Land Rover has taken covers off the third body style in the Defender’s lineup – the Defender 130. The new long version joins the Defender 90 and Defender 110. The Defender 130 shares its wheelbase with the Defender 110. However, it gets an additional 340mm behind the rear axle.
The purpose of Defender 130 is to serve those looking to carry more passengers. To differentiate from the other models in the lineup, it will get a host of new and exclusive features. The model will be available in 5- and 8-seat configurations.
The design for the Defender stays largely the same up to the C-pillars. Behind that, the car gets 13.3-inch or 340mm of additional bodywork. The overall length of the SUV now measures 5,358mm. The SUV does look massive, but the squarish design does not make it look ungainly. The extra space also allows for the third row of seats. Hence, the model can now seat up to eight.
The increase in size does not affect the Defender’s off-road capabilities. The approach and break-over angles are identical to the Defender 90 and 110. However, at 28.5 degrees, the only change is the departure angle. The wading depth also stays the same as before.
Land Rover will also offer a First Edition version of the Defender 130. The First Edition will be available in three specification configurations. These include Fuji White with an Extended Bright Pack. The pack includes a Ceres Silver Satin finish to lower body cladding around the SUV. The interiors for this trim get a Light Oyster Full Windsor leather and a new Natural Light Oak veneer.
The other configuration is the Sedona Red First Edition. Additionally, the new Sedona Red exterior colour will be exclusive to the Defender 130. This configuration comes with an Ebony Full Windsor Leather and a Smoked Oak veneer. And the third configuration features a Carpathian Gray exterior paint. On the inside, this configuration gets a Vintage Tan Full Windsor Leather and Rough-Cut Walnut veneer.
The interior stays largely the same as the other models in the lineup. A new 11.4-inch touchscreen infotainment display is now standard across the range. The Defender 130 also comes with air suspension as standard. The air suspension improves the ride comfort and off-road prowess of the SUV even further.
In the 8-seat configuration, the Defender 130 offers 389 litres of boot space. Folding down the third row increases it to 1,232 litres. With both the second and third-row seats down, it offers a massive 2,291 litres of boot space. At the same time, the 5-seat configuration offers 2,516 litres of boot space with the second row down and 1,329 litres with it up.
In Europe, the Defender 130 will be available in a choice of three mild-hybrid engines. The range starts with the P300, which gets a 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder engine. The motor produces 300 PS and 470 Nm of torque. The same engine in the P400 guise produces 400 PS and 550 Nm of torque.
The Defender 130 will also come with a diesel engine. The D300 uses an Ingenium 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine. It produces 300 PS and 650 Nm of torque. In some markets, a D250 will also be available. The D250 uses the same motor but produces 250 PS and 600 Nm of torque.
The P300 accelerates from 0 to 100kmph in 8 seconds, while the P400 takes 6.6 seconds. On the other hand, the diesel-powered D250 takes 8.9 seconds. The more powerful D300 does the 100kmph sprint in 7.5 seconds.
Every Defender 130 will come standard with Land Rover’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive (iAWD) and a ZF 8-speed automatic gearbox as standard.
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