Land Rover has updated the Defender for the 2027 model year, and the change the company wants you to notice is the way it looks. A new trim called the Vertex swaps the Defender’s trademark black plastic cladding for body-colored bumpers and sills, adds a larger grille, and rolls on 22-inch wheels.
The result is lower, harder, and more urban than any Defender before it.
The change the company does not lead with sits in the engine bay of the model above it. The range-topping Defender Octa, the twin-turbocharged V8 flagship, now makes 533 horsepower.
The outgoing Octa made 626.
A mid-life update that removes 93 horsepower from the halo model runs against the usual script, where these refreshes hand the flagship more power, not less.
So this is a facelift with two stories. One is a styling and trim exercise aimed squarely at buyers who use a Defender in the city. The other is a quieter reshuffle of the engine range that costs the fastest Defender its headline number.
Here is what changed for 2027, what stayed the same underneath the new look, and where a nearly six-figure Defender leaves the truck against the rivals it was built to fight.
Key Takeaways
- The 2027 Defender (badged MY27) is the most visible update since the nameplate returned in 2020, though the body panels and silhouette carry over. All three body styles, the 90, 110, and 130, are affected.
- A new near-flagship trim called the Defender Vertex brings body-colored bumpers and cladding, a bigger grille, 22-inch wheels, and yellow brake calipers. In the UK it starts at £92,635, about £1,400 above the Defender X.
- The halo Defender Octa loses power, dropping from 626 to 533 horsepower (540 PS) while holding 553 lb-ft of torque. Its 0 to 60 time slips to a claimed 4.2 seconds.
- The engine range moves toward six cylinders. A new P380 inline-six replaces the old P400, and a 3.0-liter six takes over the base P300 slot from a 2.0-liter four in some markets. The supercharged 5.0-liter V8 is being wound down to select markets.
- Inside, the Defender 110 gains an optional six-seat layout with second-row captain’s chairs, plus a “Hey Land Rover” voice assistant.
- US pricing and timing are not announced. UK orders are open now with deliveries in autumn 2026. Everything below is UK-market first, with a US subset to follow.
What Changed on the Outside
Land Rover calls the look “tough luxury,” and the phrase is doing a lot of work. The Defender’s proportions, doors, and glasshouse are the same as before. What changed is the trim that hangs on them.
The Vertex is the trim carrying the overhaul, and it sits alongside the Defender X near the top of the mainstream range, below the Octa. It gets extended front and rear bumpers in a Shadow Atlas matte finish, body-colored lower cladding in place of the usual black plastic, a larger and more prominent grille, revised fog lamps, and a gloss-black tail spoiler.
Yellow front calipers and yellow exposed recovery eyes finish the look. The standard wheel is a 22-inch diamond-turned design, with 20-inch options for buyers who still care about tire sidewall on a trail.
That body-colored cladding is the single change that reads as “meaner” in photos. It visually lowers and lengthens the truck so it no longer looks like the same plastic-clad box.
Worth noting for anyone reading breathless coverage elsewhere: the headlight housings appear to carry over. The official release describes the grille, bumpers, and cladding, and stops short of claiming a new lighting signature. Treat any “new light bar” description with skepticism until the configurator confirms it.
Color is a real part of this update. Land Rover now offers up to 15 exterior finishes across the range, including a new Namib Orange for the 90 and 110 and a Patagonia White matte wrap that was previously reserved for the V8 and Octa. There is also a new self-healing gloss protective film that repairs light scratches and stone chips under UV light.
None of it changes how the Defender drives. It exists because personalization is where the margin lives at this price.
The Flagship That Lost 93 Horsepower
The Octa is the news enthusiasts will chew on. The pre-update Octa used a BMW-sourced 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 rated at 626 horsepower (635 PS). The 2027 car uses the same basic engine detuned to 533 horsepower (540 PS), with torque held at 553 lb-ft.
Land Rover quotes 0 to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, where the old car managed 3.8.
Land Rover’s own release describes an “updated” engine and does not dwell on the number going down. The reporting around the launch points to Euro 7 emissions rules as the reason for the cut, the same regulatory pressure that has forced other makers to recalibrate big turbo engines. Land Rover’s separate exhaust change, tuned for a deeper V8 note, reads as compensation for the character lost, not the cause of the power drop.
The Octa was never about the last tenth at a drag strip. It is a raised-suspension, desert-running Defender built to be driven hard over broken ground, and 533 horsepower is still a lot of engine for that job.
But a slower flagship is still a slower flagship, and buyers paying flagship money are allowed to notice.
Two engines, two V8 stories. The Octa’s 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 is a BMW unit and it survives, detuned. That is separate from Land Rover’s own supercharged 5.0-liter V8, which is being phased out to select markets only. If you want a naturally aspirated or supercharged JLR V8 Defender, the window is closing. The Octa’s turbo BMW V8 is the V8 that carries on.
The Rest of the Range Goes to Six Cylinders
Below the Octa, the engine lineup shifts toward inline-sixes with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance. A new P380 makes 375 horsepower and 407 lb-ft from a 3.0-liter six, replacing the outgoing P400.
More surprising, the entry P300 badge now sits on a 3.0-liter six making 347 lb-ft in some markets, taking over from a 2.0-liter four-cylinder. In an industry that spent a decade downsizing, replacing a four with a six at the bottom of the range is the rare move in the other direction.
| 2027 Defender engine | Configuration | Output | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P300 | 3.0L inline-six, mild hybrid | 347 lb-ft (select markets) | Replaces the 2.0L four |
| P380 | 3.0L inline-six, mild hybrid | 375 hp / 407 lb-ft | Replaces the P400 |
| P400e | 3.0L inline-six plug-in hybrid | Carried over | PHEV option retained |
| D250 / D350 | 3.0L inline-six diesel, mild hybrid | Carried over | UK and Europe |
| 5.0L V8 | Supercharged V8 | Being wound down | Select markets only |
| Octa | 4.4L twin-turbo V8 (BMW) | 533 hp / 553 lb-ft | Down from 626 hp |
Powertrain availability is heavily market-gated. Land Rover’s own caveat is that certain engines arrive after the initial launch and that buyers should check locally. For US shoppers, that means the diesels and the base six may never cross the Atlantic, and the lineup you can order will be a subset of the one announced.
Inside: A Six-Seat 110 and a Talking Defender
The most useful interior change is a new six-seat layout for the Defender 110, a 2+2+2 arrangement with two second-row captain’s chairs that add contouring, individual armrests, and manual recline. Until now that captain’s-chair setup lived only on the long-wheelbase 130. Putting it in the 110 gives family buyers a middle option between the standard five-seat 110 and the three-row 130.
The Vertex cabin leans on material choices to justify its price: Windsor leather, a new knitted textile trim Land Rover calls Forged Textile, and Ultrafabrics upholstery.
There is a new “Hey Land Rover” voice assistant built on generative AI, pitched for natural back-and-forth questions rather than rigid commands. Whether that proves useful or gimmicky depends on how well it works in a tunnel with no signal, which no launch release ever tells you.
One clarification, because coverage keeps blurring it: the 13.1-inch touchscreen and the camera-based driver monitoring arrived in an earlier model-year update, not this one. Do not credit the 2027 facelift with screen hardware it inherited.
Where a £92,635 Defender Sits Now
In the UK, the Defender range still opens at £58,655, but the Vertex starts at £92,635, roughly £1,400 above the Defender X and within sight of six figures before options.
That pricing tells you who the Vertex is for. It is not the overland trim. It is the boulevard trim, a Defender styled and priced to be cross-shopped against a Range Rover Sport rather than a Wrangler.
US pricing has not been announced. For reference, the current 2026 Defender opens around $66,850 for a 110 P300 S including the $1,850 destination charge and climbs past $170,000 for the Octa Black. If the Vertex reaches the US, expect it to land near the top of that spread, well into Range Rover Sport territory.
That is the tension in this whole update. The Defender started as the rugged alternative to a Range Rover. The Vertex is the version that stops pretending it costs less.
| Rugged SUV rival | US base MSRP | How it compares |
|---|---|---|
| Jeep Wrangler | From the mid-$30,000s | The volume off-roader, less refined, far less money |
| Toyota Land Cruiser | From about $57,200 | Reborn and hybrid-only, the value pick in the segment |
| Land Rover Defender 110 | About $66,850 (2026) | The design-led choice, priced above the Toyota |
| Ineos Grenadier | From about $73,000 | The analog, BMW-engined homage to the old Defender |
| Defender Vertex | Not yet priced for US | UK £92,635 signals Range Rover Sport money |
Why the Update Is Cosmetic, Not Mechanical
A refresh this light on hardware is a choice, and the sales numbers explain it. The Defender has been the rare reinvention that worked. In the US, Land Rover sold 27,707 Defenders in 2024, up nearly 31 percent on 2023, and 2025 was tracking ahead of that. Globally the Defender has become Land Rover’s best-selling model, reported at more than 114,000 units in 2024.
When a design is selling records five years into its run, you do not redesign it. You add trims, colors, and let it keep selling.
That is the honest read on the 2027 update. It is a margin exercise on a hit product, not a reinvention. The Vertex and its 15 paint options exist to widen the price ceiling and pull in buyers who want a Defender that looks like a luxury SUV rather than an expedition tool. It is the same instinct that gave the world the Range Rover and the Defender as showroom neighbors in the first place, one brand quietly selling two answers to the same question.
For buyers, the takeaway is simple. If you want the most Defender for the money, the story is the new six-cylinder engines and the six-seat 110, not the body-colored Vertex. If you want a Defender as a fashion object, the Vertex is built precisely for you, and priced accordingly. And if you want the fastest one, know that the fastest one just got slower.
Bottom Line
The 2027 Defender is a facelift in the truest sense. The sheetmetal is untouched, and the “meaner new look” comes almost entirely from body-colored bumpers, a bigger grille, and big wheels on the new Vertex trim. Underneath, the more consequential news is the engine range: a welcome shift to inline-sixes lower down, and a halo Octa that trades 93 horsepower for a better exhaust note. Land Rover can afford to play it safe because the Defender is selling better than ever, so the update chases margin through trims and colors rather than reinventing a winner. For US buyers, hold off on specifics. Pricing and timing are not set, some of the best engines may not cross over, and the Vertex’s UK sticker suggests the Defender’s days as the value-conscious Range Rover alternative are numbered.
Frequently Asked Questions
What year is the new Defender facelift?
Land Rover badges it as the MY27, or 2027, model year. The update was announced in July 2026, and some outlets call it the 2026 Defender using calendar-year shorthand, but Land Rover’s own designation is MY27. UK deliveries begin in autumn 2026.
What is the Land Rover Defender Vertex?
The Vertex is a new near-flagship trim, sitting alongside the Defender X and below the Octa. It is defined by body-colored bumpers and lower cladding in place of the usual black plastic, a larger grille, 22-inch wheels, yellow brake calipers, and a more urban, lowered appearance. In the UK it starts at £92,635.
Did the Defender Octa lose power for 2027?
Yes. The 2027 Defender Octa makes 533 horsepower (540 PS), down from 626 horsepower on the outgoing model, while torque holds at 553 lb-ft. The claimed 0 to 60 mph time slips from 3.8 to 4.2 seconds. Reporting points to Euro 7 emissions rules as the reason for the cut, with Land Rover’s revised exhaust tuned to preserve the V8’s character.
What engines does the 2027 Defender offer?
The range moves toward 3.0-liter inline-sixes with mild-hybrid assistance. A new P380 makes 375 horsepower and 407 lb-ft, replacing the P400. A 3.0-liter six takes over the base P300 slot from a 2.0-liter four in some markets. The P400e plug-in hybrid and the diesels carry over, the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 is being reduced to select markets, and the Octa keeps its BMW-sourced 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8.
How much does the 2027 Defender cost?
UK pricing runs from £58,655 for the base Defender to £92,635 for the new Vertex. US pricing has not been announced. For context, the 2026 US Defender starts around $66,850 for a 110 P300 S including destination and tops out above $170,000 for the Octa Black.
When does the 2027 Defender go on sale in the US?
Land Rover has not announced US timing or pricing. UK orders are open now, with deliveries beginning in autumn 2026. The US typically follows the UK by several months, and only a subset of the announced engines is likely to be offered.
Does the new Defender look different from the old one?
Only in its details. The body panels, doors, and overall silhouette carry over. The visible changes are the Vertex trim’s body-colored bumpers and cladding, a larger grille, new wheels, and new colors. The headlight housings appear unchanged despite some coverage suggesting a new lighting signature.
Can you get a six-seat Defender now?
Yes. The Defender 110 gains an optional six-seat layout for 2027, with two second-row captain’s chairs featuring individual armrests and manual recline. That configuration was previously offered only on the long-wheelbase Defender 130.
How does the Defender compare to the Land Cruiser and Grenadier?
The Toyota Land Cruiser is the value choice, starting around $57,200 and offered hybrid-only. The Defender 110 starts higher, near $66,850, and sells on design and on-road manners. The Ineos Grenadier, from about $73,000, is the analog, BMW-engined tribute to the original Defender for buyers who want mechanical simplicity over screens.
Is the Defender selling well?
Very well. Land Rover sold 27,707 Defenders in the US in 2024, up nearly 31 percent year over year, and the Defender has become the company’s best-selling model globally, reported above 114,000 units in 2024. That commercial success is why the 2027 update is a light styling and trim refresh rather than a full redesign.
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
https://theweeklydriver.com