High-end Land Rover Defender spied testing

Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) is busy designing the ultimate Land Rover Defender version capable of rivaling the Mercedes-AMG G 63, as these spy shots of a partly cladded SUV posted on Motor1 seem to suggest.

The base vehicle is a Defender 110 with some notable differences from stock. For example, the arches are visibly flared and the ground clearance is much higher. The camo at the front end is much thicker than it used to be on older test vehicles from 2022, suggesting that the car may have been further redesigned ahead of production. There is also a skid plate visible under the front bumper.

A look at the rear end reveals a quartet of exhaust tips, suggesting a beefy V8 under the hood. The finishers look slightly different from those the standard Defender V8 that debuted in February 2021 came with. That off-roader had 525 PS (518 hp / 386 kW) and 625 Nm (461 lb-ft) of torque at its disposal, and the newcomer may have more than that.

It is also expected to be faster and more capable off the grid than the standard version, largely thanks to racing-grade suspension components. We wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the car was co-built with Bowler Motors, which produced a rally raid-ready Defender not long ago.

The first hints at LR preparing a G-Class killer emerged almost as soon as the Def V8 came out. Eight years ago, the British company introduced a number of sub-brands: the luxurious SVAutobiography, the sporty SVR, and the overlanding SVX. The former two have since been actively used while the SVX has never been put on any production car so far. As such, we fully expect the new Defender to wear this badge.