This Land Rover Is Destined To Become a Future Classic

Gearheads, listen up – most cars are slowly being turned into mere commuting appliances or luxury road gliders. Whatever fits in between will either be too expensive or so bland that you will rather travel by public transport than worry about charging (or fueling up with hydrogen), insurance, and speed traps.

Oh, and let’s not forget about the industry’s desire to automate driving. Waymo, Cruise, Zoox, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Bosch, and numerous other brands are racing to make the person behind the wheel irrelevant.

Moreover, corporations like Uber or Lyft proved that carsharing can work wonderfully for certain populated areas by taking the carpooling concept and turning it into a worldwide business. And, on top of all these developments, today’s teenagers aren’t very much into cars, as Ford’s high-performance division director Mark Rushbrook underlined two years ago when he was explaining the big infotainment screen found on the Mustang Mach-E GT.

Fortunately, the days when you won’t have to drive or even need a license are still far away from us. And, who knows, may we will even like not having to drive in everyday traffic. Track experiences will most likely remain a thing, so enthusiasts will have a place to show off their skills or stress test a certain car.

Besides that, today, no matter what your stance on electric vehicles (EVs) and advanced driving assistance or autonomous driving software is, the drivetrain options are plenty. In some markets, customers can buy anything from a diesel- or gas-powered car to an all-electric one. No matter how much or how little you are willing to spend on a vehicle, you’ll most certainly find something.

Figuring out the winner

Because there are so many options available nowadays, identifying the cars that will only increase in value over time is a real challenge. It’s almost like searching for a lost engagement ring on a beach. Trust me, I have been through it, and it’s incredibly hard.

However, we at autoevolution love cars and spend most of our time keeping an eye on the auto industry. After some deliberation over coffee on a Sunday morning, a conclusion was reached – the V8-powered 2023 Land Rover Defender 90 P525 has all the potential in the world to become a future classic.

Firstly, it has a great engine. The newest Land Rovers with V8s under the hood carried over the power units from BMW. Nobody can confidently say that the Bavarians’ 4.4-liter V8 isn’t a good engine, even if there is a public perception out there that owners can’t push these powertrains without risking catastrophic failure. But if you take care of the water pump, the injectors, the high-pressure fuel pump (HPFP), the spark plugs, and the ignition coil, then your car will be A-OK. What does “taking care” of the abovementioned parts mean? Well, regular servicing intervals are paramount if you want to prolong the non-M engine’s life. However, you should also be mindful of increased oil consumption, a stretching timing chain, leaking valve stem seals, and the weirdly fast battery drainage.

But if you’re one of the people who believe that there’s no true replacement for displacement, then the Land Rover Defender 90 V8 is the one to get. The three-door SUV does not use BMW’s non-hybridized N63 V8, but the mighty 5.0-liter supercharged engine, which puts out 518 hp (525 ps) at over 6,000 rpm and 461 lb-ft (625 Nm) of torque starting from 2,500 rpm. Co-developed with Jaguar to be used by both brands, this power unit got to celebrate its peak by being installed on the 2022 Range Rover Sport SVR, where it made 50 hp (51 ps) more and enjoyed an exhaust system that truly allowed it to express its brilliance.

Secondly, it is a two-door Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) worthy of this designation. It respects the “Sport” part because it has a great engine developed in-house, which enables it to reach 60 mph (97 kph) in 4.9 seconds. It even has launch control! Next, the Defender was built from scratch with the conviction that it must be capable off-road. So, it has the “Utility” part secured too. Our analysis revealed that it is a “Vehicle” despite its short wheelbase, so there’s no denying that this Land Rover is a serious machine.

Four more reasons

Thirdly, it appeared in a James Bond movie! Even though the automaker created a special “Bond Edition,” the normal Defender 90 V8 has no time to die and still enjoys that same movie-derived coolness.

Fourthly, some of its Jeep, Mercedes-Benz, or Ford rivals are nowhere near as cool because they do not come in two-door form. This Landie gets to have a special place in the crowded SUV segment, and it easily stands out.

Fifthly, the exterior design is great. The vehicle looks menacing but is also somewhat subtle. Inside, rear passengers get to enjoy enough room and many useful controls like those found on the Defender 110. Trunk space is not that great, but the vehicle’s tall build creates 14 cubic feet (397 liters) of usable area. But if you ever plan on driving it and carrying stuff around, just don’t take more than one passenger with you and fold the rear seats flat. That’ll maximize the storage space.

Sixthly, not that many people are buying the V8-powered Defender 90. Price, reliability, and the absence of two extra doors come to mind as reasons that might convince people to go for the 110 or 130 version. However, that’s why this SUV has so much potential to be an appreciating asset and not a liability – scarcity.

So, there are enough reasons for the Defender 90 P525 to become a future classic. But now comes the hard part – building the right vehicle. My take on this is that you should not go for the all-black Bond-like look.

Starting with the base cost of $107,900, which is pretty steep, I managed to find a combination that suits this cute yet mysterious SUV. Granted, there aren’t many exterior and interior color and material options, but I still reached a cost of $115,535, as you can see by accessing the .PDF attached below.

Finally, if you have the means, consider ordering one for storage and another for fun. You might get the chance to offset the costs by selling the low-mileage unit to a nostalgic enthusiast after 2030.