2025 Defender SVX Spy Shots and Video

JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover) launched the Defender with a V-8 in 2022, but a more hardcore V-8 option is still in the works for the rugged SUV.

The Defender is expected to have at least two V-8 grades: the regular Defender V8 already on sale and perhaps an SVX badged, targeted at the likes of the Ford Bronco-Raptor and Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, higher-performance versions.

A prototype of the Defender SVX was spotted, revealing several key details. The prototype features widened wheel arches, raised suspension, mud flaps, and a quad-tip titanium exhaust along with BFGoodrich all-terrain tires. Tires are wrapped around 20-inch wheels, sized 275/60 front and rear.

It is not clear what engine is mounted under the hood. The Defender V8 is powered by Jaguar Land Rover's 518-horsepower supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine, while the Defender SVX is powered by BMW's twin-turbocharged 4.4 liter V-8 engine, which may already be installed in the latest Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. This BMW V-8 engine produces a maximum output of 626 hp in the Range Rover Sport SV, but a lower output is likely to be used in the hardcore Defender model.

We expect the Defender SVX to be unveiled late this year or early next year, possibly as a 2025 model; JLR has already announced the 2024 Defender lineup, and we expect the Defender SVX to be released in the 2025 model year.

JLR's Special Vehicle Operations was close to unveiling the Discovery SVX a few years ago, which would have been powered by a V-8 engine and upgraded for off-road use. It was supposed to establish a new off-road range for SVO, similar to the division's circuit-focused SVR series and the ultra-luxury SVAutobiography series. Although the Discovery SVX was ultimately cancelled, JLR did not rule out a future SVX.