New Land Rover Defender V8 coming

It was only a matter of time before a thumping V8 was dropped into the square nose of the all-new Land Rover Defender and now

Land Rover Defender review

The bent eight in question is likely to be the same supercharged 'AJ' V8 with which the British car-maker powers all of its high-performance models, such as the Range Rover Sport SVR and Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography.

In its most potent form the blown 5.0-litre V8 pumps out 423kW/700Nm in Jaguar Land Rover's answer to the Porsche 911, the Jaguar F-TYPE SVR -- outputs that would give the new Defender a potent hero model to top the range.

But there's a problem. JLR's aged Ford-supplied V8 will be axed when the Blue Oval closes its Bridgend factory in the UK, where it is made, by the end of this year. And so it won't power the potential Land Rover Defender SVR – or whatever it might eventually be called.

However, JLR is reportedly on the verge of signing a deal to source V8 engines from BMW – so the Defender (and other future SVR models) is likely to get the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 that currently pumps out up to 460kW/750Nm in the $350,000 BMW M8 Competition.

Autocar speculates that Land Rover is using the 5.0-litre V8 in the pre-production Defender prototype to get an idea of how the 4x4 performs with more power and more weight up front.

Due to arrive in Australia in June, followed by the short-wheelbase Defender 90 two-door in October, the Land Rover Defender 100 is priced between $70,000 and $137,000 and available with two engine options -- a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel four-cylinder (147-177kW/430Nm) and 3.0-litre turbo-petrol six-cylinder (297kW/550Nm).

There is precedent for a V8-powered Defender, however.

The company unleashed the manic Land Rover Defender Works V8 in 2018 and only 150 of those beasts were ever built. Before this, various V8 110 and 90 models were offered including the Rover V8-engined Countys. The new-generation V8 Defender is likely to follow suit as a low-volume niche model to minimise the impact on JLR's fleet-average CO2 emissions.

We drive Land Rover Defender Works V8

Despite being built in right-hand drive and suitable for Australian roads, the Land Rover Defender Works V8 was never officially sold here.

When we drove it last year, we described the old-school Defender V8 as "…equal parts terrifying and life-affirming", but given that 700 customers jostled for just 150 vehicles in the UK alone, it remains to be seen whether the new V8 Defender is ever sold here.

If it is, expect the ballistic Defender SVR to arrive at a similar price point of around £150,000, which equates to a hefty $A288,000.