A V8 for the Land Rover Defender in 2022

The rumour has been around for some time and now it’s officially not a rumour anymore, but fact: the new Land Rover Defender will be available with a V8 engine starting next year.

The industry might be stepping on the accelerator in terms of moving towards electrification, but the V8 engine lives on, simply because demand for it is still there. For example, the Jaguar Land Rover 5.0L in-house engine, able to produce up to 575 hp (in the SVR version of the Range Rover or  in the Jaguar F-Type R), will be available starting next year with the Defender 90 and 110 models. In this case it’s expected to deliver 518 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque.

With the 90 two-door version, it translates into a 0-97 km/h acceleration time of just 4.9 seconds.

See also: 2021 Land Rover Defender Review: It’s Baaaack!

To accommodate the engine and its greater weight, the company has reworked the model’s springs and shock absorbers and equipped it with wider anti-roll bars. The active electronic rear differential will be standard with the new engine, and a dynamic mode will appear on the Terrain Response system menu, which will strengthen the suspension and improve throttle response.

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