True. My salesperson told me 2026 Defender orders closed at the end of April. Can't order a Defender until sometime in June when the 2027 order entry system is active.

 

I would assume the N63 would come with the MHEV system as it does in the L460 & L461.

The 5.0 supercharged V8 and the P300 I4 are the only non-MHEV models.

 

Hello everyone, I just registered to post this.

I am located in Europe. I ordered my Defender 90 V8 in April, partially because the dealer told me:

• The SC V8 is ending production and they can only order the V8 until the end of the month, the JRL SC 5.0 V8 wont meet EURO 7 norms, which is fine for the buyer, you can keep driving it, but JLR must stop the production of these vehicles before EURO 7 comes into effect
• After April, the V8 will be probably replaced by a weaker V6 engine
• Defender 90 will not get the engine from Octa
• Octa will actually get a detuned version of the 4.4 BMW engine, because the norms / taxes in Europe are too high for these engines, and the P635 will no longer be available
• Basically "it is the last moment I can get a Defender 90 with the best V8 and maybe the last change to get it with V8 at all"

Then we took a test ride in Defender 110 with P425, we went to a test track through some swamps and forest, then we went to the highway, and it was the most fun ride I have ever had in my life, the combination of a 2 meter tall all terrrain vehicle with the astonishing performance. So I ordered Defender 90 V8 with the plan to have it for the next 4-5 years, until the next gen comes out, then sell it as a pretty awesome, almost collectible vehicle.

• Then these facelift news appear last week, and I got a bit upset, because I basically ordered "pre-facelift" version, and I also thought he could have been making all of that up, to force me to order it, so I called the dealer.
• He told me ha has no information about any upcoming facelift, and that the SC V8 version can no longer be ordered, and that he has received no information what it will be replaced by, they dont know at this point.
• The last production allocations are for July/August and my vehicle is among them. Some European countries have not filled their allocations yet.
• Apart from powertrain changes, the facelift should have no impact on technology or infotainment, there is no new infotainment or better screen to upgrade to, and if there was to be a major change, he would already know about it.
• I told him that if there is a major facelift, I might decide not to pick my vehicle up, when its produced in July, because I dont want to have outdated vehicle from the start.

At that point I was massively upset. I called a second LR dealer to get another source of information.

• He told me they can order SC V8 until the end of May, then it is ending.
• After that, it will be replaced by something else, but JRL still hasnt told them what that will be, but at least in Defender 90, it certainly wont be P635, because of the shorter wheelbase, stability issues and such. He can imagine it wont even be a detuned version of the BMW engine.
• The upcoming facelift is probably just minor design changes and I shouldnt worry about that and getting the SC V8 engine is much more important than having a new bumper.

My opinion is:

• The SC V8 JRL installed into Defenders is a stock pre-produced in previous years, it is no longer being produced and these are really the last cars being built with it. It will not meet EURO 7, but that doesnt matter to the buyer.
• It will be replaced either by BMW V8, or by something weaker. The dealers have not been informed on purpose, for some reason
• The Defender 90 might get a more detuned version than 110 and 130 because of the dimensions
• Theyre not doing major tech changes at this point, because this generation really is old, and it makes no sense to upgrade it before the next gen appears around 2030
• The facelift obviously is there to promote the "new version" with different engines. The whole strategy of doing a partial facelift for MY26 and then another part for MY27 seems strange to me, but it makes sense, if theyre changing the top powertrain for MY27, to give it a new look as well.
• They are adding the captain chairs as an option to Defender 110 to give it a more luxurious feel.
• They are adding black version of those wheels as are seen on the photos.

Open questions:

• If the facelift is upgrading the screen and more tech than just the powertrain, I will not be taking my vehicle most likely, because I was of the belief I am getting the after-midlife version with MY26 that will not receive major update until next gen comes around 2030. I will take the financial hit (I paid 10 % for the order), never buy a LR again and go back to BMW, that has predictable product cycles.
• What version of the BMW engine will be going to Defender 130, 110, and 90. I personally dont care too much, I like the SC V8 and I believe it has a collectible value. I wouldnt mind having a new BMW engine either with the MY27, if there are other upgrades with the facelift.
• If the OCTA really gets a detuned engine (maybe just in Europe?), that will be a major surprise, but it would show that my dealer was actually right all along.

Well, saying that I am nervous is an understatement.

 

Buy what you like now, enjoy it, and try not to worry about what might or might not be coming next. There's always something new around the corner.

 

In my opinion, having the supercharged V8 vastly outweighs if you get a potential facelift or not. Who cares at the end of the day. They aren’t going to give you a bigger screen, the one that was made standard for the 26MY is oversized as it is IMO. I personally have a 21MY Defender, and I have thought about trading it in for a newer one, but ultimately decided it’s just not worth it - I can’t get the same colors, and nothing major has changed. I personally don’t see a point, and I’ll just switch to a Range Rover Sport in a few years (but still keep the Defender as an extra car).

I also think that if this might be what all Defenders will look like, as some here seem to believe, I think it would dilute the OCTA. The OCTA is the top trim that has notable changes over the standard vehicle. It would make the OCTA less special. But if this is a new V8 model as I believe it is, it would tie the V8 and OCTA together as they’d both have the 4.4 V8 from BMW. I could absolutely see that working.

As for the OCTA being detuned, I doubt it - the engine is already Euro 7 compliant, but it’s possible. US spec and other parts of the world shouldn’t be affected - thank Christ we don’t have these overly aggressive and unnecessary emissions regulations. You guys already get a severely detuned version of the 5.0 SC (down 100 horsepower over the V8 model), but at least none of that engine’s character is lost.

 

European laws are more strict than in US, I'm glad I was able to order my '26 110 V8 last year and I received it in April. I'm also glad JLR didn't block the editing of CCF parameters in US for 2026 models. As of right now I'm very happy with the Defender 110 V8 - with just regular maintenance I think the latest version of the AJ133S will last a long time, most major issues of the past were solved like the now aluminum coolant Y-Pipe, the now steel timing chain tensioner buttons, etc. With the CCF tweaks the car now is even better to live with, highly recommend the 5.0 V8 if you still can get it and don't mind the fuel consumption. The V8 version could use a bigger gas tank for better range.

 

Thank you, I don't know anything about the N63 engine but it kind of makes sense seeing as it seems JLR is just taking all engine combinations toward the MHEV system.

 

The fuel tank size is interesting. My 2017 RR has nearly 27 US Gallon tank I think, anyway, about 400-450 on the highway vs barely over 300 in the Defender.
I presume the combination of smaller tank, much less aerodynamic but also much lower fuel economy contribute that large difference.
The RR often gets 22-24mpg whereas the octa can only seem to squeeze out 19 tops, more often like 18 or even less though. The RR also has more efficient tires on so I guess it all adds up.

Do you know when the various things on the 5.0V8 SC were changed that you mentioned? I don't think my 2017 has all of those changes, if any but the LR tech said the original coolant pipes still looked good but if I'm going to keep it, I want to do all of these preventative long term improvements.

 

I think they only changed those in 2021 but I could be wrong. Both are big jobs but well worth it I think. A YT search will give you some vendors who sell complete kits with all metal pipes, thermostat housing, metal elbow hose connectors, etc.. The timing chain tensioners might have been upgraded before 2021 but idk exactly when. Check a 6-video playlist from Waldo's world channel on YT, he did this job on a 2011 (non-SC) with over 168K miles on the clock.

 

Thanks

I am also curious, and will search the rangerovers . net forum, for when the RR "subframe to frame steel to aluminum - dissimilar metals corrosion issue" might have been changed - fear that may be a full model change though, and thus after 2021.