Land Rover Defender V8 2021 Review

Set to land in Australia in before the end of 2021, the 2022 Land Rover Defender P525 V8 will cost you a cool $210,716 plus on-road costs for the two-door 90 'Shortie' and $215,676 plus ORCs for the longer family-friendly five-door 110 Station Wagon.

That’s more than the prices announced back in February and a huge premium of around $70,000 over the previous range-topping P400 X variants powered by the punchy 294kW 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder turbo-petrol engine.

But it’s still more than $80K less than its closest rival, the Mercedes-AMG G 63, which is now priced at a stratospheric $299,000 plus ORCs.

To help justify its extra cost over lesser Landies, the Defender P525 not only incorporates a buxom supercharged 5.0-litre V8 (see more below), but a heavily reworked chassis and a new Dynamic program in its Terrain Response 2 drive mode system that makes it more playful on and off-road. Yes, you read that correctly, but more on that later.

Instead of shouting its V8 credentials from the rooftops, designers have taken a more subtle approach with the flagship Defender's styling.

If you look closely, you might spot the small badging and quad exhaust outlets. Harder to miss are the huge Satin Grey 22-inch rims that are unique to the supercharged Land Rover and try hard (but fail) to mask massive 20-inch brake discs clamped by Xenon Blue-coloured Brembo callipers.

Just three paint colours are available for the Defender V8 – Carpathian Grey, Yulong White and Santorini Black – and all are combined with a Narvik Black contrasting roof.

Inside, the range-topper bags leather and Alcantara seat trim, and a four-spoke steering wheel that’s also wrapped with Alcantara and gets a pair of chrome gearshift paddles. Illuminated V8 treadplates complete the cabin upgrades.

So what's missing? It's a shame the most expensive (by far) Defender V8 doesn't come standard with the enlarged 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment system and instead makes do with the smaller 10-inch display.

If you want all-terrain tyres you also have to downsize from the standard 22s to still-large 20-inch wheels that reduce top speed from 240km/h to 191km/h, which might look and sound less impressive but it’s unlikely to worry anyone who wants to actually go off-road in their $200K-plus British super-SUV.

If you're buying the Defender V8 to regularly go off-roading in there's also a long list of worthwhile options, like a front bashplate and remote-operated winch, plus countless other accessories to help stop you getting stuck.

Like the core model, there's also a full-size spare, tyre pressure monitoring, 3D surround camera, driver condition monitor, lane keep assist, hill start assist, hill decent control, LED headlights and a 360-degree parking aid.

Extra driver-assist tech for 2021 includes blind spot assist, clear exit monitor, adaptive cruise control, rear collision monitor and rear traffic monitor.

All Defender variants are backed by Land Rover Australia's five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and an optional five-year servicing plan will cost $3750 for the V8 -- up from $2650 for petrol inline six-cylinder models.

The Defender range offers a Toyota LandCruiser-matching 3500kg towing capacity with a maximum 350kg tow ball mass rating regardless of engine, making it one of the best SUV haulers money can buy.

On paper it's hard not to be a tiny bit disappointed with the decision to detune the Range Rover Sport SVR’s supercharged 5.0-litre V8 for the 2022 Land Rover Defender P525.

Instead of the Rangie SVR’s hefty 423kW of power and 700Nm of torque, the Defender V8 has to make do with 386kW and 650Nm – which sounds impressive until you remember it has to overcome a near-2500kg kerb weight for the 90 and a hefty 2.7 tonnes if you go for the longer 110 wagon.

Line up alongside the 430kW/850Nm Mercedes-AMG G 63 and it’s the German retro-offroader that has the advantage away from the lights, taking just 4.5 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint versus a still-brisk 5.2sec for the 90 and 5.4sec for the 110 V8s.

Top speed for both Defender V8s is limited to 240km/h on road-biased all-season tyres.

Interestingly, no concrete explanation was offered as to why the Defender V8 wasn’t blessed with the full complement of horses (or kiloWatts), but it is important to point out that its 5.0-litre supercharged V8 is a development of the RR Sport’s engine that has been reengineered to pass Europe’s latest Euro6d-F emission regs, meaning it now sports petrol particulate filters.

That makes sense, until you remember the cleaner supercharged V8 still makes 405kW/700Nm under the bonnet of the recently updated 2021 Jaguar F-PACE SVR.

The theory we prefer is the lower output, plus the Defender V8’s price positioning, are both deliberate and suggest Land Rover is making room for a quicker, more powerful and more expensive SVR or SVX version designed to beat the G 63.

Engineers admit the performance gap between the 2022 Land Rover Defender V8 and the electrified P400e isn't as large as it had hoped.

On paper, the plug-in hybrid (only available in the 110 and not currently confirmed for Australia) is just 0.3sec slower to 0-100km/h but in reality, thanks to the torque-filling nature of the 105kW electric motor, they're closely matched on road.

This prompted a huge rethink among the chassis engineers, who decided to distance the V8 from not only its plug-in hybrid sibling but also the surprisingly quick inline-six P400 by creating a bespoke chassis tune for the Defender V8.

And it’s one that cleverly raises the bar for handling without compromising its off-road credentials or comfort.

In fact, with the V8 under the bonnet, Land Rover claims the flagship Defender is the most capable off-roader it has ever made and it means it in every sense of the word.

Starting with the hardware changes, the updates to the core Defender are modest. As well as the thumping great supercharged V8, there are thicker anti-roll bars, a new electronic active rear differential and a set of clever adaptive dampers.

Crucially, the biggest advance is the addition of a new Dynamic driving mode to the Terrain Response 2 system that is claimed to transform the Defender into a ‘fun-to-drive’ 4x4 for the first time in its 73-year history.

The outlandish claims continue. Engineers say that as well as being more involving, the new Defender V8’s chassis has been set up to indulge in drifts, with the active dampers, torque vectoring and rear electronically-controlled differential all working in harmony to allow controllable oversteer.

Of course, the original Defender would slide-ish (when it wasn't snapping half-shafts) but any drifting always ran the risk of a rollover. The new version couldn't be more different.

Utilising chassis control tech normally associated with Ferraris, the key to unlocking the Defender V8’s inner drift king is an ECU that predicts roll rates and then individually adjusts the dampers, thereby reducing body roll and the loading on the outside wheels, which also reduces understeer.

When the car detects you're trying to provoke it – like lifting off mid-bend – the same system aids quicker fore-aft weight transfer to the help the front axle turn-in and, once you're sideways, works with the rear e-diff (which manages both traction and yaw) to hold a slide on the throttle.

Once you're done with the sideways shenanigans, the same system then softens off all four dampers to allow a smooth, not snappy, transition back to straight ahead.

It all sounds gloriously irrelevant and it is.

For our test we started in a V8-powered Defender 90 on dirt. Before our drive the engineer who developed the Dynamic mode insisted we sample the Dynamic mode with ESC off.

After stabbing the starter button, it’s apparent that just the noise of the refined, cultured V8 alone will be enough for some to justify the high price of admission.

Selecting Drive, it’s clear the sharp throttle response is another incentive to shelve long-lasting memories of how impressive the inline six-cylinder is under the bonnet of the 90 we drove earlier this year.

Flooring the throttle and the Defender V8 feels indecently fast, especially on loose surfaces. Despite claims that the V8 can go further (and faster) than any Defender before it off-road, axle articulation has been impacted by the new stiffer anti-roll bars, but engineers say torque vectoring and the rear e-diff more than compensate and that no V8-powered off-roader is more capable at rock-crawling.

Even on the sighting lap around a special rally stage set up for us to test the Defender V8, it proved it is both far faster and more neutral-handling than any Defender before it.

As luck would have it, thanks to a couple of days of British summer the grip generated by the Michelin all-season tyres was surprising, well at least with Dynamic ESP on. We weren't allowed to try it untethered on account of the high speeds involved, so we'll have to leave our visit to the lockstops for another day.

Swapping into the longer-wheelbase 110 V8 for on-road driving showed it trades some of the short-wheelbase model’s dartiness in favour of slightly slower, more measured responses. I preferred it.

Despite the stiffer anti-roll bars, more reactive dampers and generally sharper responses of both V8 models, the ‘spring’ rates of the air suspension remain similar to the core model, meaning the Defender P525 remains comfortable on all surfaces.

It's also far more precise than the last Defender 90 P400 we drove, although the road tyres will have helped there.

But make no mistake: even the LWB Defender V8 is seriously quick and sits pretty flat in corners, and we doubt the Mercedes-AMG G 63 would match the Land Rover's cross-country pace, on-road agility, overall refinement and sense of fun, thanks to the extra sophistication of its monocoque construction.

We’d like a bit more noise from the V8, which is something that would be easily fixed by an aftermarket exhaust (or by buying the raucous Range Rover Sport SVR).

In fact, the only real fly in the ointment is the PHEV version, which is equally quick, offers more refinement and efficiency (if that’s what you're looking for) and is better balanced thanks to more optimal weight distribution due to its rear-mounted battery pack.

But that’s a moot point until the plug-in Defender becomes available Down Under.

It's easy to argue that Land Rover's new range of Ingenium inline six-cylinder engines – petrol or diesel – offer all the performance you could ever need from the reborn Defender, with far greater efficiency than the 12.7L/100km (claimed) thirst of the MY22 Defender 110 V8.

You could also make a good case that the current, soon-to-be-replaced Range Rover Sport SVR delivers even more thrills and greater-still performance for not much more cash, while still offering remarkable off-road ability.

But the 2020 Land Rover Defender V8, in either 90 or 110 format, remains an irresistible folly.

It’s a compellingly fast off-roader that satisfies on-road, entertains off-road and looks cool whether you're on the school run or in the middle of the bush.

The fact it demands fewer compromises on road than the far more expensive Mercedes-AMG G 63 is just the icing on the cake.

How much does the 2021 Land Rover Defender 110 P525 V8 cost?
Price: $215,676 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Late 2021
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8 petrol
Output: 386kW/625Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 12.7L/100km (WLTP)
CO2: 332g/km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP 2020)