Addition of the 130 completes the Defender line-up.
With wraps having come off in May this, automotive information firm, Duoporta, has revealed South Africa for the all-new Land Rover Defender 130.
Slotting-in above the Defender 90 and 110, the Defender 130 no longer sports an open rear deck like the previous generation, but rather an extended roof capable of providing seating for eight in three-rows under a solid lid.
Measuring 340 mm longer in overall length and standing three millimetres taller than the 110, the 130 is also more spacious with Land Rover claiming a boot space of 389-liters, which increases to 1 232-litres in five-seat form and 1 329-litres in eight-seat guise with the third-row folded down.
With the second also lowered, boot space in the five-seater expands to 2 516-litres and to 2 291-litres in the eight-seater. Regardless of the seating configuration though, the Defender 130 has a wading depth of 900 mm and ground clearance of 290 mm.
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As with its sibling, the 130 comes as standard with the upgraded Terrain Response 2 four-wheel-drive system, a low-range transfer case, breakover angle of 27.8-degrees and approach of 37.5-degrees. Compared to the 110 though, the departure angle drops from 38-degrees to 28.5-degrees.
Bar the extended length and addition of the third-row, the newcomer’s interior is unchanged from the 90 and 110, though it gets the otherwise optional panoramic sunroof as standard along with quad-zone climate control.
Specification meanwhile is likely to be identical to the trim levels of the 90 and 110, which consists of three grades; X-Dynamic HSE, First Edition and flagship X.
On the engine front, Land Rover has afforded the 130 a single turbocharged Ingenium petrol engine and a solitary turbodiesel, both coupled to the ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic transmission.
Selected for the former is the 3.0-litre straight-six that produces 294kW/550Nm as per the P400 nomenclature. For the oil-burner, the D300 features, meaning a similar 3.0-litre inline-six with outputs of 221kW/650Nm.
As with the international model, the South African Defender 130 won’t offer the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine available in the 90 and 110 in lieu of the Ford-derived unit’s imminent departure in favour of the BMW-sourced 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 offered in the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport.
In addition, the 48-volt mild-hybrid system fitted as standard in Europe has been eschewed entirely for South Africa, together with the availability of a four-cylinder powerunit.
Like the 90 and 110, the Defender 130’s sticker prices include a five-year/100 000 km maintenance plan.
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