Land Rover has unwrapped its eagerly-anticipated V8-powered Defender as well as a cool-looking XS Edition. Both models are expected to touch down in South Africa before the end of 2021.

Despite Jaguar Land Rover's move to electrification, there's still place for the internal combustion engine it seems. Land Rover has introduced its V8-powered Defender, as well as some special editions.

The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine gets another lease on life and in Defender application, it produces 368 kW and 625 Nm. Power goes to all 4 wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox and performance is brisk, with Land Rover claiming this is the quickest Defender. 0-100 kph is dispatched in a claimed 5.2 seconds for the Defender 90 and it'll run to a top speed of 240 kph. Expect the bigger Defender 110 to be fractionally slower than that.

It's not just about the engine though, with Land Rover revising thesuspension and transmission tuning, including bespoke spring and damper rates and fitting a new Electronic Active Rear Differential. You'll be able to spot the new model with its quad exhausts, that's if you don't hear it first.

The Land Rover Defender XS Edition comes to market with a fresh exterior design as well as greater personalisation potential, as well as an even larger 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment touchscreen which is available as an option. The XS Edition replaces the popular First Edition model range and comes to market with a number of new exterior packs.The XS Edition is available with a choice of powerful and efficient powertrains, including the 2.0-litre D240 diesel and 3.0-litre P400 petrol.

There's a new flagship Defender too. Badged as the Carpathian Edition, it's said to be the "ultimate expression of Defender design, performance, and capability". It has an exclusive colour, blue brake callipers, and exclusive interior trim options.

Land Rover South Africa has confirmedthe new Defender V8 and XS models will be coming to South Africa, with pricing and SA-spec to be announced closer to the launch date. Both models will be hitting showrooms at the end of 2021.

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