2023 Land Rover Defender 110 V-8

More cylinders make (mostly) everything better

- Jason Gonderman

After decades of absence, the Land Rover Defender returned to America with a bang, winning our 2021 SUV of the Year award in its initial four-door, inline-six-powered 110 form. Since then, the lineup has expanded to include the short-wheelbase, two-door Defender 90; a V-8 engine option; and an even longer, roomier Defender 130.

Buyers can largely mix and match body styles and powertrains, and the sweet spot just might be the 110 V-8 and its 518 hp and 461 lb-ft of torque. It definitely packs a punch, propelling the 5,655-pound Defender 110 to 60 mph in an impressive 4.6 seconds and through the quarter mile in 13.1 seconds at 107.7 mph. Against the I-6 version, those represent improvements of 1.6 and 1.7 seconds, with a 15.7-mph increase in trap speed.