Jeep Wrangler vs Land Rover Defender: off-road icons
Updated Report an error By Oleksandr Hnatiuk
Jeep · 2018–present
Wrangler IV JL
- Power
- 147 kW200 PS
- Kerb mass
- 2,121 kg
Land Rover · 2020–present
Defender L663
- Power
- 147 kW200 PS
- Kerb mass
- —
At a glance
Who suits what, worked out from the catalog figures of the versions above.
Categories won: Wrangler IV JL 1 Defender L663 1
- Family Defender L663 Euro NCAP: 5★ vs 1★
- City Wrangler IV JL Width: 1,877 mm vs 2,008 mm
- Off-road Too close to call Drive and body: Four-wheel drive (4×4) · SUV vs Four-wheel drive (4×4) · SUV
Verdict Opinion
The Wrangler is the purer off-roader and the more fun car on a sunny trail. Solid axles, removable doors and roof, and a huge accessory market make it the choice for enthusiasts who drive off-road for its own sake.
The Defender is the better car for daily life. It rides and handles like a modern SUV, carries up to eight people, has a five-star safety rating and still offers serious terrain ability with its air suspension and locking differentials.
— Oleksandr Hnatiuk
Both trace their families back to the 1940s: the Jeep Wrangler to the Willys and the civilian CJ, the Land Rover Defender to the Series Land Rover of 1948. Today the two take very different approaches to the same job.
The current Wrangler, the JL, was unveiled at the Los Angeles show on 29 November 2017 and is built in Toledo, Ohio. It keeps the recipe of its predecessors: a ladder frame, live axles and a body you can open to the sky. The Defender L663, revealed on 10 September 2019 and assembled in Slovakia, shares no parts with the classic car that ended in 2016.
Jeep Wrangler vs Land Rover Defender: chassis, engines, size and safety
Chassis philosophy
The Wrangler JL has a separate frame and solid axles front and rear, a layout prized for wheel articulation on rocks. The Defender uses an aluminium monocoque and independent suspension on every wheel, with coil or air springs, which favours comfort and stability at speed. Jeep's systems are part-time Command-Trac (low range 2.72:1), the Rubicon's Rock-Trac with lockers, and Selec-Trac, which adds a full-time setting. The Defender drives all four wheels all the time through a two-speed transfer box, with centre and rear locking differentials on the options list.
Open air or closed body
Only the Jeep lets you take off the roof and doors and fold the windscreen, which on the JL needs four bolts instead of the 28 of earlier cars. Owners can pick a fabric soft top, a hard top in three pieces or a power-folding fabric roof. The Defender is a closed body, but it can be ordered as the three-door 90, the five-door 110 and the long 130 with up to eight seats.
Diesel, petrol, plug-in and V8
In Europe the Wrangler is best known with the 2.2 MultiJet diesel, rated at 147 kW (200 PS) and 450 Nm, and the 2.0 turbo petrol with 201 kW (274 PS). The 4xe plug-in hybrid has 280 kW and 637 Nm, a 17 kWh battery and 34 km of EPA-rated electric range. The Rubicon 392 uses a 6.4 V8 with 350 kW (477 PS). The Defender's straight-six diesels run from the D200 with 147 kW to the D350 with 257 kW. The P400e combines 297 kW with an electric range of about 43 km, and the OCTA's twin-turbo V8 delivers 467 kW (635 PS).
Size
The four-door Wrangler Unlimited is 4,785 mm long on a 3,007 mm wheelbase and 1,877 mm wide; the two-door measures 4,237 mm on 2,459 mm. Land Rover's figures are 3,022 mm between the axles for the 110 and 2,587 mm for the 90, with ground clearance reaching 291 mm when air suspension is fitted. The size comparison tool sets any two of these bodies against each other.
Safety ratings and price
This is where the gap is widest. Euro NCAP gave the Wrangler JL one star in 2018, mainly because it lacked autonomous emergency braking and lane assistance; the test aligned with Euro NCAP shows 50 % for adult occupants. The Defender received five stars in 2020. A Defender 110 cost from €72,600 in Germany in 2026.
Size and weight
Side view to scale, all cars from the front bumper.
| Wrangler IV JL | Defender L663 | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 4,785 mm188.4 in | 4,758 mm187.3 in −27 mm −1.1 in −0.6% |
| Width | 1,877 mm73.9 in | 2,008 mm79.1 in +131 mm +5.2 in +7.0% |
| Height | 1,801 mm70.9 in | 1,967 mm77.4 in +166 mm +6.5 in +9.2% |
| Wheelbase | 3,007 mm118.4 in | 3,022 mm119.0 in +15 mm +0.6 in +0.5% |
| Fits a standard garage? | Tight | Too wide |
Difference vs Wrangler IV JL (±). Garage check: a standard single garage takes a car up to about 5.0 m (16 ft 5 in) long and 1.9 m (6 ft 3 in) wide (width as listed in the catalog; some makers include the mirrors). Leave about 0.6 m (2 ft) to open the doors.
Full specifications
| Jeep Wrangler | Land Rover Defender | |
|---|---|---|
| General | ||
| Version | Wrangler IV JL · Unlimited 2.2 MultiJet · diesel · 147 kW (200 PS) | Defender L663 · D200 3.0 MHEV · diesel · 147 kW (200 PS) |
| Production years | 2018–present | 2020–present |
| Body | SUV | SUV |
| Class | SUV / crossover | SUV / crossover |
| Country | United States | United Kingdom |
| Performance | ||
| Power Why it matters: More power means stronger acceleration and easier overtaking, especially with a full load. | 147 kW (200 PS) 197 hp | 147 kW (200 PS) 197 hp |
| Power, all versions | 87–350 kW (118–476 PS) 117–469 hp | 51–467 kW (69–635 PS) 68–626 hp |
| Torque Why it matters: Torque is the pulling force you feel when accelerating from low revs, towing or climbing hills. | 450 Nm 332 lb-ft | 500 Nm 369 lb-ft Better |
| Power per tonne | 69 kW/t 84 hp/ton calculated | No data |
| Engine and transmission | ||
| Fuel | Diesel | Diesel |
| Engine | No data | 6 cyl |
| Gearbox | automatic | 8-speed automatic |
| Drive | Four-wheel drive (4×4) | Four-wheel drive (4×4) |
| Dimensions and weight | ||
| Length | 4,785 mm 188.4 in | 4,758 mm 187.3 in |
| Width | 1,877 mm 73.9 in | 2,008 mm 79.1 in |
| Height | 1,801 mm 70.9 in | 1,967 mm 77.4 in |
| Wheelbase | 3,007 mm 118.4 in | 3,022 mm 119.0 in |
| Kerb weight Why it matters: A lighter car is usually more agile and uses less energy. | 2,121 kg 4,676 lb | No data |
| Economy and running costs | ||
| Fuel consumption Why it matters: Lower consumption cuts running costs and CO₂ emissions on every trip. | 9.4 l/100 km 25.0 mpg US | No data |
| CO₂ | 249 g/km | No data |
| Fuel cost per year | €2,330/year estimated | No data |
| Safety | ||
| Euro NCAP | ★☆☆☆☆ (2018) | ★★★★★ (2020) Better |
These cars do not differ in the data we have.
Equal rows hidden (5): Body, Class, Power, Fuel, Drive.
Better marks the stronger figure — only for measurable specs (power, torque, 0–100 km/h, consumption, boot, weight).
Estimated at 15,000 km a year with fuel at €1.65/l diesel.
In plain words
Jeep Wrangler is 27 mm longer than Land Rover Defender (4,785 mm vs 4,758 mm). Land Rover Defender is the older design (from 1983); Jeep Wrangler arrived in 1987. On the catalog figures, the Land Rover Defender is the pick for family; the Jeep Wrangler is the pick for city. Our catalog has no kerb mass for the Land Rover Defender yet, so some checks above leave it out.
Which one to choose
Choose the Wrangler if you want open-air driving, plan to modify the car for rock crawling or like the simplicity of a ladder frame and live axles.
Choose the Defender if the car must also be a comfortable family vehicle on motorways, if crash-test results matter to you, or if you need a third row.
For electrified driving both offer plug-in hybrids with a short electric range: about 34 km EPA for the Wrangler 4xe and about 43 km for the Defender P400e.
Frequently asked questions
Which is better off-road, the Wrangler or the Defender?
Each has strengths: the Wrangler's solid axles give more articulation on rocks, while the Defender rises to 291 mm of clearance with air springs and rides more steadily at speed.
Why did the Jeep Wrangler get one Euro NCAP star?
In the 2018 test the JL lacked autonomous emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance, which Euro NCAP weighs heavily. Jeep announced standard automatic braking from 2019.
Can you remove the roof and doors of a Defender?
No. That is a Wrangler feature: its doors and roof come off and the windscreen folds down.
Is there a plug-in hybrid Wrangler or Defender?
Both. The Wrangler 4xe has 280 kW and a 17 kWh battery; the Defender P400e has 297 kW and a 13.1 kWh battery.