We see a lot of Defenders on the road and the road presence is undeniable to say the least while its popularity hasn’t dimmed that. The Defender is one of the most popular luxury cars and Land Rover sells a lot of these SUVs. The appeal is easy too with the looks, toughness and luxury coming into play.
There are a lot of options and variants on offer but amongst all there is now a petrol V8 which is actually one of the most attainable SUVs to be coming with this sort of powertrain. This Defender V8 isn’t to be confused with the Defender Octa which is a whole different ball game altogether while having a different engine with more power.
Anyways the Defender V8 as seen here is priced at Rs 1.4 cr starting while it comes with a P425 V8 engine developing 425hp and 550Nm thanks to the gigantic 5.0-litre, supercharged motor. The gearbox on offer is an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The sound that it makes when you fire up the beast is enough for the V8 to be worth every rupee. It is not very loud so as to wake up the entire neighbourhood but it is enough to plant a smile on your face.
On The Road: Ride, Handling And Efficiency
Inside, the V8 noise is less heard but it is still fun and you enjoy getting any chance to hear it. Yet, at low speeds, this isn’t some performance SUV which is stiff as the Defender is easy to drive despite its size and the steering is light as well along with a proper SUV driving position.
The low speed ride is a bit stiff but it simply batters bad roads while on the air suspension, it simply flies over bad roads. It is fun to drive the Defender V8 as it has the performance but you don’t need to worry about speed breakers or having no roads at all.
What is also surprising is the handling despite the size and weight as while it has body roll but the way it tackles corners is surprising while being extremely fun to drive. Fuel efficiency is not going to be a priority for anyone buying this car but 6-8 kmpl actually isn’t bad for a V8 engine SUV like this.
Cabin Appeal And Allrounder Character
The other factors which make the Defender a success includes the fact that the cabin is the right mix of luxury as well as ruggedness with enough space plus all the luxuries which you expect but not going over the top. The exposed screw heads and the chunky buttons for example remind you that this isn’t your usual luxury SUV.
There is a reason why the Defender is a success and that’s got to do with its allrounder appeal where luxury meets ruggedness without sacrificing both. The V8 engine version makes great sense if fuel bills dont bother you as the engine just has so much character which puts a smile on your face everytime you step onto the driver’s seat!
Segment Pricing Context
Looking at the top-end turbo petrol, the Seltos range here begins at Rs 12.8 lakh and goes on till Rs 19.9 lakh. The Sierra with the turbo petrol begins at Rs 17.9 lakh and goes till Rs 20.9 lakh for the top-end. The Creta turbo petrol range begins at Rs 19.6 to Rs 20.05 lakh. The Victoris does not get a turbo petrol but the strong hybrid model range starts at Rs 16.3 lakh to Rs 19.9 lakh.
The new Seltos comes with a diesel engine as well as with the Creta plus the Sierra. Here, the new Seltos diesel starts at Rs 12.5 lakh while the top-end diesel AT is Rs 19.9 lakh. The Creta diesel meanwhile starts from Rs 12.2 lakh and is till Rs 20.2 lakh. The Sierra diesel range starts at Rs 12.9 lakh while the most expensive version is Rs 21.2 lakh.
The new Seltos then is priced right alongside rivals and it is interesting to see how the market reaction to this SUV would be.
