Compare the2022 Jeep WranglerVS 2022 Land Rover Defender

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Jeep Wrangler are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Defender doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the Wrangler and the Defender have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available collision warning systems, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

Jeep’s powertrain warranty covers the Wrangler 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Land Rover covers the Defender. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Defender ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Wrangler for 3 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance (up to 3 oil changes). Land Rover only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Defender.

There are almost 13 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Wrangler’s warranty.

The Wrangler has a solid front axle with a floating power axle for durability that the Defender’s independent front suspension and exposed front driveshafts don’t offer.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 51 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 26th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 24th in reliability. With 103 more problems per 100 vehicles, Land Rover is ranked 33rd.

The Wrangler Rubicon 392’s optional 6.4 V8 produces 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (470 vs. 461) than the Defender V8’s optional 5.0 supercharged V8.

The Wrangler’s 3.0 turbo V6 diesel produces 147 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 295) than the Defender P300’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Wrangler’s 3.0 turbo V6 diesel produces 36 lbs.-ft. more torque (442 vs. 406) than the Defender P400’s standard 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Jeep Wrangler turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Defender P400 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid (automatics tested):

On the EPA test cycle the Wrangler 4-door running on electricity gets better mileage than the Defender 110:

On the EPA test cycle the Wrangler 4-door running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Defender 110:

The Wrangler 4Xe can drive on battery power alone for up to 21 miles. The Defender must run its internal combustion engine to move.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Wrangler Rubicon 392’s fuel efficiency. The Defender doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Wrangler 2.0 Turbo/3.6 eTorque/4Xe’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Defender doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Both the Wrangler and the Defender have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Wranglers have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The Defender P400 doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

The Wrangler offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The Defender doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

The Wrangler Rubicon 392’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Defender doesn’t offer launch control.

The Wrangler stops much shorter than the Defender:

For better traction, the Wrangler’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Defender (315/70R17 vs. 275/45R22).

The Wrangler Sport S/Sahara/Rubicon offers an optional easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Defender doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Wrangler Rubicon has an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Defender doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Wrangler Sahara 4-door handles at .74 G’s, while the Defender SE 110 pulls only .70 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Wrangler Rubicon 4Xe executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.3 seconds quicker than the Defender SE 110 (27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 30.1 seconds @ .54 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Wrangler 4-door’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the Defender 110’s (39.4 feet vs. 42.1 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Wrangler Sport 2-door has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Defender 90 (9.7 vs. 8.9 inches), allowing the Wrangler to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Jeep Wrangler may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 650 pounds less than the Land Rover Defender.

The Wrangler 4-door is 9.2 inches shorter than the Defender, making the Wrangler easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Wrangler Sport 4-door is quieter than the Defender SE 110:

The Wrangler 4-door has .2 inches more front headroom and 2.1 inches more front legroom than the Defender 110.

The Wrangler 4-door has a much larger cargo volume than the Defender 110 with its rear seat up (31.7 vs. 10.7 cubic feet).

The Wrangler’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the left swing out door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Defender’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Wrangler can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Wrangler can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Defender can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Wrangler’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Defender does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Wrangler has standard extendable sun visors. The Defender doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Wrangler’s sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The Defender’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

Insurance will cost less for the Wrangler owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Wrangler will cost $1350 to $8750 less than the Defender over a five-year period.

The Wrangler will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Wrangler will retain 73.16% to 86.03% of its original price after five years, while the Defender only retains 46.31% to 48.16%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Jeep Wrangler will be $32283 to $48951 less than for the Land Rover Defender.

The Jeep Wrangler outsold the Land Rover Defender by over 11 to one during the 2021 model year.