First, thanks to blog reader and fellow CarMax enthusiast Cannon for sharing this 2022 Land Rover Defender 110 S TReK Edition, a one of 70 factory special edition off-roading unicorn that has already proven itself in a competition of sorts. And been auctioned off by Mecum in Florida. And discounted. And available with MaxCare for another five years and up to 125,000 miles (or 116,000 more, even in the mud?. By CarMax standards this is a find.
I’ve tried and tried to find how this particular Defender fared in the competition, without any luck. It didn’t win. Land Rover of Rochester took those honors. This one still has an interesting history beyond the competition, though. It sold and was first registered new with all of 8 miles on the odometer in late December 2021 for maybe $90,000 in Tampa, Florida. But that was after the September 2021 competition. Apparently they didn’t drive very far off-road? Then the was auctioned off by Mecum in Kissimmee, Florida in January 2023 for $82,500 according to Classic.com. Fast forward to the fall of 2023 and here it is back in Asheville, North Carolina, on a CarMax lot not far from the competition site for $17,000 less than the Mecum sale. What happened? No idea.
The “competition” is an annual Land Rover sponsored event for media first, then teams of Land Rover sales, service and technical staff run a series of off-roading obstacles in these 70 SUV’s, winching, mudding, driving, and navigating across some uneven terrain according to the team from The Drive. The celebrity (professional?) team, if you will, “consisted of Olympic skier and Land Rover ambassador Lindsey Vonn, high-altitude ski mountaineer Hilaree Nelson, and ESPN journalist and experienced navigation rally competitor Alyssa Roenigk. They called themselves Team Rocky Road and put in a strong effort in the competition.” – according to winning team “No Time To Cry”, from Gear Junkie. The 2021 competition was at the Biltmore Estates in Asheville, North Carolina – not a place I’d think of for off-roading. I think of touring the wealthy estate followed by touring a brewery, and that I’ve done.
Motor Trend reviewed one of these, and noted ….”for gear and equipment, our Defenders each had a powered winch and winch controller, which ended up getting plenty of use over the weekend, as well as a winch kit with pulleys, straps, and gloves. Each SUV was also dressed with Land Rover’s available Explorer Pack which comes with a raised air-snorkle-like intake next to the windshield, improved wheel arch protection with tougher body panel materials, and a waterproof side-mounted lock box which we used to store a jack and tire iron. Land Rover also outfitted black-painted side tubes, a spare tire cover, a fridge in the rear cargo area, a retractable awning, and an available roof-mounted collapsible tent that one of the team members ended up sleeping in over the weekend.”
The 2022 Land Rover Defender 110 S is nicely appointed inside, with a heated steering wheel and seats, Meridian audio, automatic high beams, and Apple CarPlay. The cabin belies a real off-roading capability. Not sure about the rear cargo area below, more like a paddy wagon or K-9 hold. Looks way functional.
The Land Rover Defender only has a 2.0 liter four banger, although it’s a turbocharged I-4 gas engine good for 296 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque with an eight-speed automatic transmission and of course four wheel drive. It’ll do 60 mph in about seven seconds and tops out at 119 according to Land Rover. Probably not buying it to sprint.
This 2022 Land Rover Defender 110S is currently reserved here at the CarMax in Asheville, North Carolina. You can still track it by the stock number or VIN on CarMax’s website even though it says not available, should it not sell or get transferred again. Not sure I’d want to commute in it, and yet it seems all of the competitor teams thought it was a worthy off-roader for the Land Rover brand. It still has four years and 40,000 miles of manufacturer warranty, so not sure I’d get MaxCare for just one more year of warranty, unless you plan to burn through those 40,000 miles soon. Enjoy.
Stock No: 24802557 VIN: SALEJ7RX0N2063664
