A V8 flagship is coming to the Land Rover Defender line up and the vehicle has supercar performance with a price to match.

Costing £101,150 in long wheelbase 110 guise and £98,505 for the shorter 90 model, the 525 horsepower V8 Defender has a 0 to 60 acceleration time of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 149mph.

It will sit at the top of a revised range of Defenders that include diesel, petrol and plug-in models with prices starting from £44,825.

The new V8 will also be offered in a limited edition Carpathian specification which comes in a grey satin finish with contrasting black roof, bonnet and tailgate as well as blue coloured front brake callipers.

David Hemming, chief product engineer, Jaguar Land Rover, said"The introduction of our V8 powertrain adds a new dimension of driving engagement and off-road capability to Defender.

"Fast and fun to drive, it represents the pinnacle of the Defender family and is as rewarding on the road as it is capable off it. We've also broadened the appeal of the entire Defender line-up with new derivatives, option packs and enhanced connectivity."

The Defender V8 90 has an official fuel consumption of up to 19.5mpg with emissions from 327g/km and features an updated suspension set up with an electronic active rear differential to improve body control on and off the road.

It is powered by a 5.0-litre twin supercharged engine which develops 625NM of torque and sees the introduction of a new dynamic mode into the Defender's computerised Terrain Response system to optimise performance.

As with other Defenders it is fitted with an eight-speed automatic gearbox.

Styling changes include four exhaust pipes to enhance the V8 soundtrack, 22-inch alloys and the car will also be offered in white and black paint jobs.

Inside it is embellished with black leather and suedecloth trim while the exposed cross beam in the dash has been given a special satin finish.

There's also a suede treatment for the steering wheel and satin chrome has been applied to the gearshift paddle changers while the treadplates feature an illuminated V8 script.

Land Rover has a long history of offering V8 powertrains in the Defender dating back to the originals of the 1970s, although the new model is much more performance-oriented than its predecessors.

As well as the high powered engine Land Rover is making changes across the Defender range with a new XS Edition model priced from £58,060 to replace the First Edition version and extra connectivity features across the line up which include an optional 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment system and wireless device charging with signal boosting technology to improve network reception.