2023 Land Rover Defender Performance

The 2023 Land Rover Defender lineup is serviced by either a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder or a 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbo with mild-hybrid technology. The four-pot offers 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque and the bigger unit manages strong outputs of 395 horsepower and 406 lb-ft. A powerful 5.0-liter supercharged V8 with 518 hp and 461 lb-ft sits in the top trims. Regardless of the model you go for, the Defender comes with a standard eight-speed automatic transmission and four-wheel drive.

No version of the Defender can be described as slow, with even the heavier Defender 110 with the smaller engine managing a 0 to 60 mph sprint of 7.0 seconds and a top speed of 119 mph. However, the six-pot mild hybrid is much quicker. When this engine is equipped to the Defender 90, the 0-60 sprint takes only 5.7 seconds, although the top speed remains restricted to just 119 mph. The only Defender equipped with this six-cylinder engine without the hybrid assistance is the 130 S and although it develops the same 296 hp as the base four-cylinder engine, it has a handy 347 lb-ft on tap, which makes it feel quicker than its claimed 7.5-second sprint to 60 mph. The combination of the powerful V8 and the compact 90 body makes for a performance Defender that can blast to 60 mph in under five seconds. The Defender's maximum towing capacity works out to a competitive 8,201 lbs. German rivals like the Audi Q5 can't tow nearly as much as the Land Rover and certainly can't go off-road in the same way this can.

The Defender is available with a choice of four powertrains. The base 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder produces 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, the 3.0-liter turbocharged six-cylinder engine manages 296 hp and 347 lb-ft without and 395 hp and 406 lb-ft with mild-hybrid assistance, and the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 develops 518 hp and 461 lb-ft. All engines are linked to a ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic gearbox.

The base engine is refined enough and provides reasonable passing power at higher speeds, although it does have to contend with the Land Rover's considerable weight so can feel a bit strained when towing or when the vehicle is fully loaded. The bigger engine's hybrid system can harvest, store, and redeploy energy, while the 48-volt electric supercharger provides an extra surge of power. It easily feels quicker from behind the wheel once you get past the turbo lag at lower revs, but the smooth eight-speeder does a great job of getting the most out of both power plants. The 130 S is the only model with the non-hybridized 3.0-liter turbo engine that develops the same 296 hp as the base four-cylinder, but 347 lb-ft of torque - 52 lb-ft more than the base engine. With the addition of the non-hybridized six-pot and the V8, there is now a Defender at every performance level, although the V8s are very thirsty.

The base 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder engine returns EPA estimates of 18/21/20 mpg in the 90 body and 17/21/19 mpg in the 110 body. Next up is the non-hybrid 3.0-liter turbocharged six-pot, only found in the 130 S trim, which returns the same 17/21/19 mpg as the four-cylinder 110. With hybrid assistance in the P400 models, this six-cylinder becomes the most frugal engine in the lineup, returning 18/23/20 mpg in the 90 and 110 bodies and 17/21/19 mpg in the 130 body. Predictably, the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 is the guzzler - the 90 V8 returns 15/19/16 mpg and the 110 V8 14/19/16 mpg.

The more compact Defender 90 comes with a 23.4-gallon gas tank, allowing for a range of around 445 miles for the 2.0L, 468 miles for the 3.0L mild hybrid, and 374 miles for the V8. The 110s have a 23.8-gallon tank and the corresponding range estimates for the three engines are around 428, 476, and 381 miles, respectively. The 130s also have a 23.8-gallon tank and they can reach just over 450 miles on a full tank.