The very off-road-capable, very compliant-chassis Land Rover Defender might not seem like the obvious choice for a ballistic supercharged V8 engine. But it’s a laugh, innit?
Besides, there is a great tradition of Defender V8s to join. The Series III Stage 1 V8 from 1979 became an instant icon. Aside from run-of-the-mill (ha ha) V8 Defenders there was the 50th Anniversary Edition V8 in 1998 and even after the original Defender had departed, Land Rover cooked up 150 Works V8 models in 2018 to celebrate its 70th anniversary.
At the time, that 70th special was the fastest Defender ever made. But no more; this new one can hit 100km/h in 5.2 seconds as a 90 three-door, or 5.4sec in 110 form tested here.
Okay, that’s not white knuckle territory. The Defender’s 386kW is 37kW down on the last supercharged V8 Landie we reviewed on Kiwi roads, the Range Rover Sport SVR Carbon.
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But it’s arguably more about ambience and icon-status than sheer speed anyway. The pertinent thing is that the Defender is powered by Jaguar Land Rover’s old-school supercharged V8, which really is getting to the end of the line; newer models like the latest Range Rover/Sport have a new BMW-sourced twin-turbo V8.
Amid the multitude of Defender specification levels, the nomenclature of the new flagship model is nice and simple: it’s the “Defender V8”. Nice and simple and fully loaded, with everything from Matrix LED lights to a deployable power towbar to 22-inch wheels. You even get Land Rover’s Activity Key as standard – a nifty little waterproof bracelet that allows you to leave the real key inside the car while you lock up and go swimming or mountain biking.
It’s possible that the V8 is a bit too subtle for its own good. The only way you’ll spot it from the outside is the quad exhaust pipes or an extremely small “V8” badge on the bottom of each front door.
Despite that, there’s a bit more to it than jamming a big engine under the bonnet and turning the options list up to 11. Land Rover’s characteristic attention to detail means the Defender V8’s chassis has been tweaked to cope with the extra weight and performance, with larger anti-roll bars, stiffer settings for the air suspension, and – most significantly/promisingly – an active rear differential and extra Dynamic mode for the Terrain Response system. The later also liberates a bit more snap, crackle and pop from the V8 engine under load.
It’s all dynamically cohesive and still brutally quick for a 2.5-tonne 4x4 package, but don’t assume we’re talking Jaguar F-Pace SVR or Range Rover Sport SVR levels of rort and racy handling. “SVR” being the key thing here, because even though it boasts a version of the same supercharged engine, the Defender definitely isn’t a product of JLR’s Special Vehicle Operations. Rather, it’s a more powerful, more luxurious and more exclusive flagship for the Defender lineup.
So no, you won’t be taking it to a track day. The steering is consistent and the all-wheel drive reacts seamlessly to changing surface conditions, but the high centre of gravity and sheer weight of the thing means there’s loads of body roll when you take the V8 up on its generous offer of power/torque.
It can feel alarming, but there’s another great Land Rover tradition of 4x4s that feel loose but prove tenaciously grippy and stable, just as it feels like the door handles are about to hit the tarmac. So it proves with the Defender V8, which rolls, grips, gathers up its skirts and powers through tight corners. Like we said, it’s a laugh.
The Defender is still a highly functional hard-core 4x4 machine in all its forms. There will no doubt be those who buy the V8 simply because it’s the most expensive and/or most powerful model you can get. Fair enough; it’s a highly aspirational machine.
And while we seriously doubt many will want to slam those glossy 22-inch rims against rocks or scrape the shiny paintwork through gorse bushes, it’s crucial to the Defender’s credibility that yes, this flagship V8 model can still climb mountains and wade through 900mm of water. It lacks none of the muddy-tech and Terrain Response modes of the more hardy-looking Defenders.
So why buy the Bremont military watch when you know a G-Shock would do just as well? Because there’s an overwhelming sense of pride in owning something over-engineered, and a certain enjoyment in excess. You could argue the Defender V8 doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it does tick a lot of luxury-4x4 boxes.
LAND ROVER DEFENDER 110 V8
ENGINE: 5.0-litre supercharged petrol V8
POWER: 386kW/625Nm
GEARBOX: 8-speed automatic, AWD with low-range transfer
0-100KM/H: 5.4 seconds
CONSUMPTION: 12.7l/100km, CO2 329g/km (WLTP)
PRICE: $219,900
