The return of V8 power to the Land Rover Defender this year raises the tantalizing possibility of speccing the lairiest possible version: A supercharged, 516-horsepower, two-door Defender 90. While the four-door V8 110 takes on both the Jeep Wrangler 392 and upcoming Ford Bronco Raptor, neither of them will be offered as two-doors. That makes the V8 90 an exclusive off-road flavor.
Its price is also exclusive. The Defender 90 V8 Carpathian edition that I just spent a week wheeling around southern California stickered at $113,525. A vehicle at this price point is clearly not a need but a want. And, despite myself, I kind of want it.
I would not describe the regular Defenders as underpowered. The base 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo version produces a rather robust, if slightly peaky, 296 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and the upgraded 3.0-liter supercharged mild-hybrid straight-six version makes another 100 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque.
Of course, all this power needs to push around a pretty weighty trucklet—heavier than the two-door Bronco or Wrangler—that features the approximate aerodynamics of a Brooklyn brownstone. The addition of Jaguar Land Rover’s aging-yet-rowdy supercharged 5.0-liter V8 doesn’t exactly seem necessary, but its 516 horsepower and 461 pound-feet are a heady brew.
Upending Truck Conventions
I should note that I’m an owner of a classic Land Rover, a 1990 Range Rover. But, unlike many in this cohort, I do not worship at the altar of the vintage Defender. Though charming and capable, I’ve found that vehicle—which traces its roots directly to the original Land Rover of 1948—too unrefined and agricultural.
This might be apostasy for a lover of old British trucks, but I’m also not exactly a fan of Jeep Wranglers or Ford Broncos either, be they new or vintage, for much the same reasons. Yes, they’re fun, and perform superior Butch Realness Drag. But unless you’re driving at 3 mph over boulders or fording a three-foot deep stream, they meander, they’re noisy, they’re thirsty and they generally drive like crap.
According to recent statistics provided by Strategic Vision, only about one in nine owners of these vehicles regularly engage in such activities, which means the vast majority are very willing to trade terrible road manners for aggro visuals.
The new Defender, however, upends much of that truckish tomfoolery. With an independent suspension front and rear (instead of more traditional live axles), and unibody construction (instead of more traditional body-on-frame) its on-road manners are strangely sublime, especially when compared to the Wrangler and even the more modern 2022 Bronco.
As demonstrated on a recent trip to Land Rover’s off-road driving school in Vermont, with the Defender’s eminently adjustable and technologically sophisticated off-road whiz-bangery, it can conquer just about any terrain thrown at it. (Its ride height and water crossing capabilities trounce both Jeep and Ford.)
The V8 model, and especially the top-of-the-line Carpathian edition, adds to this prowess, not just with much more power for attacking long gravel trails or preventing a loss of momentum when mounting the Great Pyramid of Giza. A more adaptive and dynamic all-terrain system is in place, as is an electronic differential with brake-based torque vectoring, and some other computerized features that make off-roading a breeze.
Boulders Versus Boulevards
Of course, like most drivers of this range-topping status symbol, I never used any of that during my time with this stubby truck. Instead, I did with it what I typically do while visiting LA: drove it hard on some mountain and canyon twisties, ferried friends to dinners and museums and oyster bars and basked in the refracted glow of compliments from valets and passersby whenever I stopped.
The two-tone gloss and matte black paint, the giant 22-inch flattened starfish wheels, the bright blue Brembo front calipers, and especially the chrome quad-tipped dual exhaust outlets and tiny V8 badging on the rocker panels gave away to car-conscious Angelenos (pro tip: they’re nearly all car-conscious) that this was something special.
And with zero-to-60 acceleration in the high 4-second range, it is something special. Sure, the Jeep Wrangler Xtreme 392 can accomplish this in 4 seconds flat, and a Mercedes-AMG G63 can do it in 3.9, but the $76,000 Jeep feels terrifying at that speed, like a shopping cart laden with cinder blocks tumbling down a hill, and the Benz, while intensely luxurious, costs twice that much.
Interestingly, with its independent suspension setup, the Defender V8 offers levels of on-road refinement that the live rear-axle G can’t exactly match. I’m not sure which would offer more confidence in the Afghan steppe, but neither of these six-figure trucks belong there anyway, so maybe this is a moot point?
Life with 90
The interior of the 90 V8 is also a lovely place to spend time, with leather and fake-suede and blacked-out textured material and technical-looking rivets slathered on nearly every surface. The greenhouse is giant, like driving under an oversized square Pyrex dish, with a glass roof and clerestory rear punchouts to let in even more light. The glass roof tilts open, but doesn’t retract.
Sadly, the same can be said for the front seats. The mechanism for entering the spacious back seat requires lifting a hard plastic lever, and then pushing a button which slides the seat forward at a pace that could only be described as geological. This process must be repeated once the seatback is returned to its upright position.
This may seem like a small quibble, but when it happens every time you want to use or access the back seat, it becomes a teeth-gritting frustration. Base-model 90s get a quick-release flip-and-fold system, but not power seats or fancy materials. Having one’s passengers curse your existence while standing in a freak LA rainstorm is not more luxurious.
Also not luxurious? Having your phone sync to Apple CarPlay about one out of every two attempts. Or watching the passenger window repeatedly power itself up and down spasmodically when attempting closure. Despite its best efforts, and six-figure pricing, Land Rover still maintains its abysmal J.D. Power reliability ratings, ranking dead last.
If I were spending my own money on a new Defender, I would get a base two-door with steel wheels and as few electrical gewgaws as possible. But for those who worship at the altar of MORE, the 90 V8 is a sybaritic delight. Just be prepared for some bite to go with all that bark.
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