Land Rover Defender Dakar: 626Hp Rally Beast You Can Drive

Land Rover will bring a Dakar-flavored Defender to the road with the 2027 Defender Dakar, revealed as a design preview at The Quail during Monterey Car Week. Positioned as a limited-production performance flagship above the Octa, it evolves from the Defender D7X-R that won a class at the 2026 Dakar Rally. The street-legal SUV uses a twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 tuned to 626 hp and 553 lb-ft, with coil springs and Bilstein dampers replacing air suspension. It runs 35-inch all-terrain tires on forged 20-inch wheels and adds a “Flight Mode” for big jumps. Land Rover is collecting registrations of interest, with full specs and prices due at the 2027 Dakar Rally in January, and reservations planned for early 2027.