Land Rover have introduced a more powerful, supercharged Defender V8 to expand the range. There’s 525 hp, 625 Nm, a new Dynamic mode, and a “Carpathian Edition” too.
The powerful new Defender V8 models are built on decades of Land Rover V8 heritage and the latest successor to the powerful Defender Works V8 joins the range of Ingenium petrol, diesel and advanced plug-in hybrid models at the other end of the scale.
The new Defender V8 brings new levels of performance and driver engagement by putting together the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol engine with 525 hp and 625 Nm with specially developed suspension and tweaked transmission tuning to make it the fastest and most rewarding Defender yet. The Defender V8 90 gets from 0-100 km/h in 5.2 seconds and gets up to a top speed of 240 km/h, with a rated fuel consumption of up to 6.9 km/l and CO2 emissions from 327g/km. The supercharged V8 is available in both 90 and 110 body sizes.
With unique suspension and transmission tuning, including bespoke spring and damper rates and a new electronic active rear differential, the Defender V8 is more agile and makes for more engaging handling with enhanced body control, with that characteristic V8 soundtrack. It’s also very distinct thanks to bespoke exterior badging, quad exhausts, unique 22-inch alloy wheels and front brake calipers finished in “Xenon Blue”.
The Defender V8 adds a new Dynamic mode within the Terrain Response system – an exclusive move for V8 models. Careful calibration gives it a more agile, playful and responsive character with sharper throttle response, bespoke tuning for the Continuously Variable Damping with stiffer suspension bushes for immediate steering responses. There’s torque vectoring by braking, traction control with a new yaw controller to make the Defender V8 faster, more engaging and more controllable than ever before.
Defender V8 Carpathian Edition
The new and very exclusive Defender V8 Carpathian Edition is the ultimate expression of Defender design, performance and capability, while a new XS Edition replaces the hugely successful First Edition and combines bespoke design and specification enhancements inside and out.
Defender V8 XS Edition
The Defender V8 petrol comes in with a new XS Edition, that replaces the First Edition, as well as a number of packs that offer a fresh design and provide greater personalization choices. It brings bespoke body-coloured lower cladding and lower wheel arches, distinctive 20-inch, contrast Satin Grey wheels and a choice of four exterior colour options. There’s also an optional larger 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment touchscreen. The new XS Edition is positioned above the SE models and features a unique exterior and interior treatment; available in both 90 and 110 body styles.
The standard specification includes 12-way heated and electric memory seats, air suspension, adaptive dynamics and configurable terrain response, Matrix LED headlights with signature DRL, ClearSight rear-view camera technology and the Pivi Pro infotainment system with 11-speaker Meridian audio. For the XS Edition, powertrain choices include the P400 MHEV petrol, P400e Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) petrol, and D250 MHEV diesel.
The prices for the Defender V8 start at £98,505 (Rs 98.50 lakh) for the 90 and £101,150 (Rs 1.01 crore) for the 110 in the UK. It will go head-on against the Mercedes-AMG G 63 and the newly-introduced Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392.
Also read: Land Rover Defender 110 P300 Road Test Review
