Land Rover has no choice but to tame the Defender OCTA’s engine to comply with tougher emissions regulations. In Europe and a few other markets, the BMW-sourced engine is losing significant power. Previously, the twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 produced a stout 626 hp, but that’s sadly no longer the case. Engineers have dialed back the Bavarian eight-cylinder by 93 hp, reducing output to 533 hp.
Predictably, performance has suffered. The sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) now takes 4.4 seconds, making it 0.4 seconds slower than before. There is a silver lining, however. The Defender OCTA continues to produce 750 Nm (553 lb-ft) of torque, so only horsepower has taken a hit to meet the Euro 6e-bis emissions standard. Although it has less punch than before, the mild-hybrid V8 now delivers a deeper note after Land Rover’s engineers reworked the exhaust for a meaner soundtrack.
We’re not entirely surprised by the V8’s downgrade. Earlier this year, BMW itself had to detune the engine in the European-spec M5 to meet tougher emissions standards. However, the eight-cylinder lost only 41 hp, compared with the Defender’s 93-hp reduction. BMW was able to offset the engine’s lower output by boosting the electric motor, leaving the combined output unchanged. That’s not the case here since the OCTA uses a V8-only setup rather than a plug-in hybrid powertrain.
It’s worth noting that BMW’s S68 V8 also powers two other Land Rover products: the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. The engine has already been engineered to meet the upcoming Euro 7 standard, giving it a long future, likely well into the 2030s. The next models to receive this V8 will be next year’s M Performance versions of the new X5 and facelifted 7 Series, along with the second-generation X7.
Although the V8 may seem like an endangered species in Europe amid ever-stricter emissions regulations, it’s not going down without a fight. Besides BMW, luxury brands such as Porsche and Mercedes also plan to keep their largest combustion engines alive into the next decade. Even the V12 found in Rolls-Royce and Maybach models isn’t heading toward retirement anytime soon.
Still, the demise of large-displacement combustion engines seems inevitable, especially in Europe. Automakers selling cars on the continent must cut their fleet CO2 emissions by 90 percent by 2035 compared with 2021 levels. That will make gas-guzzling engines increasingly difficult to justify during the second half of the next decade unless manufacturers can offset their emissions by selling enough EVs.
2027 Land Rover Defender OCTA
Motor1's Take: Increasingly stringent emissions regulations have been strangling engines in Europe for years, even prompting Mazda to retire the Miata’s 2.0-liter engine altogether. In the end, it’s all a numbers game: Want to keep selling cars with big engines? You’ll need to balance them with enough plug-in hybrids and EVs.
If fleet emissions exceed regulatory targets, automakers face hefty fines. While there are exemptions for low-volume manufacturers, most automakers must comply to avoid substantial penalties from EU regulators.
