Land Rover has launched the powerful Defender V8 as part of a range of enhancements to its unstoppable and award-winning 4x4 family. The new 525PS Defender V8 and flagship Defender V8 Carpathian Edition provide a unique combination of performance and capability, with bespoke chassis settings delivering new levels of driver engagement and agility both on and off-road.

The powerful new models build on decades of Land Rover V8 heritage – spanning the original Stage I V8 of the Seventies, North American Specification models of the Nineties and powerful Defender Works V8 – as the characterful engine joins the latest range of efficient Ingenium petrol, diesel and advanced Plug-in Hybrid Land Rover powertrains.

The V8 petrol engine isn’t the only introduction. There's also a new XS Edition, fresh exterior design packs that provide greater personalisation potential and an optional larger 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment touchscreen.

Defender V8 builds on the rugged 4x4’s class-leading capability, delivering new levels of performance and driver engagement by combining a powerful 525PS 5.0-litre V8 supercharged petrol engine with expertly developed suspension and transmission tuning to create the fastest and most dynamically rewarding Defender yet.

The exclusive new Carpathian Edition is based on the Defender V8 and represents the ultimate expression of Defender design, performance and capability, while a new XS Edition replaces the hugely successful First Edition and combines bespoke design and specification enhancements inside and out.