New to Land Rover land - I took delivery (in US) of a '25 P530 SE 7 seater LWB with the BMW twin turbo. Heavily optioned and I am always finding excuses to go drive it, it's one excellent SUV. Black with shadow pkg this is one great looking SUV, the rear end design is amazing in all black.

Now I am contemplating a '26 Defender 110 V8 (not Octa) and would like to know from LR veterans here what to expect (or not) from this model. The Defender would be for daily driving while my L460 is more of a weekend and long trip comfy barge. My current daily is a 2018 AMG GLS63 and while nice and all with a great 5.5 V8, I'm smitten by the LR looks and feel - and yes, Defender V8. Life is short, I don't want any 4 or 6 cyl appliance

 

I'm really happy with my Tasman Blue P400 appliance with 20" wheels and roof rails. But that doesn't apply to what you want or can expect to get with a V8 Defender.

 

I'm also happy with my P300 D90 Tasman/white-roof, 18" steel-wheeled appliance.

 

I have owned the V8 Carpathian edition Defender, two P400 "appliance" Defenders and my current "appliance" Defender is the 2025 P300. I personally like the P300 the best.

 

this is an interesting take, I have a P300 too and always assumed I'd like the V8 more. what did you find worse about the V8 compared to the P300?

 

Nothing wrong with the V8 for everyday use. It is much heavier than the P400 and the P300. The acceleration on the P300 is more linear than the V8 and the P400. Off road, the P300 behaves a lot better than the others. That is my opinion and others may differ.

 

I test drove the V8 and bought the P300. Honestly, comapred to Cayenne/Macan or even X5, that V8 doesn't do very much in that chassis. Do this: go 50mph and floor it on the highway. Barely anything happens. P300 has a similar effect, but at like half the cost. Plus they pump the fake sound through the speakers, augmenting the four-banger so well, it sounds like a small V8 anyway lol

If you want a truly responsive daily, get a Macan S. Here's my spec if you're curious: https://porsche-code.com/PS53DNM8. They're still making them for one last 2026 model year.

 

Thank you for all the replies, very useful info. In terms of longevity and/or ease of care/maintenance, any difference between the i6 and v8? I've read about some issues with the i6 leaky turbo coolant lines, not sure if this was sorted out by LR on recent models. The v8 is appealing not just for the sound but for the torque as well as being an old school supercharged. I have owned a M6 Grand Coupe with the 4.4 BMW twin turbo V8 and it was easy to lose traction flooring it at 60mph - that was a beast of a car but it's out my system now. While the L460 feels a lot smaller than it really is, it's still lot of mass for daily driving. The suggested Macan seems like a very reasonable option but where's the style character... looks too clinical to me. At the end of the day my question is are you happy enough with your Defender to keep it for a long time?

 

I've got the P400. It's great for a daily. Just did 16 hours from Maine to NC in it and had no issues other than the ACC wigging out when someone slows down to get in a left hand turn lane from the lane I'm in.

If I were to get another defender I would get the V8. You seem to be the kind of person that has to have the biggest engine in whatever platform so get the v8.

 

I had the P400. Very good and no complaints. Got the V8 and it is another lever of enjoyment. Love putting in dynamic mode. Exhaust and supercharger sound great.