£120k Defender V8: Why is it so popular?!

This is the Land Rover Defender 130!

It’s an 8-seat behemoth that's one of the most imposing cars you can buy in 2024. What’s more, it’s super popular, with over 110,000 bought worldwide in 2023 alone!

The thing is, it doesn’t exactly come cheap. The edition we have here comes with a supercharged V8, and it costs around £117,000!! So why is it so popular?

Well for starters, let’s check out the design. As we said, it’s superimposing, and it just has a real presence on the road. The V8 edition comes with 22” alloys, and we think the large overhang at the rear for the 3rd row of seats looks pretty smart. The boxy design makes it instantly recognisable as a Defender, and what’s more, step around the back and you’ll find a set of 100% real quad tailpipes!

The engine is a real dream too. It’s powered by a 5-litre Supercharged V8, and this is good for 500hp. It’s super responsive and it sounds absolutely raucous both inside and out. There’s no sign of a soft limiter here!

However, it’s not all good. The interior is pretty well laid out, but there are lots of scratchy and cheap-feeling materials throughout the cabin. What’s more, the infotainment system isn’t exactly the best, either.

You may think these are minor things, but when you consider that it comes with a six-figure price tag, is it really worth it? You’ll need to stick with Mat and see for yourself!

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:30 Design
01:20 0-60mph
02:44 Chassis
03:40 Engine
04:53 Revs
05:18 Interior
07:12 Annoying Features
09:18 Back Seats
12:06 Infotainment & Dials
12:50 Country Road Driving
13:43 Verdict

[SubjectiveFunny]

5.4s ISNT quick???
You have been driving far too many supercars recently Matt...

[brianiswrong]

In what world is a 2.5 tonne 8 seater slow from 0 to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds 😮😮
Oh yeah
In matt Watson world of gt3rs and rs7.

[debmalyaghosh]

Defender 110 is the most proportionate Defender

[skatinrocker]

The ‘scratchy’ panel on the dash isn’t plastic, it’s actually magnesium. The materials in it are generally pretty good.
I’ve had a look at some of the E-tron & BMW stuff of similar price points and they aren’t great

[iainhughes]

Being a Proper Off-road Vehicle, why on earth does it matter how fast it can go 0-60? As long as it can comfortably match modern regular traffic, why would it be so important? If you want a sports car driving experience, then buy a sports car ( but don't try taking it off-road)!!

[seshagiribhamidi]

As much I respect Matt. Gotta admit, the 110 version of the Defender is the best looking🔥🔥

[davidhayes]

It is still astonishing that this huge tub with an “uneconomical 500 hp V8” is more economic than the 1980s V8 LandRover with a detuned 135 hp Buick derived engine.

[fjxctje]

90 looks cool, 110 looks alright, 130 looks like a coffin with wheels

[van_trippin]

and over 109, 000 of those will never see any dirt. Mostly used on the school run dropping off Chantal and Beffanyyyy
edit - for the record, not jealous at all, we are all free to waste our money on whatever we choose. Have one on finance and you're a massive mug but have the cash go for it :)

[faugrad]

Of the 110k sold last year I think 80k are here in Texas alone. I see these things everywhere!

[JackInDaBoxx]

Im impressed with that 3rd row space. Id focus more that 2 adults could easily sit there no problem. Id say if you're wanting a family 7 seater this is a top tier contender

[Nicki_Minaj]

living in Cheshire... this is every car in the school drop-off line... every car in the driveway of medium - big houses... every car speeding in the outside lane... and every car illegally parked on double yellows

[philjackman]

I am on my second 110 HSE ...lost £1800 over two years on the last one ...the D300 is ALL you need ...STUPID paying £90k plus ...I use mine all the time ...do go off road ...have had 7 discovery's and two range rovers ...THIS IS SIMPLY THE BEST EVER !

[zee]

"5.4s is reAsOnaBLy quick..."
Were you hit in the head recently, Matt? That's more than quick enough for a bldy SUV!

[michelbruns]

Out of the 110000 people, 5000 use the size of the car in a proper way

[michalrajnic]

I love my D200 110 so much I’ve just ordered a second one! I stupidly specced coils rather than air on the first. I have towed cars, tractors, offroaded, carried tools, been on holiday, cruised at 160kmh (germany) and even used it as a mall crawler. It is an incredibly versatile vehicle.

[zubairhauman]

here in south africa, specifically in cape town of course, you see these everywhere and i always wondered what was so special about these but yeah they look so cool and definitely one of my favourite cars

[MD-xbqw]

I own the 4cyl turbo and it’s plenty. I really enjoy this truck. Lots of road presence and class.

[darktech]

We had a defender, it was a pretty good vehicle and the wife loved it. We ended up trading it in because the defender is just not a practical city driver, the wife had a hard time parking it downtown and in the city in general. The defender is pretty wide and at a weird height overall. If she didn't lower her suspension all the way for her underground parking or even at the local mall she would hit the bars. Anyway we traded it for a bmw x3 m40i and havnt looked back.

[jonno]

Nothing like a massive 4x4 to drive around the main roads of Surrey/Berkshire.