Yahoo Autos The Land Rover Defender 110 V8 Is Fantastic, Actually
Some people were kind of salty about Land Rover reimagining the Defender a few years ago. They were mad that it was bigger and more modern and had features like independent suspension and infotainment. They lamented the new car’s complexity, and while on some level, I get that nostalgia for a simpler past, the thing is that the new Defender is awesome and arguably a better vehicle in every way.
Seriously. It’s really good. Land Rover nailed the mix of rugged aesthetics with enough creature comforts to justify its price. It also did an excellent job of keeping it functional off-road but still really nice to drive on-road. This is especially true with the 2023 Defender 110 SE V8, which, despite being really pricey at over $107,000, is an incredible car to live with.
Read more
The beating heart of my test vehicle is its now-ancient, but always lovely 5.0-liter supercharged AJ133 V8. It’s been around since 2009, and while it’s on its way out, the 518 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque it produces still feel relevant, even if it will never really light your hair on fire. It’s not slow or ponderous, but it never feels as eager to do anything as its power numbers would have you believe.
That engine is paired with a nicely-tuned eight-speed automatic transmission and full-time four-wheel drive with electronically selectable low-range. This thing is still a Land Rover, after all. In addition to its off-road hardware, you also get Land Rover’s excellent terrain response system that lets you select the type of ground you’re trying to traverse, and then let the SUV sort things out for you. It’s very cool.
