The newest member of what is now a huge Defender family promises to be capable off road, despite its overt sporting emphasis. As well as the new Dynamic mode, Land Rover engineers have fitted larger-diameter anti-roll bars, stiffer bushes and a new yaw control system within the electronic rear diff for what they say is finer control of cornering attitude at and beyond the limit of grip. The result, they say, is a Defender with a “more playful and responsive character”. This then is the Defender to chuck around on a loose surface.
But will all this allow it to see off its nearest serious off-roader rival, the 584PS (430kW) AMG G63? The British V8 gives away 60PS (44kW) in power to the German as well as a heap of torque, and can’t quite keep up, but at 5.2 seconds for the 0-62mph dash (4.5 for the AMG) and a 149mph top speed it’s the fastest Defender ever made. At £98,505 for the 90 wheelbase three-door model and £101,150 for the five-door 110, it’s also around £40,000 cheaper than the AMG.
The distinctive paint job and body wrap are exclusive to the Carpathian flagship, which is a limited edition, but everything else is shared with the regular Defender V8 which, oddly, is priced the same. We think it’s a shame there’s not a less well specced V8 entry model for less money. With the Defender’s V8 heritage stretching back to the 1970s, there are surely still people who think that a Defender is not a real Defender without a bent eight and who don’t mind 19.5mpg.