Land Rover Defender configurator is live

The Land Rover Defender configurator is live, ready to eat up the better part of an afternoon with a surfeit of options. The newest kid on the expedition block takes its place at the top of the Land Rover lineup, with $12,100 between prices for the Defender and the Discovery Sport. The entry level Defender 110 P300 with the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder starts at $49,900 before a $1,025 destination charge, for $50,925 total. That engine produces 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, gets from 0-60 miles per hour in 7.7 seconds, and tops out at 119 mph. The Defender 110 S swaps the base model's 18-inch steelies for 19-inch, six-spoke alloys in Gloss SIlver, upgrades from an analogue instrument cluster to the interactive driver display, from fabric to leather seating with woven seat inserts, from eight- to 12-way powered front seats, and adds auto high beam assist. The S adds $3,260 to the price, retailing for $54,375.

There's no entry-level nor S trim for Defenders in the P400 that slots the 3.0-liter V6 with 395 hp and 406 lb-ft into the engine bay. The price ladder starts with the SE at $63,275, moving up to the HSE at $69,375, topping out at the top-shelf Defender X trim at $81,925. For the first year of production, a Defender First Edition will slot in just above the HSE at $69,675. The P400 powertrain takes 5.8 seconds to hit 60 mph on all but the X trim, which needs 6.1 seconds, and tops out at 129 mph when fitted with 22-inch wheels.

At the Frankfurt Motor Show, the automaker talked about the Accessory Packs that would help buyers kit their way into Defender lifestyle before leaving the showroom floor. The $637.07 Country Pack was designed "to stand out in the suburbs with head turning style, confidence and composure." According to Land Rover, that won't require anything more than a bright rear scuff plate, a spare wheel cover, and "bright metal pedals [that] add to the rugged interior."

The $1,893.73 Country Pack has pretensions at time spent on loose surfaces, with front and rear mud flaps, extra wheel arch protection, and the bright rear scuff plate outside, while the cargo area adds a full-height partition. There's also a portable rinse system, which sounds like a soft-sided, 1.7-gallon water bladder and hose attachment stored inside what looks like a weekender bag. The system can "deliver a minimum of two minutes of continuous water flow" with no need for batteries or external power.

The $2,844.08 Adventure Pack has eyes on the overlander, with the portable rinse system, an air compressor integrated into the cargo area, a 6.3-gallon "seat backpack" that's like a narrow carry-on bag you can also strap on, and the exterior, side-mounted saddlebags. It also includes everything from the Country Pack, plus a spare wheel cover.

The $4,286.55 Explorer Pack tilts at adventure with a touch of style. A 57-pound expedition roof rack sits high, the exterior saddlebags, snorkel and spare wheel cover take the middle ground, wheel arch protection, front and rear mud flaps protect the low ground. The Defender's roof is rated for a static load of 661 pounds, but that 57-pound rack is only rated for 291 pounds. Finally, and just for looks, the package adorns the hood with a matte black decal reading either "90" or "110."

Depending the trim being configured, there are up to eight separate pages of options and four pages of accessories, not including the seven pages of exterior and interior choices or the four Accessory Packs already mentioned. Installing the front bench to make a six-seater costs $900, putting in a third row to bump seating from five people to seven costs $1,200. Enhanced dynamic chops can be purchased with the $1,100 active electronic differential with brake-based torque vectoring. To make use of the 8,201-pound to rating, best to add the $650 tow hitch and the $400 Advanced Tow Assist on trims where the latter is available. On the Defender X, both towing options are bundled into an $895 package. Any wanderers headed to Chernobyl should hook up the air quality sensor for $100, and since there'll be a few water hazards between here and there, check the snorkel for $834 — which doesn't include installation.

Four our build we went old school, starting with the base P300 on steelies in Eiger Grey paint that added $710. Then we optioned $350 off-road tires, the Adventure Pack just for the mud flaps, rinse system, spare wheel cover, and gear boxes (that we'll carry inside the vehicle, thank you), $500 heated front seats, the $700 Cold Climate Pack, the $1,345 Off-Road Pack with the diff, off-road tires and a domestic plug, the $1,630 Towing Pack with the hitch and tow assist plus configurable Terrain Response 2, $780 front skid plate, $834 snorkel, $214 for front and rear mud flaps, $150 cargo storage rails and $360 Wi-Fi and data plan. We rang up $60,978. For the Land Rover logo and all the tech, we're not turned off. On the other hand, that's $8,803 more than the bone stock Jeep Wrangler Rubicon we took on the 24,000-mile Rubicon Alaska Cannonball. Let the debate begin.