The Land Rover Defender 110 V8 is excellent. Some folks were irritated when Land Rover reimagined the Defender a few years ago. They were enraged because it was larger and more modern, with features like independent suspension and infotainment.
Land Rover Defender 110 V8
They complained about the new car’s complexity, and while I understand their yearning for a simpler time, the fact is that the new Defender is amazing, and possibly a better vehicle in every regard.
Seriously. It’s fantastic. Land Rover got the balance of rugged appearance and creature comforts exactly right. It also did an outstanding job of keeping it practical off-road while remaining a pleasure to drive on the road. This is especially true for the 2023 Defender 110 SE V8, which, despite its high price tag of more than $107,000, is a fantastic car to live with.
My test vehicle’s beating heart is its now-ancient, but always gorgeous 5.0-liter supercharged AJ133 V8. It’s been around since 2009, and while it’s on its way out, its 518 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque still feel relevant, even if it won’t set your hair on fire. It’s not slow or heavy, but it never appears to be as eager to do anything as its power figures would suggest.
This engine is mated to a well-tuned eight-speed automatic gearbox, as well as full-time four-wheel drive with electrically adjustable low-range. After all, this is still a Land Rover. In addition to its off-road capabilities, the SUV includes Land Rover’s superb terrain response system, which allows you to select the type of terrain you’re trying to traverse and then let the SUV figure it out for you. It’s really cool.
Unsurprisingly, the Defender’s suspension is a height-adjustable air suspension system. It’s quite well-tuned here, with good ride comfort and a wide range of height adjustment that makes getting into and out of the SUV much easier, while still providing adequate ground clearance when you leave the roadway.
What sells me on the Defender is its presence, not its powers or the heritage of its namesake. The presence of a Land Rover product is vital to its success, particularly in the United States. Buyers in our country can get many cars that will do what a Defender, Discovery, or Range Rover will do on or off-road, often for less money, but the reason people return to the brand is the way it makes you look and feel when you’re in it.
The Defender has been popular in this market because, more than anything else in Land Rover’s range short of the full-fledged Range Rover, it exudes an effortless superiority to the automobiles surrounding it.
It straddles the line between refinement, style, and capability, something Land Rover excelled at with the LR3 and LR4 models but failed to achieve with the fifth-generation Discovery. Driving a Defender, especially one with a velvety-smooth V8 burble, makes you feel like a celebrity.
Also Read: Land Rover Defender 90 V8 2022 Price in Pakistan
