WILD, WILD BEST

While Jaguar phases out internal combustion engines, Land Rover acts as the 'eight-keeper', celebrating those glorious V8 powerplants now in two different versions. GQ motoring ed Dieter Losskarn tested both the Defender with a super-charged V8, as well as the twin-turbo V8 Range Rover

YOUR V8 WITH EITHER AMERICAN OR BAVARIAN HERITAGE. The Defender V8's powerplant has had a long tradition of firing up Fords once upon a time. Meanwhile, the Range Rover P530 engine was developed by BMW. The latter is significantly more civilised than the one originating in the US of A.

But man, this V8 suits Shorty, the name of our Defender 90. Especially in this blackedout version, with those impressive quad exhausts in the rear. Air suspension and chassis were specifically modified to enable the 2.5tonne fun machine to cope with the acceleration numbers of a Porsche Cayenne. In fast turns I can feel those stabilisers, enabling cornering without any problems.

On road it’s a comfortable SUV, with exact steering and a ZF eight-speed gearbox, smoothly changing gears. Due to the 22-inch wheels – which look stunning – the air suspension ride quality is not quite as flawless as in other LR models. Off-road it is more than capable – a typical Land Rover.