Defender

Land Rover Defender V8 Front


Finally Land Rover have revealed the Defender powered by a V8 engine which churns out 525hp making it the most powerful Defender ever to hit series production. 

Highlights:
  • Powered by a 525hp, 5.0-litre, supercharged ‘AJ’ V8
  • Exterior differences include quad exhaust, 22-inch wheels and blue front brake calipers
  • Gets stiffer suspension and anti-roll bars over the four- and six-cylinder Defender variants

Design

Land Rover Defender V8 Rear


The new Defender gets a new set of quad exhaust, grey 22-inch alloy wheels and blue front brake calipers, while a bespoke tune for the induction and exhaust systems should help to tell the V8 apart from its quieter four- and six-cylinder range-mates. It comes in  short-wheelbase, three-door 90 guise.

Performance

Land Rover Defender V8 Engine


The 5.0-litre supercharged 'AJ' V8 engine –familiar from performance-focused models including the Range Rover Sport and Jaguar F-Type, and now produced in-house by JLR –endows the 4x4 with 525hp, making it the most powerful Defender yet to reach series production. As far as performance goes, the V8 Defender will hit 100kph from standstill in just 5.2sec and top out at 240kph in short-wheelbase, three-door 90 guise.
Land Rover Defender V8 22 Inch Alloy Wheels


Land Rover has also focused on the Defender V8’s handling, with some of chassis tweaks with the aim of delivering "unrivalled agility and confidence", alongside the improved straight-line pace. In addition to the off-road driving modes offered by the standard Defender's Terrain Response system, the V8 version gains a new Dynamic setting, which sharpens throttle response and firms up the continuously variable dampers for a more "playful" dynamic character, both on and off the road. The V8 also features stiffer suspension bushes and thicker anti-roll bars for flatter cornering, plus a yaw controller in the rear differential that varies torque across the rear axle for maximum grip.

Price in India

There is no news of launching this vehicle in India but as per reports from US When the Defender V8 hits dealers in the US this summer, the two-door 90 will start at $98,550 (72 lakh rupees) while the four-door 110 will cost $101,750 (74.50 lakh rupees). The special Carpathian Edition costs $6,800 extra for both body styles, while the new XS Edition of the 110 is $73,250(53.61 lakh rupees).

Ironically the four cylinder and six cylinder Defenders which are sold in Indian market is priced from Rs 73.98 lakh to Rs 89.63 lakh (ex-showroom). 
Therefore the V8 defender will cost approximately 1 crore (ex-showroom)!!! 



By Nirmal Nandakumar