Land Rover Defender V8 under development

- Will put out around 500bhp

- Could be the same V8 used in the Range Rover Sport SVR and Velar SV Autobiography

Most of the iconic Land Rover Defenders in its long heritage were powered by a V8 engine and are quite sought after by the enthusiasts. With the newest generation – which is currently available only with 2.0-litre petrol and diesel – the British carmaker assured the return of the V8 as well. Now, a recent prototype spotted outside the carmaker’s headquarters in Gaydon confirms that the Defender V8 is under development.

The test vehicle appeared to be a fairly standard Defender 110 with a 'Prototype Vehicle' sticker on the edge of the hood above the front grille and four exhaust pipes at the back. The rudimentary design of the exhaust tips hints that the V8 Defender will have a different bumper in the production version. Apart from that, there was no visible changes on the rest of the vehicle. 

The V8 in question was earlier expected to be the same 5.0-litre unit powering the Range Rover Sport SVR and Velar SV Autobiography. However, this unit is dated and will soon cease to exist. So according to recent reports, Land Rover will source the 4.4-litre V8 from BMW. This would be part of the hybrid powertrain sharing venture between the two carmaker and would extend to M Performance engines as well. We expect a power output of close to 500bhp mated to ZF-derived eight-speed automatic. 

With the V8 firepower, the Defender will be in the league of the Mercedes-AMG G63, which the British carmaker is using as a benchmark. Expected launch date for the Defender V8 is in 2021. Before that we could see a plug-in hybrid variant to join the fleet. After its global debut, we expect the Defender V8 to promptly make its way to India as well. 

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