Land Rover Defender V8
Rugged 4x4 packs 518bhp courtesy of a supercharged 5.0-litre engine
LAST MONTH, LAND Rover con rmed plans for a fully electric version of the Defender. And here we have the yin to that model’s yang: the Defender V8.
The V8 in question is a supercharged 5.0-litre petrol unit that produces 518bhp and 461lb ft of torque. that’s slightly down on the gures of the Range Rover Sport SVR, but still enough for 0-60mph in 4.9sec and a top speed of 149mph.
The Defender V8 also gets unique suspension tuning and an electronic active rear differential to improve cornering composure and agility. Plus, there’s a new Dynamic driving mode, which sharpens the accelerator and steering responses, further tightens body control and turns up the volume on the engine.
Visual details that mark the V8 model out from lesser Defenders include quad exhausts, dark grey 22in alloy wheels and bright blue brake calipers. Meanwhile, inside, the seats are upholstered in leather and suede, the steering wheel and gear selector are trimmed with Alcantara and the dashboard has a satin black nish.
All that doesn’t come cheap, though, with the three-door 90 version of the Defender V8 costing from £98,505 and the ve-door 110 from £101,150.And, unsurprisingly, the engine likes a drink, returning an of cial average of 19.5mpg.
Then again, you’d pay £153,995 for the Mercedes-amg G63, which also shoehorns a V8 into a go-anywhere off-roader, making it the rival that’s probably closest in character to the range-topping Defender.
The G63 is the faster accelerating of the two, with 0-62mph in 4.5sec. However, aside from its weapons-grade acceleration, it doesn’t really put the ‘sport’ into sport utility vehicle, because grip is in short supply and there’s a lot of body lean in bends. We’ll nd out later in the year if Land Rover’s engineers have had more success, or if the Defender V8 is another SUV that’s really only happy to go fast in a straight line.