems from oil starvation, Cooling system leak and overheating risk, Elevated oil consumption. Power: 525 PS.
Defender (S68B44B, 2024–2026) — Be Careful: Turbocharger problems from oil starvation, Cooling system leak and overheating risk, Elevated oil consumption. Power: 634 PS.
Defender (PT306, 2020–2026) — Stay Away!: Recall N908: oil filter housing can crack — fire risk, Timing chain — rattle and wear, Turbocharger bearing and seal wear. Power: 400 PS.
Defender (PT204, 2024–2026) — Stay Away!: Timing chain stretches prematurely, Thermostat housing leak, Turbocharger failure. Power: 300 PS.
Defender (PT306-PHEV, 2024–2026) — Be Careful: Recall N908: oil filter housing — fire risk, Turbocharger wear, PHEV: EV mode unavailable. Power: 300 PS.
Defender (DT306, 2020–2026) — Stay Away!: Recall N908: oil filter housing can crack — fire risk, Turbocharger actuator failure, Injector failure. Power: 300 PS.
Defender (DT306, 2020–2026) — Stay Away!: Recall N908: oil filter housing can crack — fire risk, Turbocharger actuator failure, Injector failure. Power: 249 PS.
Defender (DT306, 2020–2026) — Stay Away!: Recall N908: oil filter housing can crack — fire risk, Turbocharger actuator failure, Injector failure. Power: 200 PS.
What to watch out for with the Land Rover Defender? See the detailed listing of all engine and vehicle weaknesses in the sections above.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Last updated: February 2026 · All information without guarantee