We’ve been keeping a close eye on the partnership between BMW and Jaguar Land Rover ever since it was announced that the two brands would be working together. We even spoke about it during our first podcast episode. When the partnership was first announced, it was said to only be for electric powertrain development. Then rumors started to leak about BMW sharing engines with JLR, most specifically for the next-gen Jaguar F-Type. However, according to Auto Express, the soon-to-be-revealed Land Rover Defender SVR will actually be the first JLR product to be powered by a BMW engine.
This new report says that Land Rover is working on a high-performance version of its all-new Defender, to take on cars like the Mercedes-AMG G63. Under its aggressive hood is said to be a 4.4 liter twin-turbocharged V8 from BMW. Imagine that — a Land Rover Defender with a BMW V8 and somewhere between 500-600 hp? That sounds ridiculous and hilarious and amazing.
That’s not all, though. That very same V8 is said to power several new JLR products. So the next-gen Jaguar F-Type, Range Rover Sport SVR and even the big Range Rover are all said to get BMW’s new twin-turbocharged V8. So expect a lot of very fast JLR products in the near future.
While we’re not quite sure a high-performance Land Rover Defender SVR makes much sense, regardless of which engine is under its hood, it’s still exciting to know that BMW will be powering it. Sure, a Defender is an off-road-focused SUV that’s supposed to be more utilitarian than anything else, but it’s still cool to see a monster V8 under its hood. Because it’s cool to see a monster V8 in anything…
What’s most exciting, though, is the prospect of future JLR products with BMW engines. Cars like the Jaguar F-Type having some brand familiarity with BMW will be very cool for us BMW enthusiasts. And it seems like it’s all going to start with the most unlikely of vehicles — the Land Rover Defender.
[Source: Auto Express]
