2022 Land Rover Defender 90 V-8 First drive: Ridiculous fun
Our 2021 SUV offers ridiculous performance and a shorter wheelbase in the US.

At a time when fuel prices have soared through the roof, driving a fuel-guzzling SUV seems like a ridiculous and stupid idea. Yet here we are, cruising around Los Angeles in a 2022 Land Rover Defender 90 V-8 when the local average price for a gallon of gas was $5.65 for the regular class and $5.92 for the premium — nearly $2 more than this time last year. . And while the right thing should have been a keen 16 mpg combined, we couldn't help her grounding and laughing as we drove away from nearly every stop.

It's no secret that we're fans of the Land Rover Defender in general. We named it our 2021 SUV of the Year after it checked all the boxes for our benchmarks, a win that came on the back of the I-6 Defender 110, the long-wheelbase model that first arrived in America. Since that time, the lineup has expanded to include a two-door and shorter 90" wheelbase, as well as a V-8 (plus four-cylinder turbo) engine. And believe us, for pure entertainment, there is no better Defender than one that packs the most cylinders possible with the fewest doors.

How does Defender V-8 work?

Arriving in 2022, the powerful V-8 engine stuffed under the hood of the Defender is a supercharged 5.0-liter beast that produces 518 horsepower and 461 pound-feet of torque. It's mated to an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive. According to Land Rover, the Defender 90 V-8 can hit 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, while its top speed is limited to 149 mph.
The craziest part is that it's an SUV capable of off-road driving - not a performance-oriented model. But on the road, the 2022 Land Rover Defender 90 V-8 looks like it was born to please those who like to drive fast. It handles straight-line driving and handles twisty roads with ease. One reason: Because of the extra power (123 horsepower and 55 pound-feet of torque on the Defender's 3.0-liter supercharged electric and inline-6 ​​turbo), engineers added stiffer bushings and larger anti-yaw bars to increase body control.

And indeed, when you turn it into a corner, there's some familiar Land Roar body roll, but the Defender V-8 only tilts once, and takes a set quickly and without drama. No matter how tight the role is, it feels laid-back and cohesive. Switch on Dynamic mode, which can be accessed via the Terrain Management System, and you'll get increased throttle response, a tougher suspension setup, and torque vectoring via a new active electronic real differential. This is definitely when the fun gets bigger. The transmission shifts down quickly and will hold gear when it decides it needs to, while paddle shifters are fitted in case you want to pick the ratios yourself. Power is transmitted to all four wheels in a smooth linear, and the supercharged V-8 engine delivers powerful thrust even at increased road speeds.

Thanks to the air suspension and the magical tuning of the Land Rover engineers, riding on city streets is quite comfortable even with. The wheelbase is short at 90. No vibrations reach the cabin, bumps and broken sidewalks are erased. The steering is a little heavier than that of the non-V-8 models, but it also provides better road feedback.

Of course, to go with the extra power, Land Rover made the brakes stronger. The V-8's blue front brake calipers and 15-inch front rotors are easy to distinguish from the other Defenders, and they live behind the larger 22-inch wheels. The brakes are powerful, progressive and highly effective in all types of driving.