Land Rover has just started deliveries of the Defender equipped with a V-8 but there’s a more hardcore V-8 option still in the works.
Yes, the latest Defender is expected to have at least two V-8 grades, the regular one already on sale, plus a more capable version possibly wearing an SVX badge and targeting the likes of the Ford Bronco Raptor and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392.
A prototype for the potential Defender SVX may have just been spotted. The prototype features the familiar quad-exhaust tips of the regular Defender equipped with a V-8, along with widened wheel arches, raised suspension, and BFGoodrich all-terrain tires.
2024 Land Rover Defender SVX spy shots – Photo credit: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
It isn’t clear what engine is under the hood. The Defender already offers Jaguar Land Rover’s 5.0-liter supercharged V-8, rated at 518 hp. However, Land Rover has also started offering a BMW-sourced 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged V-8 in the Range Rover, rated at 523 hp.
We should know more as development continues. We currently expect the Defender SVX to land next year as a 2024 model.
If you need reminding, Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations came close to launching a Discovery SVX. It was to be powered by a V-8 and fitted with off-road upgrades, and would have established a new off-roading range for SVO, similar to the division’s SVR track-focused range and SVAutobiography ultra-luxury range. While the Discovery SVX was ultimately canceled, Jaguar Land Rover never ruled out a future SVX vehicle being developed.