Land Rover launches 386kW/625Nm Defender V8, Australian pricing revealed

LAND ROVER has officially added V8 muscle to its 2022 Defender family.

The supercharged 5.0-litre V8 - to be made available with both 90 and 110 models - delivers a stonking 386kW and 625Nm, making it the most powerful production Defender ever made.

It's serious power even compared to the Defender Works V8 (298kW and 515Nm), which was created back in 2018 to celebrate Land Rover's 70th anniversary - plus, 25 variants were produced for the 2021 Land Rover Experience at Eastnor Castle.

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Land Rover has also tickled the Defender's suspension and transmission, specifically tuning the V8 variant to be an even more agile and engaging experience. To this end, bespoke spring and damper rates, as well as a new electronic active rear diff (with yaw controller) are utilised.

A new Dynamic mode within the Terrain Response system is also unique to the V8 Defender.

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“The 5.0-litre V8 supercharged engine further enhances the unique character of the Defender. It sounds fantastic and delivers incredible performance – providing new levels of driver appeal," said Iain Gray, Senior Manager, Powertrain Advanced Engineering, Jaguar Land Rover.

"Our engineering focus has been to optimise powertrain calibration for Defender to deliver both responsive on-road performance and fine control off-road – all without compromising Defender’s unstoppable all-terrain capability and wading ability.”

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Time was also spent ensuring the visceral V8 soundtrack had maximum aural impact, with Land Rover tuning the induction and exhaust systems – flick it to Dynamic mode for full effect.

If you can't hear it, bespoke exterior badging, quad exhausts and 22-inch alloys will help to distinguish it from its stablemates.

In addition, Land Rover also revealed a special edition Defender XS, to be slotted into the line-up above the SE models.

Also available in both 90 and 110 bodies, the XS is available exclusively with the P400 petrol engine and features a handful of style tweaks: bespoke lower cladding, lower wheel arches and 20-inch alloys.

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2022 Land Rover Defender pricing for Australia

• 90 P300: $74,640
• 90 D200: $81,290
• 90 D250 S: $90,450
• 90 P300 S: $83,470
• 90 P400 SE: $100,450
• 90 P400 XS Edition: $110,640
• 90 P400 X: $141,480
• 90 P525 V8: $200,540
• 110 P300: $76,960
• 110 D250: $82,590
• 110 D250 S: $91,220
• 110 P400 S: $92,360
• 110 D300 SE: $ 96,780
• 110 P400 SE: $103,800
• 110 P400 XS Edition: $113,580
• 110 D300 X-Dynamic HSE: $113,980
• 110 P400 X-Dynamic HSE: $120,480
• 110 D300 X: $143,190
• 110 P400 X: $145,290
• 110 P525 V8: $205,500