Land Rover Defender 130 Review 2024

May 2022

Land Rover Defender 130 priced from £73,895

Sitting above the Land Rover Defender 90 and Defender 110, the Defender 130 provides space for eight adults across three rows of seating.

The Defender 130 has its own colour palette, with a new, exclusive Sedona Red option ensuring the 130 stands out in the line-up. The exterior is complemented by the optional Extended Bright Pack – available in addition to the existing Bright Pack – which provides a distinct exterior design with Ceres Silver Satin finish around all lower body cladding and front and rear skid plates in Noble Chrome.

Inside, thoughtful storage and convenience solutions are provided for every passenger across all three rows of seating. This ensures Defender 130 caters for passengers in every seat, with effortless access to the spacious three-abreast third row in a bright and airy cabin.

The interior design features new colour and material options, providing an amplified all-terrain experience. The latest connected technologies and chassis systems – including a new, larger 11.4-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen, standard Electronic Air Suspension and Cabin Air Purification Plus – provide the ultimate support and comfort for modern off-road excursions.  

The New Defender 130 is available in HSE, X-Dynamic SE, X-Dynamic HSE and X specifications, in addition to a First Edition. The First Edition is available in three combinations carefully curated by the designers, each one featuring a distinct colour and design theme:

• Fuji White with Extended Bright Pack with Light Oyster Full Windsor Leather interior and Natural Light Oak Veneer
• Sedona Red with Ebony Full Windsor Leather seats and Smoked Oak Veneer
• Carpathian Grey with Vintage Tan Full Windsor Leather and Rough-Cut Walnut Veneer

The First Edition model builds on the HSE specification with an extensive equipment list including Matrix LED headlamps, heated second and third-row seating, four-zone climate control, Meridian Surround Sound System, Driver Assist Pack and Privacy Glass. All feature 20-inch alloy wheels as standard, with a choice of P400 petrol or D300 diesel Ingenium six-cylinder powertrains.

Ensuring adventures begin and end effortlessly, now all Defenders with Keyless Entry – including Defender 130 - feature Approach Unlock and Automated Walkaway Lock. When the key fob is detected approaching the vehicle, it automatically unlocks when it is within 1.5 metres. When leaving the vehicle, New Defender 130 will automatically lock when the key fob is more than 1.5 metres away.

The Defender’s iconic silhouette has been elegantly extended by 340mm at the rear to provide enhanced interior space across all three rows, without compromising its unparalleled all-terrain capabilities.

With an unmistakable family resemblance, the Defender 130 features an extended rear overhang that provides even greater interior space in the third row of seats and load area.

The elegant profile is enhanced by the all-new Sedona Red exterior colour option – exclusive to the Defender 130 and adding even greater depth and sophistication to the design, while all models are fitted with a panoramic sunroof as standard, with a second sunroof above the third row also featuring on all Defender 130s.

To maintain the distinctive rear design of the Defender, Land Rover engineers have crafted a subtle boat tail-style uplift that also maximises the unparalleled all-terrain capability customers expect from Defender, providing a departure angle of 28.5 degrees². The surrounds for the rear LED lighting units have been re-engineered to maintain the three distinct lines that define Defender’s side profile as they rise subtly towards the rear.

Access to the spacious cargo area is unchanged, while a body-colour hard-shell cover for the spare wheel is available, reflecting Defender 130’s positioning at the pinnacle of the Defender line-up. Narvik Black roof rails are fitted as standard, while Defender’s full range of exterior accessories – including the Explorer, Adventure, Country and Urban packs – are also available.

The refined proportions of the 130 are enhanced by the optional Extended Bright Pack. In this specification, all lower body panels are finished in Ceres Silver Satin, providing a distinctive finish on vehicles finished in Hakuba Silver, Fuji White and Yulong White. Ceres Silver detailing can be found on the bonnet louvres and side fenders of all Defender 130 models, perfectly complemented by 20-inch polished silver alloy wheels.

The exterior finish is an extension to the Bright Pack, which features front and rear skid plates in Noble Chrome, complemented by grained black lower bumpers and wheelarch surrounds. The two options give Defender 130 customers a choice of distinctive and sophisticated exterior finishes.

The extended rear creates uncompromised accommodation in the third row, says Land Rover, with enough width to provide comfortable seating for three adults, while the Defender’s familiar outline ensures generous headroom in all three rows. Additional touches ensure a comfortable passenger experience in the third row, including heated seats, padded armrests, thoughtful storage and USB-C provision to charge devices on the move. Carpets are also fitted throughout, including the loadspace, to suit the 130’s unique character.

Large windows provide excellent visibility in all three rows of seating while the standard-fit panoramic glass sunroof, which is complemented by a second sunroof above row three, makes the interior light and airy for everyone. Additional comfort is provided by ventilation for each row, with additional ducting providing more heating and air-conditioning capacity via optional Four Zone Climate Control, exclusive to Defender 130.

Passengers in rows two and three also benefit from a small stadium rise, for superior visibility. Getting in to the third row is effortless, as the row two seats slide and fold forwards to provide wide access. From the tailgate, customers can simply lower the Defender’s Electronic Air Suspension with buttons inside the load area to aid with loading items into the rear.

Defender 130 provides a spacious and practical load area, with up to 389 litres of cargo volume even with the rearmost seats in place. When the seats are not in use, they stow to create a large loading area, giving customers the ultimate choice in configuring the interior arrangement that best suits their needs. They are split in 40:20:40 configuration for added convenience.

For families, ISOFIX child seat attachments are found on up to five of the passenger seats, on the outer seats of the second and third rows, as well as the front passenger seat. The five-seat version of Defender 130 offers a vast load area of up to 2,516¹ litres with row two folded.

New interior options and detailing contribute to a sophisticated cabin environment. Noble Chrome detailing is found on the air vent controls and electric seat switches, while speaker elements are finished in bright Ceres Silver and armrest hinges are finished in Atlas, combining to complement the features of the exterior Extended Bright Pack.

A new material finish – Natural Light Oak veneer – is inspired by driftwood and lends a natural, modern look and feel, available to elegantly complement the Light Oyster Perforated Windsor Leather seating. With this choice of seating, the top roll and dashboard hoops are finished in Lunar – set against white powder coat Cross Car Beam elements that provide added depth and contrast. Vintage Tan Perforated Windsor Leather is available across the Defender line-up, while X-Dynamic models can be specified with Robustec fabric interior trim elements in Duo Tone finish.

Up front, Defender 130 features a larger 11.4-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen as standard following its introduction on Defender 90 and 110 V8, allowing enhanced control over the vehicle’s core functions via a crisp and intuitive display. The curved glass interface provides fast, state-of-the-art functionality and is responsive as soon as the vehicle is started, with a simple menu structure and Software Over The Air capability so it is always up to date.

Drivers can personalise the three-panel layout to suit their preferences and most-used functions. The intelligent system is capable of learning habits and will adapt accordingly, such as suggesting navigation guidance at the beginning of a recognised commute, while also reducing the number of audio instructions via Smart Voice Guidance in familiar surroundings.

New Defender 130 integrates the global location platform, what3words, giving customers accurate and precise navigation even in the most remote environments. British technology company what3words has divided the globe into a grid of 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares, each with a unique, easy-to-remember three-word address.

The integrated technology allows what3words addresses to be inputted directly to the navigation bar on the Pivi Pro Infotainment or via the connected car app, working seamlessly alongside the existing HERE connected navigation and mapping software.

Customers will be able to navigate precisely to any location in the world, faster and more conveniently than ever using just three words – whether finding the perfect place to explore off-road, locating an individual parking space or identifying a specific entrance.

Interior air quality on every trip is enhanced by Cabin Air Purification Plus, which makes its Defender debut in the new 130. It is fitted to the largest Defender in the line-up as standard and combines nanoe^TM X technology for allergen reduction and pathogen removal, to help significantly reduce odours and viruses. In addition, CO₂ Management and PM2.5 Cabin Air Filtration improve the cabin environment by monitoring interior and exterior air and adjusting accordingly, ensuring occupants experience the best available air quality.

Advanced nanoe^TM X technology is scientifically proven to significantly reduce viruses and bacteria and the Purge function allows customers to prime the cabin prior to departure remotely, using their smartphone, to ensure optimum air quality from the very beginning of every journey.

Defender 130 is available with a powerful and efficient choice of electrified powertrains, including the P300 and P400 mild-hybrid Ingenium six-cylinder petrols, and the D300 Ingenium six-cylinder diesel.

Mild-Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) technology underpins Land Rover’s six-cylinder Ingenium powertrains, providing seamless responses as well as enhanced fuel economy. It uses a 48V Belt-integrated Starter Generator (BiSG) that harvests energy normally lost under braking and deceleration, that is stored and utilised later in the journey, while also making the stop-start system more rapid and efficient.

Petrol:

• • P300 – 3.0-litre six-cylinder, MHEV, 300HP, 470Nm torque at 1,500-4,250 rpm
  • P400 – 3.0-litre six-cylinder, MHEV, 400HP, 550Nm torque at 2,000-5,000 rpm

Diesel:

• • D300 – 3.0-litre six-cylinder, MHEV, 300PS, 650Nm torque at 1,500-2,500 rpm

The P300 delivers effortless, refined performance from its 3.0-litre Ingenium six-cylinder powertrain and completes 0-60mph in 7.5 seconds (0-100km/h in 8.0 seconds). The P400 achieves 0-60mph in 6.3 seconds (0-100km/h in 6.6 seconds), with ample power and refinement.

The Ingenium D300 diesel engine provide enhanced torque delivery, smooth responses and impressive fuel economy, alongside a 0-60mph time of 7.1 seconds (0-100km/h time of 7.5 seconds).

Every Defender 130 is fitted with Land Rover’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive (iAWD) system and eight-speed ZF automatic transmission as standard. The iAWD technology efficiently and effectively manages the powertrain and power distribution between the front and rear axles, optimising on-road efficiency and all-terrain capability as necessary.

Every Defender 130 is fitted with Electronic Air Suspension with Adaptive Dynamics and Land Rover’s advanced Terrain Response® system for unrivalled all-terrain capability and driver confidence in all environments. The combination of advanced systems ensures comfortable and effortless progress across broken surfaces, delivering agile performance.

The Electronic Air Suspension system allows for up to 430mm of articulation, with 71.5mm of additional lift at the front (73.5mm at the rear) in off-road height to clear obstacles and assist when wading – Defender 130 will ford up to 900mm of water. The Defender’s off-road capability is managed by Land Rover’s Terrain Response® system, which allows the driver to fine-tune the driving experience to any terrain via the Pivi Pro screen.

The foundations for the Defender’s all-conquering all-terrain capability rely on Land Rover’s aluminium-intensive monocoque D7x architecture. With a torsional rigidity of 25kNm/Degree, the Defender is three times more rigid than traditional body-on-frame designs and features the basis for the all-independent air suspension, twin-speed transfer box and Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system.

Defender 130 provides towing capacity of up to 3,000kg, while hitching is made easier with the Electronic Air Suspension – controlled via a switch panel inside the tailgate. Detachable and multi-height towbar designs are available for effortless towing.