New Land Rover Defender SVX spotted with performance upgrades

The Defender is one of the most capable off-roaders on sale, but Land Rover is pushing the envelope even further with a special edition model - we’ve caught it under development once again. 

We expect this new Defender model to gain the ‘SVX’ moniker that was applied to the most premium editions of the old Defender - including the rare Spectre model for the eponymous James Bond film in 2015. 

This test car is based on the 110 Defender and it’s interestingly missing the rear window tints. The big changes come beneath the window line however. The flared wheel arches are needed because they house some chunky BF Goodrich all-terrain tyres on a new alloy wheel design. The suspension has also been raised up for extra ground clearance and it’s almost certain the spring rates have been adjusted for off-roading too. 

At the front there’s camouflage covering the front bumper and grille - suggesting this SVX model will gain a new face, in a similar fashion to the SVX versions of the old car. The front and rear lights look unchanged from the standard model. 

The powertrain sitting underneath the beefed up bodywork is a mystery. The most obvious choice is the supercharged 5.0-litre V8 from the Defender V8, producing 518bhp and 625Nm of torque. Our images show a quad-exhaust tip set up, but the backbox looks different to the Defender V8 and the tips are set a little further back into the body work. Only time will tell if this Defender has actually made use of Land Rover and BMW’s engine partnership, borrowing the German firm’s 4.4-litre, twin-turbocharged V8. 

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It’s likely that Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations department has been tasked with working on this new range-topper to provide a close rival to Mercedes-Benz G-Class 4x4x2. Land Rover could also be making use of Bowler’s extensive off-road knowledge, given the recent partnership between the two brands. 

With the visual upgrades and the V8 engine, this new model should cost well over the £111,115 price tag for the Defender 110 V8. Don’t expect it to be released until at least next year however. 

Now read more about the new £250,000 Range Rover Lansdowne Edition...