If you don’t want a supercharged V8, the German tuner offers an alternative.
The Land Rover Defender moniker has long been associated with off-road prowess. Its reputation as a tough, no-frills SUV has been softened in the current generation, but one thing remains: it’s still a good off-road vehicle.
The Defender does not compete in today’s market of powerful SUVs. If you want anything more, Manhart offers the Defender DP 500. The German tuner has given the British SUV a limited and distinct makeover in comparison to the rest of the Defenders on the market.
The bodywork comes first. The Defender DP 500 features gloss black fender flares and a radiator grille, as well as subtle Manhart stripes. The wheel selections are the main attraction here. Non-offroad clients may choose for a pair of 12×24-inch light gray Manhart Forged Line rims wrapped in 295/30ZR24 tires.
Those who want to drive the Defender DP 500 for severe off-roading may choose for the 10.5×22-inch black Concave One wheel with 295/40ZR22 tires.
The interior upgrade provides a plethora of leather and Alcantara options that may be customized to the customer’s preferences. The photographs show a high-contrast, two-tone color idea in black and silver gray.
The power upgrade is, of course, the DP 500’s main selling point. With remapping and an exhaust system update, the 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder turbo gasoline engine gains 400 horsepower (298 kilowatts) and 406 pound-feet (550 Newton-meters) of torque to 512 hp (382 kW) and 524 lb-ft (710 Nm).
In contrast, the Defender V8’s supercharged 5.0-liter engine produces 518 horsepower (386 kW) and 461 lb-ft (625 Nm) of torque. Not bad for a V6, we think.
Manhart will only produce ten Defender DP 500s, all of which will be Defender 110 P400 AWD variants. The price, as usual, is not revealed at the time of writing.
