The new-generation Land Rover Defender is proving to be as capable as promised, with its focus on all-terrain prowess and an ability to conquer rough terrain. Slotting a massive, supercharged V8 under its bonnet is rather illogical, though, even if the resulting car is brilliant in spite (or perhaps because) of its incongruity.
The comedian in the Defender family
If you want to go anywhere, get a Defender; and if you want to go anywhere really quickly (and expensively), get a Range Rover Sport. At least, that’s how it used to be. But that’s all changed now, because you can also get the rugged Defender with a serious heap of power, giving it enough performance to make you grin while retaining most of the base model’s go-anywhere ability.
To be honest, no sane person has any need for a Defender with 386 kW and 625 Nm. A Defender is for climbing a rocky trail or wading through a river, not for winning any traffic light grands prix. And for those purposes, even the entry-level 2.0-litre turbodiesel is more than up to the task.
In fact, the base D240’s 177 kW and 500 Nm comfortably trumps even the most-potent classic Defender you could ever buy, and the highest outputs available in the mainstream Defender range amount to a staunch 294 kW and 550 Nm from the 3.0-litre turbopetrol inline-6. You would think that’s enough, but no…
Styling
Finished in shiny black from top to tyres, our test car tried very hard to look serious and aggressive, but really just struck a Tonka toy-like pose in the manner of a 3/2-scale Jimny. Those huge alloy wheels, fat tyres, and bright blue brake calipers give some hints to the seriousness of the hardware underneath, though, as do the 4 exhaust tailpieces jutting out underneath the rear bumper.
In SWB “90” specification as seen here, the new Defender is in reality a rather cute-looking thing, much as it was with its classic forefather, even with the V8’s dress-up package. Up front, the familiar Defender face is underscored by a contrasting undershield, while the grille receives the black-out treatment (part of the Extended Black Exterior Pack) – both items optional at R 9 000 and R 12 400, respectively.
The traditional shoulder line runs almost-horisontally from front to rear, but, apart from the gloss-black alloy wheels (R 4 300), the profile view is surprisingly restrained – there are no fender flares or ornate side steps included in the standard kit.
And, at the rear, the LED quad-taillight arrangement carries over from the regular Defender. In fact, apart from those 4 fat tailpipes (and wide tyres), there’s nothing to set the range-topping Defender’s rear view apart from a base variant’s. For some buyers, this will be a bonus, but we suspect that the buyers at which the Defender V8 is aimed would prefer something a little more… obvious.
Interior and space
The new Defender’s interior design is one of its strongest suits, and the V8’s interior is that little bit nicer, as befits its top-tier status. The seats are trimmed in leather and suede, but the dark colour scheme could become a bit oppressive if the (standard) panoramic roof’s electric blind is closed.
The dashboard is neatly laid-out and fairly intuitive to use, and includes the latest Land Rover Pivi Pro infotainment system with a very high-res colour touchscreen, mounted above the control island for the ventilation system, secondary car functions (terrain response/drive mode selectors, differential controls, suspension height adjustment etc), and the gear selector.
The rest of the centre console is devoted to storage space, with various receptacles and cupholders to complement the deep cross-dashboard shelf and large door bins. And, even in shorter “90” form, the new Defender has a spacious cabin, with plenty of room for 4 above-average-sized men spread across the 2 seating rows.
See that little switch on the front seat back? You need to keep pressing it to slide the front seat away for access to the rear passenger area…
Getting to the rear seat is a massive schlepp, however. Seeing as there are only 2 side doors, the electrically-adjusted front seats have to move forward for access to the rear. While their backrests tilt forward quickly (thanks to manual release handles), their seat bases also have to motor forwards to clear the B-pillar, and that takes forever. If you ever need to carry more than one passenger, opting for the 4-door 110 would definitely be advisable.
Even with all seats in use, there’s a decent 297-litres of luggage space out back, increasing to 1 263-litres with the rear seats folded away. That’s surprisingly generous, considering the very short rear overhang and ample cabin space, and indicates that the Defender 90 is quite a large car: Almost 4.6-metres in length and more than 2-metres mirror-to-mirror is enough to almost fill the average contemporary garage to capacity.
The luggage compartment is surprisingly voluminous, and is accessed through a side-opening door.
Standard equipment
Seeing as the V8 sits at the top of the (current) Defender hierarchy, it comes with a lot of nice toys as standard. The spec sheet includes the aforementioned 11.4-inch colour touchscreen infotainment system with smartphone mirroring, a configurable digital instrument cluster, adaptive cruise control, wireless phone charger, keyless entry with pushbutton start, 14-way electric adjustment for the heated and cooled front seats, electric steering column adjustment, 3-zone climate control, cabin air ionisation with PM2.5 filtration, and configurable mood lighting.
Rear-seat passengers have their own climate controls, their own air-con vents, and a host of USB ports.
The “Clearsight” interior rear-view mirror is a particularly clever piece of tech, and gives a wide-angle camera view behind the car when activated. Also fitted to our test car was a front ground view monitor, which shows the ground directly under the front bumper at low speeds, and a 360-degree camera system to ease parking and driving in confined spaces.
Safety
Being a thoroughly modern design, the new Defender performed very well in crash testing, scoring 5 stars from Euro NCAP in 2020. This strong starting point is augmented by ISOFIX rear child seat anchors, ABS and multi-mode stability control, 6 airbags, lane-keeping assistant, and automatic emergency braking.
Further highlights include Matrix LED headlights, blind-spot monitoring, a surround-view camera system, parking sensors all round, rear cross-traffic alert, and clear exit monitor, which prevents a side door from opening if it detects approaching traffic. Overall, it’s a very comprehensive safety assistance package, in keeping with the Defender V8’s top-trim status.
Performance and driving impression
While the new Defender is a hefty beast (weighing just about 2.5-tons), the installation of 386 kW and 625 Nm gives the V8 startling performance. You wouldn’t expect such an upright machine to be able to dispatch the 0 – 100 km/h dash in 5.2 seconds, yet it does so with ease and a lot of really nice noise.
That’s the thing about the new Defender V8: You could justify its existence on the basis of its off-road abilities (noted, but not tested on this particular car) alone, but this performance variant is mainly an excuse for a good laugh.
It feels even quicker on the road than the numbers suggest, thanks to its high seating position, responsive throttle mapping and bellowing exhaust, but doesn’t get close to the all-out lunacy of an AMG G63 in a straight line. It will likely beat the socks off that Geländewagen on a twisty road, mind you, thanks to the 4-wheel independent suspension.
Handling-wise, the Defender V8 is eager to change direction thanks to quick-ish steering, extensive tweaking of springs, dampers and anti-roll bars to compensate for the extra weight and performance. However, in spite of all these upgrades, the Defender V8’s ride quality is surprisingly supple in most conditions.
You’re always aware of its size and weight when hustling it along, thanks to considerable body roll, and it pitches and squats in response to heavy brake- or throttle applications in spite of the standard air suspension, so it’s still no sports car. But, even with its short wheelbase, the Defender 90 is impressively sure-footed in hard cornering, although the stability control is programmed to induce understeer fairly early to avoid possible roll-over scenarios.
Fuel consumption
If you want a fuel-efficient Defender, buy a hybrid or one with a diesel engine, because the V8 doesn’t care about that criterion at all. Land Rover claims that the Defender 90 V8 should achieve 12.8 ℓ/100 km on average, to which we could only reply: “Riiiiiight…”
A week’s worth of mixed-cycle driving resulted in an average consumption of 19 ℓ/100 km, and that was only achieved by applying considerable restraint with the accelerator pedal. Open-road cruising might see numbers closer to the claims, but this remains the Defender to avoid if things like the fuel price bothers you.
Pricing
With a starting price of R 2 392 760, the Defender 90 V8 is more than a million Rand more-expensive than the entry-level D240, but it offers more than double the power in exchange (and drinks about twice as hard as well). That’s a serious pile of money, especially for a car with such practicality compromises.
The 110 body style adds R 112 000 to the Defender V8’s price, which seems fair in the context of a R2+ million off-roader, so that’s probably the one you’d really want anyway. On the bright side, a Mercedes-AMG G63 (the Defender V8’s only real off-road-capable opponent) costs more than a million more than a Defender 110 V8, and, while it’s a fair bit quicker, the real-world performance difference is small enough to make the Land Rover seem well-priced.
* Pricing was accurate at the time of writing, but is subject to change without prior notice.
Verdict
When evaluated with a rational eye, the Defender V8 makes no sense at all, especially in 90 format. But cars like these aren’t supposed to make sense – they’re meant to impress onlookers. Seen in this light, the monochrome Defender V8 is perhaps a little too subdued in its appearance, because its target market might expect something with a bit more flash.
However, if you want your off-road-capable Super-SUV to be a bit more subtle (as much as a hulking beast like this could manage to be subtle, at least), the Defender 90 V8 has just the right measure of performance-oriented add-ons and a rousing soundtrack to set it apart from the 4×4 crowd.
Keyword: Land Rover Defender 90 V8 (2022) Review