2016 JE Motorworks Zulu2 110 first drive

Overhauled versions of the recently deceased Land Rover Defender are nothing new. Most of us are now familiar with names such as Twisted and Khan, who'll either take your Defender and modify it, or provide you with a blank canvas to modify at will.

In much the same way, JE Engineering is nothing new either. It's been around since the mid-1970s and is perhaps best known for its work on performance versions of the P38 Range Rover. In fact, JE would like to think it played a small part in the birth of the Range Rover Sport.  

An honest name like JE Engineering should give some idea of what the company is trying to achieve, and how it believes it stands out against its main rivals. Sure, its business includes everything from purely aesthetic modifications to diesel engine upgrades and automatic gearbox conversions, but the Zulu 2 is very much a standalone halo product. In turn, JE Motorworks is its new sub-brand.

You start with a standard 90 or 110, but JE will then fit a unique, bored-up, 475bhp 4.7-litre version of JLR's supercharged last-generation 4.2 V8. Drive goes through a six-speed auto 'box borrowed from Ford - more commonly fitted to its F150 - and letting the V8 sing is a bespoke stainless steel exhaust with high-flow cats. A Quaife LSD has been added at the rear, and the 110's beefier four-pin differential has been shuffled from the back to the front axle.

Thankfully the considerable go has been countered with the addition of some considerable stop: JE's 'big brake' conversion features 362mm grooved discs and six-piston calipers with upgraded pads at the front. Fox racing dampers all round, lowered springs at the rear and stiffer anti-roll bars are included to improve ride and handling. 

While JE feels its bespoke mechanical engineering is what sets it apart, there are aesthetic changes. A full respray is included in a choice of colours, as are LED lights all-round, an exclusive machine aluminium Zulu grille and unique side vents, side steps, 18in Hawke alloy wheels, tinted windows and plenty of JE badging.

Clamber up inside and while the basic dash architecture and controls are familiar, little else is. The Zulu benefits from different front seats with heating and extra bolstering, and all six seats (in their 2-2-2 configuration) can be covered in cloth, Alcantara, or as we experienced fine quilted leather.

The re-trim doesn't stop there. The Zulu's roof lining, dash top and grab handles, door cards, carpet and steering wheel all get the JE treatment, too, and there's extra soundproofing, exclusive air vents and even a different clock face. Our car sported a simple single-DIN Alpine stereo, but JE says everything from 10-speaker sounds systems to sat-nav is possible.

Of course, none of this cures the Defender's woeful ergonomics. There's very little driver's seat and wheel adjustment, so the tall still sit with their knees around their ears, and the most comfortable position for your outside arm remains the window sill. Overall cabin quality is vastly improved, but when you're starting with a standard Defender this is faint praise. Truthfully, next to, say, a similarly priced Mercedes G63, the Zulu feels a little downmarket. 

Turning the key sends the V8 turning over for three or four seconds before firing with a guttural rumble and settling to a slightly lumpy idle. Blip the throttle and the trademark JLR V8 noise rasps from the pipes accompanied by hilarious torque roll.