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Manhart Gives Land Rover Defender 500-HP Of Attitude

This particular Defender prefers tarmac to gravel.

It’s safe to say that the all-new Land Rover Defender is a success. The British marque has battled to keep up with strong demand for the SUV, which has proved itself to be a superb off-roader. But there is a group of buyers who will also buy the Defender for its appearance and image, not necessarily to go hunting down Jeeps in the wild. For them, Manhart has just revealed its new Defender DP 500. The German tuner has gained prominence for making some already great sports cars even better than the stock model, so it’s no surprise that the DP 500 is a Defender with upgrades aimed at making it even better on-road, but maybe not as good off-tarmac.

As a starting point, Manhart used a Defender 110 P400. The stock P400 power plant is a 3.0-liter six-cylinder with turbocharging and a mild hybrid system that already produces a strong 395 horsepower (Manhart quotes the slightly higher 400 cv figure) and 406 lb-ft of torque. Naturally, Manhart thought that wasn’t quite brawny enough and increased outputs to 505 mechanical horsepower and 524 lb-ft with an engine control software remap, making it nearly as powerful as the new Defender V8. Manhart will also offer the option of lowering the suspension by 30 mm (about 1.2 inches) and a special stainless steel exhaust system with carbon or ceramic-coated tailpipes is said to be on the way.

Added performance aside, Manhart’s DP 500 looks as aggressive as any BMW M or Mercedes-AMG SUV. It rides on enormous 24-inch Manhart Forged Line wheels although smaller 22-inch wheels for off-road use are also available – we imagine without the suspension drop. This Defender also gets wing flares and silver stripes which contrast nicely with black paint. The cabin is highlighted by a mix of leather/Alcantara with various accent choices and Manhart ErgoMed front seats from Recaro. The tuner’s product page didn’t list an overall price for all these upgrades although the ECU software mapping does cost €2,973 ($3,550 at current rates) and the lowered, optimized air suspension costs €499 ($596).

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Article Credit: Karl Furlong
Full Article: https://carbuzz.com/news/manhart-gives-land-rover-defender-500-hp-of-attitude

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Lifted Land Rover “Big Bertha” Defender Fits 35-Inch Wheels, Goes Where It Wants

Following the launch of the all-new Land Rover Defender last year, one of the main criticisms laid at the SUV’s feet was that it didn’t wasn’t as readily modifiable as the old model it shares its name with.

That idea was further supported by what happened with TFL’s second attempt to get their hands on a new Defender: after the first one’s engine died prematurely, the second one was deemed undeliverable after a vital cable harness was severed during the seemingly simple installation of a winch.

Meanwhile, the Internet is full of new Defenders modified to varying degrees, from the mild (mostly aesthetic) to the extreme (stuff that makes the vehicle more off-road capable). This almost-white P400 you’re about to see definitely falls into the latter category, featuring a cure to one of the vehicle’s greatest problems: its poor tire selection.

There are two things that limit the new Defender to a 33-inch tire, and they are the wheel size (no smaller than 19 inches for the six-cylinder engine) and the clearance in the wheel arch needed to fit 35s or larger. Now, the clever people at J Austen Fabrications have come up with a sub-frame lift kit that can bump the ground clearance by anything from two to six inches. The great thing about it is it doesn’t affect the vehicle’s original air suspension, allowing it to function as before, which means an extra inch and a half of lift is on the cards.

“Big Bertha”, the Land Rover Defender featured in the clip below, uses a two-inch lift from J Austen Fabrications as well as two-inch lift rods for a total gain of four inches. Then, it was time for “a bit of trimming” to make room for the 35s, a process that also required the relocation of some components. Finally, the brakes needed a bit of adjustment as well since the size of the rotors didn’t allow 18-inch wheels. With that taken care of as well – and the exhaust muffler removed too – Big Bertha was ready to take on the trails. The most difficult of them.

According to the owner, the total cost for this conversion is somewhere in the $14,000-15,000 range. That may not seem like much for a set of mods that will make the vehicle immensely more capable off-road, but when you consider how much the Defender – especially in the P400 trim – costs, it could bring the total cost to over $100,000. That’s a lot of money to put into something that’s supposed to go over razor-sharp rocks and narrow passages, putting it at constant risk of being damaged. But at least now you know that if you want a beefed-up Defender, you can have it.

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Article Credit: Vlad Mitrache
Full Article: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/lifted-land-rover-big-bertha-defender-fits-35-inch-wheels-goes-where-it-wants-159534.html#



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These Guys Will Build Your Dream Land Rover Defender

This is something special.

The Land Rover Defender has evolved from an all-conquering off-roader into a more sophisticated luxury product, and it’s new price matches its spiff. However, that unattractive sticker price has helped Land Rover turn its fortunes around. As the traditionally utilitarian vehicle has morphed into a designer accessory, it has now grabbed the attention of the well-heeled. Sure, there are some who will turn the Defender into a more capable vehicle that can do what it was originally intended for, but the real money lies in bespoke customization. That’s something that Heritage Customs, co-founded by Niels van Roij, is particularly adept at. And the options are endless.

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Designer Niels van Roij says that nothing is off-limits, and that any theme can be applied to the vehicle, even if it means a vehicle “symbolizing a Caribbean island.” As the above video explains quite well, the Heritage Customs process sets up clients with a custom build that suits their exact tastes. Heritage can also source an older Defender if you don’t already own the vehicle you want to enhance.

Once the vehicle is obtained, you can choose from numerous custom touches. As these photos show, Heritage is fantastic at fitting aftermarket body parts that look as good as the originals. And with multiple wheel and fascia upgrades available for various Defender models, making the exterior stand out from the crowd can be easily achieved.

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Even the paint can be of a totally unique shade that you can help co-develop with Heritage, while the cabin opens up a vast range of possibilities when it comes to materials. Different types of leather, denim, wool, or tweed can be used to trim your interior, and the cargo area can be finished in teak wood. Little details can be customized too, from fender vents and treadplates to copper accents. Once the Defender is complete, Heritage Customs tests it on a variety of surfaces to ensure quality. There’s no word on what the average build costs, but with so many options, it shouldn’t be difficult to imagine someone spending six figures designing their dream Defender.

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Article Credit: Sebastian Cenizo
Photo Credits: Heritage Custom
Full Article: https://carbuzz.com/news/these-guys-will-build-your-dream-land-rover-defender

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A Three-Row Land Rover Defender Is Coming Our Way

It will be called the 130, and it means business.

Land Rover has been making a great financial recovery in recent months, driven by popular models such as the Range Rover, but newer models such as the Defender have also proven themselves valuable: despite the high cost of some of its trim levels, the Defender has outsold the old model in America. Land Rover recently revealed that it is working on a pickup truck to rival the Ford Ranger, as well as a more affordable Defender 90, and now comes news that a three-row Defender 130 is in the works, and should go on sale within the next 18 months.

According to Land Rover Chief Financial Officer Adrian Mardell, the Defender 130 as it will be known will “hit a sweet spot in North America, China and also the Middle East, which we’re not yet touching.” An internal document shows that the Defender 130 will keep the same 119-inch wheelbase as the two-row Defender 110, but will stretch the total body length by 13 inches for a total of 201 inches. The three-row “premium explorer” as Land Rover calls it, joins an accomplished lineup that already includes a plug-in hybrid and supercharged V8 version, with the pickup truck hopefully following soon after.

As Land Rover slowly starts to assert itself in the American off-road market, Gerry McGovern, Land Rover’s head of design thinks that there is massive potential for the Defender brand: “looking at what we can do with that brand because with a relatively small investment we can increase its appeal. I’m absolutely convinced Defender will become a power brand in itself.” While Land Rover plots its next move, its sister company Jaguar is planning to go fully electric by 2025, but Land Rover doesn’t seem to share the same ideals yet, but we can expect to see more PHEVs in the near future. The arrival of a fully-electric Defender will truly signal that mankind has reached a new age of enlightenment.

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Article Credit: Michael Butler
Full Article: https://carbuzz.com/news/a-three-row-land-rover-defender-is-coming-our-way

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A Close Look at What Land Rover’s 2022 Defender V8 Range Toppers Have to Offer

A little more than a year after it debuted the modern version of its epic off-roader, Land Rover has given the Defender a series of upgrades for the 2022 model year, chief of which is a powerful 5.0-liter supercharged V8.

Launched in September 2019 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, the new Defender had some big shoes to fill since its predecessor is widely regarded as one of the best-off roaders of all time.

Other than the name, it shares nothing with the legendary model. Land Rover dropped the body-on-frame construction in favor of a modern, aluminum unibody, and the whole vehicle looks and feels much more upscale.

For the new model year, the Defender will be receiving its first major upgrade. Both the three-door 90 and the five-door 110 versions will be available with a highly capable supercharged V8.

Matted to an eight-speed automatic transmission, the engine produces 518 hp (525 PS) and 461 lb-ft (625 Nm) of torque, making it the most powerful Defender ever produced, according to the manufacturer.

Apart from the power it delivers, a V8 engine is also loved by many for the glorious growl it produces, and the engineering team that developed the Defender V8 paid close attention to acoustics. They tuned the engine’s induction and exhaust systems to produce what is described as a beautiful soundtrack that can be enhanced by selecting Dynamic driving mode.

The models fitted with this powerplant feature a unique suspension configuration featuring customized spring and damper rates, stiffer bushings, and a new Electronic Active Rear Differential.

The Defender V8 also builds on the nameplate’s excellent off-road capability with the introduction of a new Dynamic program within the Terrain Response system.

Engineers have focused on carefully calibrating this program to make the SUV more agile and responsive. When enabled, it dynamically controls the air suspension, torque vectoring, and traction control systems to provide an on-road driving experience that will give drivers the impression they’re driving a sports-tuned Jaguar sports car rather than an SUV, according the automaker.

On the other hand, the program also ensures that the Defender can easily navigate through tough off-road conditions.

For the exterior, every Defender V8 comes with some unique enhancements that distinguish them from standard models. The most noticeable are the quad exhaust tailpipes, the 22-inch alloy wheels, and the Xenon Blue brake calipers.

As for personalization, customers can choose between three exterior colors, Carpathian Grey, Yulong White (both of which include a contrast roof painted in Narvik Black), and Santorini Black.

Inside the cabin, Defender V8s offer seats trimmed in unique Ebony Windsor Leather with Miko Suedecloth and Robustec accents, each finished with a distinctive Ebony tag. Also unique to these models are the Alcantara four-spoke steering wheel and tactile satin chrome gearshift paddles.

For customers who want the ultimate Defender, JLR has announced that it will package the V8 in an exclusive trim called Carpathian Edition.

It comes with all the goodies from the standard Defender V8, distinguishing itself thanks to the Carpathian Grey premium metallic paint contrasted by Narvik Black roof, hood, and tailgate. Other unique additions include Satin Black tow eyes, Carpathian Gloss front and rear skid pans, and a front grille bar.

The Defender is a remarkable SUV, and the addition of the supercharged V8 makes it even more desirable. However, pricing starts at around $90,000 for the standard 90 three-door model powered by the eight-cylinder engine, which makes it obscenely expensive for what it has to offer.

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Article Credit: Vlad Radu
Full Article: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/a-close-look-at-what-land-rover-s-2022-defender-v8-range-toppers-have-to-offer-157039.html