V8 Land Rover 90 Waflokr7Fb2ody
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THE LAUNCH next week of the short-wheelbase Land Rover Ninety equipped for the first time with the 3.5 litre V8 petrol engine completes phase four of the company's product improvement plan.
V8 Ninety models use the 3,528cc engine fitted in the One-Ten Land Rover and Range Rover although, as in the OneTen installation, it has a reduced 8.13:1 compression ratio allowing it to run on 91 octane (two star) fuel.
Maximum power is 85kW (114hp) at 4,000rpm, while peak torque of 251Nm (185 lbft) is delivered at 2,500rpm.
Land Rover expects the V8 Ninety will appeal to shortwheelbase Land Rover operators looking for extra power, particularly when towing.
The 2.4 tonne gvw vehicle (2.55 tonne gvw when fitted with high load suspension), has a towing capacity of up to four tonnes depending on trailer configuration and braking.
The existing Ninety series engine options consisting of the 55kW (74hp) 2.3 litre petrol and 50kW (67bhp) 2.5 litre diesel will continue to be offered on the 2,360mm (93in) wheelbase Ninety.
Price for a V8 Ninety pickup is £7,720 plus vat, while a hardtop version retails at £8,004 plus vat.
Coinciding with the V8 Ninety launch, Land Rover has also introduced a new five-speed gearbox called the LTB5 designed specifically for the 3.5 litre V8 engine.
The LT85, which has an 0.79:1 overdrive fifth gear ratio, will now be a standard fitment on all V8-engined Land Rovers, including the long-wheelbase One-Ten which was previously equipped with the LR95 fourspeed unit.
The LT85 gearbox has been designed to handle the greater torque produced by the 3.5 litre V8 engine and, according to Land Rover, is more suitable for arduous off-road use.
Fitting the LT85 transmission to all V8 engines has also allowed Land Rover to standardise on the LT230 twin-ratio transfer box across its entire 4x4 range. As a result, all V8 Land Rovers now have 10 forward and two reverse gears for the first time.
The LT85 gearbox has been under development for around five years and is produced under licence in Spain by Land Rover Santana which already fits it in Spanish built Land Rovers.
Completed units will be shipped back to the UK for final vehicle assembly at Solihull.
Although Land Rover uses a small proportion of foreign components in its vehicles, this is the first time it has fitted a non-UK built gearbox in a Land Rover.