Defender V8 vs Bronco Raptor: Will Dealer Markups Make These Two Instant Rivals?

Exhibit A, the 2022 Land Rover Defender 110 V8, a great thumping five-liter, supercharged monster that represents the highest level the Defender moniker's achieved since being revived in the 2020s.

And Exhibit B, the 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor, is the closest thing to a Baja Trophy Truck as you can buy and put on the road. With dealer markups taken into account, it's fair to say these two titans will go head to head with one another in the coming years.

That said, these two off-road SUVs try to satisfy the needs of two entirely different groups of people. One caters to the high-end luxury SUV market, with all the refinement and grace of a modern British luxury car with the power to match. The other is an All-American exercise in the extreme. An already capable Bronco platform with the latest in turbocharged EcoBoost power under the hood.

When comparing these two SUVs, the first thing you're liable to look at is their power figures. The 2022 Range Rover V8 110 jets 518 horsepower out of its five-liter supercharged V8 engine made of the finest British beef.

Good enough to get the enormous 4x4 up to 62 miles per hour (100 kph) in under five seconds and a top speed in the high 150 mph  range. The Bronco Raptor can only muster an as yet unconfirmed number of 400-plus horsepower in its current form.

Some in the enthusiast community have scratched their heads as to why Ford didn't bother to use their iconic flat-plane-crank, five-liter V8 engine in the Bronco purported to be the ultimate performance model. Ford may have its reasons, be it fuel economy concerns, new environmental regulations, or whatever the case may be. But in the grand scheme of things, is a gap of 100 horsepower between the Defender 110 and the Bronco Raptor really going to be a dealbreaker on the trail?

Make no mistake. The current new Defender is a capable off-roader in its own right. But compare it to the chunky and downright beefy Bronco Raptor. Its computer-controlled four-wheel-drive system doesn't often play second fiddle in rough terrain. Even so, there's reason to suspect the Raptor may have the edge on the trail over the top of line 110 V8 Defender. Gargantuan 37-inch all-terrain tires and brutish-looking undercarriage armor on the part of the Bronco Raptor may see the Ford triumph in a truly above-average off-road showdown.

With all of this in mind, the polar opposite is very likely the case when it comes to on-road manners. Modern Land Rovers are comfortable and dependable family vehicles first and capable off-road toys a very distant second. Even if this notion makes the original designer of the iconic Classic Range Rover turn over in his grave, God rest his soul. Polished wood and plush leather is found on the Defender, where barely acceptable plastic is found on the Bronco.

But that doesn't mean either the Defender 110 V8 and the Bronco Raptor aren't lavishly equipped. Both have full multitouch navigation displays, although the center screen is an option on the Raptor, as well as fully digital gauge clusters to configure to your heart's content. Both also feature driver changeable drive modes for whatever activity you're up to, including a towing mode in the case of the Raptor.

Finally, we get down to the price difference between these two beasts. On the Defender's 110 V8s sides, expect to pay no less than $100,000 plus taxes before you can take one home. As for the Raptor, the story is a little more complex.

You've no doubt heard that Ford dealerships have been implementing huge dealer markups on Bronco inventory. With a suspected price of around $70,000, we expect these same markups to bring the Bronco Raptor into the same pricing territory as the Defender V8 110.

If this is the case, we'd have a devil of a time choosing between the two. Both have strengths and weaknesses that are going to determine on a case-by-case basis which side you're most likely to choose.

But what are your thoughts? Would you take home the elegant Defender or the bonkers Raptor? Let us know in the comments down below. Check back for more from Land Rover month here on autoevolution.