Land Rover has traded the British countryside for the Nurburgring for the development of the all-new Defender V8, as the range-topping variant of the SUV was recently snapped at the German racetrack.
The automaker’s engineers have probably thought that by keeping it undisguised, bystanders will think that it is just another regular Defender. Nonetheless, the burbling V8 is what gave it away, as it did make a lot of noise while it was being pushed through corners.
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Despite not being a full-blown SVR model and thus not a direct challenger to the likes of the Mercedes-AMG G63, the Defender V8 will pack a supercharged 5.0-liter engine, and will probably be the last Land Rover to use it, as this mill will leave production for good in a few months.
Previous reports have indicated that it should pump out around 500 horsepower, roughly 80 HP less than the top G-Wagen, and in order to cope with the extra oomph, it is said to come with an air suspension as standard. This will also ensure that the off-road prowess will not be sacrificed for the sake of making it faster in straight line acceleration and on twisty mountain roads over the regular Defenders.
Land Rover hasn’t announced when the Defender V8 will bow, but it will likely premiere in the first half of next year as a 2021MY.