Just as the title of this article implies, the 2022 Land Rover Defender 90 is an insane vehicle. With a starting price of $118,600, this vehicle has many exciting features such as an extended leather upgrade, heated rear seats, electronic air suspension, etc. It comes with a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine that produces 520 horsepower and 461 lb-ft of torque with a maximum speed of 191/240 km/h.
This article outlines everything you need to know about the 2022 Land Rover Defender 90 V8, so keep reading for more information.
Overview of the 2022 Land Rover Defender 90
The 2022 Land Rover Defender 90 is insane because of this vehicle’s short-wheelbase two-door version (which we are reviewing), but it has a 520 horsepower V8 and a sticker price of around $115,000. This is surprising as most of the high-powered SUVs out there are the long wheelbase four-door versions – the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon (392) produces 470 horsepower from its 6.4-liter engine.
The new Land Rover Defender came out a few years ago and offered the choice between a six-cylinder or four-cylinder engine. Now, there is an available V8 supercharged engine and is available in the four-door defender model 110 or the two-door defender model 90 – this means that there is 520 horsepower in a vehicle that is as long as a Toyota Yaris.
Features of the 2022 Land Rover Defender 90
The Defender 90 Lineup
There is a base model of the Land Rover Defender 90 with four cylinders and about 300 horsepower. You can upgrade to a six-cylinder with about 400 horsepower and a supercharged V8 with 520 horsepower. This is a massive number, especially for the Defender 90. Now, they are offering the V8 in two body styles; the two and four-door body.
The Defender 110 (four-door body style) – 0-60 is 5.2 seconds while the Defender 90 (two-door body style) – 0-60 is 4.9 seconds. The two-door body style is faster because it is a smaller vehicle (only 170 inches long if you do not count the spare tire). A Toyota Yaris Sub Compact (the cheapest entry-level Toyota) is 174 inches long.
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Some Changes Made to the V8 Defender
A V8 badge on the front doors is one way to distinguish the V8 Defender from other Defender models. There are also blue brakes in the V8 vehicles, although they are only upfront. Blue brake caliper up front but nothing like that in the back, which is somewhat an odd decision but a change nonetheless.
The V8 model has larger brakes, which is not surprising to keep the extra power in check (15-inch brakes). The V8 model also has larger wheels; it comes standard with 22-inch wheels, giving a sporty vibe. If you want more off-road experience, you can pay extra to go down to 20-inch wheels but get all-terrain tires.
Another noticeable change to the V8 Defender is the exhaust; a quad exhaust is very distinctive and has a great sound. The regular Defender is offered in many colors, but the V8 is only available in white, black, or gray. There is a standard active electronic rear differential in the V8, a feature that is optional on the regular Defender.
You also have beefier control arms in the Defender 90 V8, which are muscular and enable you to go anywhere and do anything. There is a new mode in the drive mode system called the Terrain Response System (Dynamic mode for more powerful and sporty driving).
The Backseat
To get to the backseat, there is a little latch on the side of the front seat that you pull, and then tap the little button underneath to move the seat forward. The backseat of the Defender 90 is pretty roomy, and there are some cool features; massive side windows, safari windows on the roof, and a huge sunroof that goes over both rows of seats.
Cup holders are mounted on the floor, which is a strange design, and are also in the center armrest. There are different amenities on the rear center control; charge ports (two USB-C and two cigarette lighter style ports) and two-zone rear seat climate controls.
Cargo Area
The cargo area of the Defender 90 is tiny, which is quite understandable considering it is a two-door body style vehicle with a spacious backseat. If you want more space, you can fold the rear seats by pulling the little latch on top of the seat body and pushing them down. Of course, if you do this, you cannot have passengers in the backseat.
There is a household-style power outlet on the cargo area side, a small storage compartment on the tailgate door, and a little cloth that serves as the cargo area cover – stick it into the holes on the side, and you have your cover.
Exterior Design
The taillights in the Defender 90 are bizarre – there are two larger square-shaped taillights on the inside panel and two smaller square-shaped taillights on the outside panel. In North America, these function as brake lights; they light up until you turn on your turn signals, and whichever side the turn signal is on completely lights up. In other markets, the brake lights are the inner larger ones, while the turn signals are the outer smaller ones.
Land Rover says that the brake lights were intended to be a throwback to the old-school Defenders that had lights in the corner. But, it is regulatory because of rear sight lines – several governments require the brake light to be visible from certain angles. You can use recovery hooks to pull people if they get stuck or vice versa.
The Defender 90 does not have recovery hooks in the front of the car and cannot be added, which is quite disadvantageous to off-roaders. A winch can be used as a substitute but is very expensive and will not serve the exact purpose. The radar sensors and the front grille are built into the Land Rover logo – the logo is one big sensor cap where your adaptive cruise control and others are located.
Interior Design
The word ‘V8’ is the first thing you see on the door when you open it up. An Alcantara steering wheel is not in the standard model, and Alcantara seat centers (partially leather, partially Alcantara). These are the only V8 upgrades inside the vehicle; the others are from the standard Defender.
The biggest and most notable item in the V8 is the relatively large center screen and new for 2022 (under 12 inches). It has the same screen functionality as the 2020 model; the only difference is that it is on a larger scale, making things easier to touch and see. One interesting feature of the center screen is that the Defender 90 includes Land River’s Wade Sensing System (which actively measures the depth of water you are wading through and informs you if it is getting too high).
Another cool feature of the infotainment system is the camera; a cool around view camera allows you to see the car from the outside. This feature is common in most cars, so what makes it different is that you can leave the camera on as you drive. The gauge cluster screen is fantastic, high-resolution, easy to operate, and tremendously configurable (it can display whatever you want).
The rearview mirror turns to a screen when you flip the switch. The center console is not just a storage compartment but also a cooler, a small panel in front of the center console that serves as a wireless charger, and a little compartment for storing things above the glove box with a USB-C port for charging devices.
There are different charge ports in the front of the Defender 90; USB-C, USB-A, and a cigarette lighter style charge port. There is a built-in door blind spot system that will turn on whenever you need to open your car door, so you do not have to look behind.
Conclusion
With all these cool features above, it is safe to say that the 2022 Land Rover Defender 90 V8 is insane and worth the price.
