2022 Land Rover Defender supercharged V8 is go! Due in Australia in July
New supercharged V8 headlines a range of updates to the Land Rover Defender coming this year.
The 2022 Land Rover Defender will soon have the option of a powerful new 5.0-litre supercharged V8 – as part of a broader range expansion – the British brand has confirmed.
Ending months of speculation, Land Rover's first-ever supercharged Defender V8 is due in Australian showrooms from July priced from around $200,000 plus on-road costs.
While previous generations of the Land Rover Defender have had V8 power, this is the first with supercharged grunt, making it the most powerful Defender of all time – in its 73-year history.
It's a sizeable jump from the output of the original Defender V8 introduced in 1983, which had just 67kW.
Known as the 'P525', the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 in the new Land Rover Defender pumps out 386kW (525 metric horsepower, thus its name) and 625Nm.
That’s enough to launch the three-door Defender 90 from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.2 seconds, or the heavier five-door 110 in a claimed 5.4 seconds. Power is sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission and, with the optional 22-inch alloys, both models max out at 240km/h.
The V8 variant – priced from $200,540 plus on-road costs in the 90 or $205,500 in the 110 – also gets a bespoke suspension set-up for improved handling, exclusive exterior badging, quad exhausts, and Xenon Blue front brake callipers clamped around "20-inch discs" (though they appear far smaller in Land Rover's official photos).
The new eight-pot powertrain now joins the line-up alongside a 221kW P300 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder, 294kW P400 3.0-litre turbo petrol inline-six, 147kW D200 2.0-litre turbo diesel four-cylinder (exclusive to the 90), 183kW D250 3.0-litre turbo diesel six-cylinder, or a 221kW D300 3.0-litre turbo diesel six-cylinder.
Plug-in hybrid and all-electric variants have also been in development for some time – with the former already on sale in Europe – but are yet to be confirmed for the Australian market.
Land Rover has also introduced a new XS Edition trim level, alongside new exterior design packages and an optional new centre-mounted 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment touchscreen (up from 10 inches).
2022 Land Rover Defender Australian pricing
- 90 P300 – $74,640
- 90 D200 – $81,290
- 90 D250 S – $90,450
- 90 P300 S – $83,470
- 90 P400 SE – $100,450
- 90 P400 XS Edition – $110,640 (new)
- 90 P400 X – $141,480
- 90 P525 V8 – $200,540 (new)
- 110 P300 – $76,960
- 110 D250 – $82,590
- 110 D250 S – $91,220
- 110 P400 S – $92,360
- 110 D300 SE – $ 96,780
- 110 P400 SE – $103,800
- 110 P400 XS Edition – $113,580 (new)
- 110 D300 X-Dynamic HSE – $113,980
- 110 P400 X-Dynamic HSE – $120,480
- 110 D300 X – $143,190
- 110 P400 X – $145,290
- 110 P525 V8 – $205,500 (new)
Note: All prices listed above exclude on-road costs.
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