Front is largely unchanged from the 110.
Three years after rumours about its return started emerging, Land Rover has officially unveiled the all-new Defender 130 as the line-up’s new flagship.
Positioned above the 90 and 110, the Defender 130, uncovered in a series of patent drawings at the beginning of this year, eschews its predecessor’s open rear deck bakkie layout for a solid roof SUV capable of seating five or eight.
While based on the same platform as the 90 and 110, Land Rover has stretched the 130’s overall length by 340 mm to 5 358 mm, while also increasing the height by three millimetres to 1 970 mm. Unchanged is the 3 022 mm wheelbase and 2 008 mm width.
As for the boot, the Defender 130 offers 389-litres with all three rows in place. In the eight-seat guise, with the third row dropped, space increases 1 232-litres or 1 329-litres in the case of the five-seater.
With the second row also down, the eight seater’s boot increases to 2 291-litres with that of the five-seater expanding to 2 516-litres.
Officially also the longest Defender ever made, the 130 comes as standard with not only Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 off-road system but also the electronic air suspension and adaptive dampers that results in 430 mm of articulation, a wading depth of 900 mm and ground clearance of 290 mm.
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Able to tow up to 3 000 kg, the Defender 130 sports the same approach and breakover angles as the 110, 37.5 degrees and 27.8 degrees respectively, but with a revised departure angle of 28.5 degrees versus its sibling’s 38 degrees.
Aside from its lengthened rear overhang, the 130’s only other exterior differences from the 110 includes what Land Rover calls an extended bright pack.
With this, the lower body panels and bonnet vents are finished in Ceres Silver Satin and the skidplates in Noble Chorme, bright silver 20-inch Luna alloy wheels and a model-specific colour called Sedona Red.
Inside, the cabin also continues as is with the standard fitting of the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and the 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment system.
Debuting though is Land Rover’s latest air purification system and proximity-sensing keyless, a feature now standard in all models. The biggest point of attention though is the third-row.
Apart from the larger side windows, Land Rover has made the otherwise optional panoramic sunroof standard and fitted the seats with a heating element, while also making quad-zone climate control an option. Unlike the lesser 90 and 110 models, the floor in the 130 is carpeted as standard.
Available in four trim levels; SE, HSE, X-Dynamic and X, Land Rover has also availed a limited-run First Edition model to the Defender 130.
An expansion of the standard HSE’s features and tech, the First Edition gets heated second-row seating, the uprated Meridian sound system, Matrix LED headlights and three bundled colours and interior trim:
Upfront, the Defender 130’s engine options are limited to the 3.0-litre straight-six Ingenium turbo-petrol and turbodiesel mills, both paired to the ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic gearbox, and with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance.
On the petrol front, the P300 produces 221kW/470Nm and the P400 294kW/550Nm, while the diesel engine D250 outputs 184kW/600Nm and the D300 221kW/650Nm. The outgoing 5.0-litre supercharged V8 offered in the 90 and 110 has however been omitted.
Confirmed for South Africa in P400 and D300 guises, the Defender 130 will go on sale from the end of the year with pricing to be announced closer to the local launch date.
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