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Stacey007

Member Since: 25 Sep 2015
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 3745

Engine choice in a 90 which one would you choose (Pre loved)

Hello

Potentially looking at a Defender 90 to add to our mini fleet of cars.

It will be a pre loved one, but engine choice is all over the place.

From what I have read, the 3.0 seems the one to choose over the 2.0 but then there are 250, 300, 350, 400 (some petrol ones) and of course the V8

It will not be the v8... so what would you chose if buying one? if you had had a few engine which one would you choose. Mpg not a great concern and to be fair the 400 model seems quite nippy which would be fun.

I also like the first edition models as they seem to come with a lot of kit as standard.

Any thoughts...

15th Oct 2024 8:22am

A1C6

Member Since: 15 Oct 2024
Location: Australia
Posts: 35

The P400 is a really great engine in the 90, and definitely gives the car some 'oomph'. However, you will not be able to get the 18 inch steelies with that due to break size. The Diesel engines (D200, 250 and 300) obviously have varying levels of power, but great low-down torque (at least in the D300, don't know about the other ones) and really freaking long range. A D300 110 can do over 1100 km on a single tank on the highway.

15th Oct 2024 8:26am

J77

Member Since: 04 Nov 2019
Location: Fife
Posts: 3388

I’ve had both D200 and D250 3.0, both are decent no complaints with pulling power of the D200. D250 though is more than enough for most tasks. 24MY 90 D250 HSE, Tasman Blue

15th Oct 2024 12:37pm

CincyRovers1

Member Since: 30 Nov 2023
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Posts: 58

Depends if you are getting a gas or diesel. The 2.0 and 3.0 gas engines are both excellent and have proved to be quite reliable. We don't get the diesels here in the US, but the 2.0 diesel that was used for the first model year is prone to turbocharger issues and oil dilution problems. the 3.0 diesel doesn't have these problems. 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏𝟎 𝐒 𝐏𝟑𝟎𝟎 (Pangea Green over Acorn/Lunar)
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐒 (Dolomite Silver over Black/Bordeaux Red)
𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟕 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐇𝐒𝐄 𝐋𝐮𝐱𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝟔 (Aintree Green over Vintage Tan/Ebony) - Gone
𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟏 𝐋𝐑𝟒 𝐇𝐒𝐄 𝟓.𝟎 (Ipanema Sand over Almond/Arabica) - Gone

15th Oct 2024 12:54pm

Moo

Member Since: 01 Oct 2021
Location: UK
Posts: 1352

You need a minimum of 6 cylinders.

I havd a D250 110 and it's pretty impressive.

Eiger Grey MY23 D250 SE with bits. Known as Noddy.

15th Oct 2024 2:41pm

lightning

Member Since: 23 Apr 2009
Location: High Peak, Derbyshire
Posts: 2734

D250 is all you will ever need.

D300 is a bit more power if you see one but probably not worth paying a premium for.

15th Oct 2024 2:51pm

H1Tad

Member Since: 20 Jul 2024
Location: Maine
Posts: 110

The P400 is plenty peppy in our 110. Not the fastest but plenty of power to get around town. I imagine in a 90 it would be quite well. I will say that the 110 with the roof rack seems to struggle to get to 80mph. On most modern vehicles 80 is a stable cruising speed but on our 110 it seems like it just needs to be pushed to get there.

If mileage is also a concern, the P400 might not be the best choice. 2022 Defender 110 SE P400 Tasman Blue Expedition and Cold weather package
2003 Hummer H1 P400 Firehouse Red
2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser

15th Oct 2024 4:12pm

Crazymind

Member Since: 11 Jun 2024
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 134

D300 seems the right engine. It’s good for everything does excel in nothing. This makes it for a superb workhorse of which you’ll Never get tired of. 28 to 30mpg are achievable without any effort.
If petrol, I would go V8. Unless you do millions of miles per Year the consumption is not much worse than the other petrol options.

15th Oct 2024 8:05pm

Retroanaconda

Member Since: 04 Jan 2012
Location: Scotland
Posts: 2637

D200, D250 and D300 are all basically the same engine with different tunes. Any of them will be perfect. My 110 is a D200 and it has more power and torque then I can reasonably use.

15th Oct 2024 8:33pm

Crazymind

Member Since: 11 Jun 2024
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 134

True that! Not much difference in terms of torque between 200/250/300 and 350!
It’s the medium punch that makes the difference. 300/350 they pull to the red line without losing any power. And they all burn the same amount of fuel. D200 and 250 have more torque at lower rpm, 1200 compared to 1500 of d300 and d350. Other than that if second Hand I d go for 250/300. Power is never enough…

15th Oct 2024 8:39pm

CincyRovers1

Member Since: 30 Nov 2023
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
Posts: 58

You can have the engine reconfigured to higher output levels using JLR's in-house Pathfinder software. So a D200 can be coded to a D350 just by changing the CCF files in the ECU. Since it is a factory tune, it will have no affect on the warranty. It can also easily be reconfigured to the original stock tune if you decide you don't like it. Companies like JLR Active can help you out, even though they're based here in the US. 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟏𝟎 𝐒 𝐏𝟑𝟎𝟎 (Pangea Green over Acorn/Lunar)
𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐒 (Dolomite Silver over Black/Bordeaux Red)
𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟕 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐇𝐒𝐄 𝐋𝐮𝐱𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐒𝐢𝟔 (Aintree Green over Vintage Tan/Ebony) - Gone
𝟐𝟎𝟏𝟏 𝐋𝐑𝟒 𝐇𝐒𝐄 𝟓.𝟎 (Ipanema Sand over Almond/Arabica) - Gone

15th Oct 2024 8:51pm

Crazymind

Member Since: 11 Jun 2024
Location: Glasgow
Posts: 134

I am not sure but I think I have read up to D300 injectors are the same. D350 has got different injectors?

15th Oct 2024 8:59pm

Stacey007

Member Since: 25 Sep 2015
Location: Cheshire
Posts: 3745

All interesting points,

The V8 is out (although I'm trying to justify it) its too pricey yet as this is just 'another' car to add to the fleet for running around. MPG not an issue but depreciation on that would I think still be huge.

Interesting that the D200, 250, 300, 350 have the 'same' engine and as long as the 3.0 can be tuned.

That gives me more options looking at the spec I would like rather than engine and spec.

16th Oct 2024 7:50am

Silb

Member Since: 24 Apr 2024
Location: Hamburg
Posts: 9

I read somewhere that D200 has an aux cooler "missing" compared to D250 and D300. Worth keeping in mind (or checking) if you plan to increase the power output.

16th Oct 2024 7:58am

A1C6

Member Since: 15 Oct 2024
Location: Australia
Posts: 35

Stacey007 wrote:
That gives me more options looking at the spec I would like rather than engine and spec.

A couple of weeks ago I added a good table to the Defender Wikipedia page that could help you visualise this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_Rover_D...ailability

16th Oct 2024 10:28am

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