Land Rover Is Giving the New Defender a Supercharged V8

The Defender's new 5.0-liter supercharged 5.0-liter V8 puts out 518 horsepower (more than the Wrangler Rubicon 392) and 461 lb-ft of torque. The Defender 90 version will accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds and hit a top speed of 149 mph, according to Land Rover.

The Defender V8 also comes with extra goodies that go beyond raw power. It boasts a unique suspension and transmission tuning. better-suited for the speedy driving that's a byproduct of more than 500 horses under the hood, including a new Dynamic mode in the Terrain Response System.

It also gets a larger anti-roll bar, a unique electronic active rear differential and a yaw controller to allow "fine control of the cornering attitude." In other words, this Land Rover should drift.

Jeep seldom bothers putting its best stuff in the two-door Wrangler, because only about 10 percent of customers buy it. But purists (if those exist yet for this car) will likely appreciate that Land Rover will let you go hog-wild with a V8-powered Defender 90.

The Defender V8 will be available as a regular model and as a new top-of-the-line Carpathian edition. (No word yet on whether the engine can use Vigo's slime as an alternative fuel source.) The latter comes finished in Carpathian Grey with a contrasting Narvik Black roof, hood and tailgate, and is covered with a Land Rover Satin Protective Film that gives a semi-matte finish and protects against doing...y'know, Defender stuff.

The 2022 Defender models, including the new V8, arrive in the U.S. this summer...amusingly, before the new Bond film that was supposed to preview the 2020 model. Pricing for the new models is TBA, but expect a bit of a premium for those added cylinders.