Land Rover Defender V8 ARRIVES alongside Defender Carpathian Edition and Defender XS

The Land Rover Defender V8 arrives to top the new Defender range with a 525bhp V8, and there are Defender Carpathian and XS Editions and more.

We’ve just seen the arrival of a ‘new’ Land Rover Defender V8 with Land Rover Classic building a limited run of Defender Works V8 Trophy at £195,000 each. And now we get another V8 Defender.

But this V8 Defender isn’t a rehash of the original, but a proper new Land Rover Defender V8 which we knew was coming. And it gets the ‘Ford’ Supercharged V8 with 518bhp and 461lb/ft of torque and is available as a Defender 110 or 90, and with a new ‘Dynamic’ setting for the Terrain Response for when you want to play.

Sticking the 5.0 litre supercharged lump under the bonnet allows the Defender V8 to hit 62mph in 5.2 seconds on its way to 149mph, and to make it handle the power it gets stiffer suspension and thicker anti-roll bars, yaw control on the back axle as well as blue brake calipers (front only), quad tail pipes and grey 22″ alloys.

Inside there’s an Alcantara-covered steering wheel, chrome flappy paddles and the option of a bigger 11.4″ Pivi Pro Touchscreen as well as wireless phone charging, with exterior changes including a black roof for grey and white cars and a Carpathian Edition which gets a contrasting bonnet and tailgate wrapped in a matt-effect film to resist scratches.

As well as the Defender Carpathian Edition, the Defender First Edition is replaced by the Defender XS Edition with added spec including adjustable heated front seats and Matrix LED headlights, and there is now the option of a Bright Pack, Extender Bright Pack and Extended Black Pack across the Defender range for added personalisation.

Prices for the new Defender V8 start at £98,505 for the 90 and £101,150 for the 110. It’s a chunk of money, but a third less than a Mercedes G63.

Land Rover Defender V8 Video

Land Rover Defender V8 Photo Gallery