India, April 24 -- The NH66 is still the fastest, shortest way from Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar. It is also the worst highway. Road work drags on interminably, the so-called finished stretches are bumpy and uneven, and the Mangaon choke point can still swallow an hour on a bad day. None of this, it turns out, is a problem if you happen to be in a Land Rover Defender V8.

The Defender has always had a talent for making bad roads feel irrelevant. But with a 426hp 5.0-litre supercharged V8 under the bonnet, it adds a layer of belligerence to that talent. It doesn't slow down for craters, or flinch at ruts. It simply charges on, the V8 soundtrack nicely permeating the cabin. The sound is not loud or full-throated (noise regulations have taken the...