Land Rover Working on Defender SVR Model

Fast SUVs are a market trend that’s been picking up in recent years, and Land Rover has capitalized on that with its SVR line. You might not think the boxy Defender with all its off-road capabilities would be a good candidate for such treatment, but you’d be wrong. After all, the Mercedes G-Wagen has been modified by AMG to be far too powerful, and for inexplicable reasons people shell out top dollar for it.

The Land Rover Defender SVR could pack a 4.4-liter V-8 sourced from BMW, if you believe a recent report. Considering the German automaker will be supplying engines to Jaguar Land Rover, that’s not difficult to take seriously. If true, it would mean the Defender SVR would have about 500 horsepower on tap, pretty much matching what you get with the Mercedes-AMG G63.

It’s a time of fast bricks, when automakers are mostly concerned with aerodynamics and fuel efficiency, so this is truly an odd move. But you know people will gladly line up with wads of cash to grab a Defender SVR and Jaguar Land Rover will laugh all the way to the bank.

Of course, this wouldn’t be the quickest nor the most powerful Land Rover model. You can get a Range Rover Sport SVR with a supercharged V-8 and 575 horsepower. That engine, sourced from Ford, should be going away as BMW powerplants trickle through the lineup in the coming years.