Reports: Land Rover Defender SVR to be based on a BMW V8

John Edwards, Managing Director of Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, mentioned five years ago that an SVR variant of the Land Rover could arrive to the market ahead of the second generation – and it looks like it is coming next spring.

According to reports, the off-roader will trade its five-liter LR-V8 for a 4.4-liter BMW twin-turbo mill mated to a ZF eight-speed auto transmission.

The technical parameters are not here yet, but the latest BMW M5 has the same engine with 600 PS (592 hp / 441 kW) and 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) of torque. The Competition and CS specifications raise the bar to 625 and 635 PS (616 and 626 hp; 460 and 467 kW), respectively.

Aside from the more capable engine, the SVR could debut with steering and suspension improvements, as well as a special set of wheels. The Mercedes-AMG G 63 with its 4.0-liter V8 TT rated at 585 PS (577 hp / 430 kW) and 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) of torque will be its main rival on the market.

The current-gen Defender maxes out at the P525 spec which packs a five-liter supercharged V8 good for 525 PS (518 hp / 386 kW) and 625 Nm (461 lb-ft) of torque.