It’s always fun to get a Land Rover for a week. This time I had the 2023 Land Rover Defender 110 V8. The Carpathian Grey made this Defender give off James Bond bad guy vibes. I would be perfectly fine being on the opposite side of 007 if it meant I got to drive the Defender.

The black roof and lower trim framed the gray really nicely. You typically don’t associate large 22” wheels with off-roading, but the large fenders still allowed for a tall off-road tire set up. The ride was extremely comfortable thanks to the air suspension it is equipped with. The amount of height adjustment will have you tackling any obstacle you encounter.

Before I got in the Defender, I was busy admiring the exposed bolts on the door. Then my attention turned to the suede cloth seats that were extremely comfortable. The cooling and heated options, the endless adjustability, meant I could drive the Defender for hours. The suede covered steering wheel was extremely grippy and had my favorite dual functioning button system. The infotainment screen was big and bright even in direct sunlight that might come in from the massive panoramic roof. Pump up the volume and you’ll have a 700w Meridian sound system blasting music in a very clear way.

Under the hood, the 5.0L supercharged V8 was making a symphony of its own. The 518 horsepower and 461 lb.-ft. of torque had this big four-door moving! The inline 6-cylinder is still a great option but the sounds that rumbled from the V8 were addicting. Although this has a combined 16 mpg, I don’t think I was close to that with right foot fun I kept having.

A Defender week is always a good week. After having driven about 4 different Defender configurations, I’d have to say that a four-door V8 model is how I’d pick mine. The only problem I’ll have is finding how to pay the $111,020 price tag that this press vehicle had.