Land Rover Defender 90 V8 Review

Land Rover has finally let loose its new 2022 Defender V8, adding a much-requested engine upgrade for the SUV. For those living under a rock, the new Defender combines retro-inspired styling with the sort of off-road abilities you’d expect from what’s arguably the automaker’s most enduring nameplate.

While initial reviews from yesteryear– ours included – were positive, one omission was under the bonnet. Land Rover launched the Defender with a pair of inline-six engines as the biggest on offer, not exactly slow but also not having that V8 grunt that some fans (myself included) of the SUVs really wanted. Happily, it has been corrected for the new 2022 model year.

The 2022 Defender V8 has a 5.0-liter supercharged V8, with 386 kW of power and 625 Nm of torque. It is offered in both the Defender 110 and Defender 90 body styles – with five and three doors, respectively – with the latter doing 0-100 km/h in 5.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 240 km/h. That’ll make it the fastest and most powerful production Defender ever, Land Rover says. And we agree.

For our review, we were granted the 90 model. As you’d expect, all-wheel drive is standard, along with special suspension and transmission tuning. There’s a new Electronic Active Rear Differential which deliver improvements in handling and body control, and an eight-speed automatic transmission. A new Dynamic program in the Terrain Response system is exclusive to the V8 SUVs, intended for more spirited driving on asphalt and loose surfaces.

Helping there, there is larger solid anti-roll bars, and retuned Continuously Variable Damping. Torque vectoring with braking is supported, with Land Rover fitting Xenon Blue front brake calipers for the 15-inch front discs. V8-exclusive 22-inch alloy wheels and quad tailpipes add mean styling to the defender. Our Defender 90 V8 came in Santorini Black – with Shadow Atlas exterior trim detailing, but if that’s not up your alley there’s also Carpathian Grey and Yulong White, both with a contrast Narvik Black roof colour options.

See our video review of the Defender 90 V8 below.

Inside, there is special Ebony Windsor Leather with Mike Suedecloth and Robustec accents. The exposed cross-car beam running along the dashboard is finished in Satin Black. The steering wheel gets Alcantara on the rim and satin chrome paddle-shifters, along with leather on the airbag housing that matches the gear selector trim. Finally, the illuminated tread plates have V8 badging.

For other specs, there’s the electronic air suspension, adaptive dynamics, tri-zone climate control, and adaptive cruise control. It also features the updated Pivi Pro infotainment system, which is new for the 2022 model year. That has wireless device charging with a phone signal booster, plus can be had with a larger 11.4-inch touchscreen with curved glass.

Land Rover has simplified the menu structure, and there’s new navigation with dynamic guidance. Intelligent route learning promises to figure out your common routes and propose them – complete with adjustments for traffic – when you get into the car.

Pricing for the 2022 Defender V8 retails from R2.3m.

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Papi Mabele

Papi Mabele has a marketing background, he is a digital marketing expert with extensive experience in launching and building global brands in the emerging markets. Papi is also an avid tech writer, enthusiast and all round tech junkie. As a freelance writer and analyst he has been numerously published in Popular Mechanics (SA), GQ South Africa, Premier Magazine, Driven Magazine, Bloem News, Courant, The Weekly, Enthooze Magazine and PiE magazine amongst others.