Twisted Defender V8 2018 first drive

Out on the road this is a car to have parents hurriedly guiding their children back from the pavement’s edge. It’s a task made considerably harder by the fact these same blighters are the ones craning their necks to get a closer look. Part of the car’s presence is the result of wheel-spacers, which improve the turning circle compared to the standard Defender (it’s still substantial) but thrust the knobbly tyres out in full Armageddon style. People stare, and point, but the reactions are overwhelmingly positive. It’s still a Defender, after all.

Go beyond the bull-bars, light pods and the Cooper tyres, however, and you’ll see this is not some modified monstrosity. The sheet metal is just lovely – utterly smooth, unpretentious and with crisply contrasting rivets – and from the billet aluminium door handles to a simplistic grille and headlamp setup redolent of the Series Stage 1 V8 of the early eighties, it’s mostly very tasteful. In fact referencing that most badass of historic Defenders is an outstanding touch.

Elsewhere there are fewer indications of this car’s aftermarket affectation than you’d expect, but that’s where Twisted excels. In any case, the near-vertical windscreen and atrociously indirect steering (though the fitment of an smaller and more elegant Moto-Lita rim helps matters) never let you forget what car it is you’re driving, but then you wouldn’t want that.

If the car’s style does just enough get the nod from even ardent Defender purists, the driving experience is more amusing. Throttle response is a touch baggy and there’s a hiatus in the torque delivery as the six-speed auto lines up another ratio, but what theatre. And speed. Being naturally aspirated, this engine doesn’t hit its stride until the top of the rev-range, and even then its only Golf GTI hot-hatch fast, but that’s quick enough for a 2500kg Defender, thank you very much. Admittedly this isn’t the sweetest calibration, but it’s not bad, and sticking to the manual would make it even more involving and easier to ride this throaty engine’s torque.

Performance and a muscle-car soundtrack are a big part of the package but they’re not the only reason people you might spend Lamborghini Urus money on a vehicle with agricultural pedigree. Truth is, the manner in which Twisted’s revised suspension and soundproofing isolate you from the road is pretty mesmerising if you’re accustomed to a factory-spec Defender. Solid axles will never permit a ride to rivals that of a G-Wagon or Bentayga – not even close – but a decent motorway schlep is now more than tolerable. If you can cope with 15mpg, that is.