New supersized Land Rover Defender 130 8-seater spotted on test
The XXL Land Rover Defender 130 is set to offer a stretched whee base and up to eight seats but pricing will encroach on Range Rover territory
These new Land Rover Defender 130 spy shots suggest the British brand is just months away from introducing the biggest, most spacious and most luxurious version of its reborn 4x4 yet.
Set to be launched in early 2022, the stretched Defender 130 SUV was caught by our snappers testing on German roads in a black and white camouflage, with black wheels and dark tinted windows. It’s impossible, however, to disguise the fact that this is not your regular reborn Defender but the extended-wheelbase version.
Clearly featuring a stretched wheelbase and longer rear doors, the new Defender 130 also gets a considerably bigger rear overhang, compared to the 110. Both features liberate more space within the cabin and allow the 130 to offer seating for up to eight – one more than a Defender 110 with the optional third row.
When it arrives, it's rumoured that the Defender 130 will be positioned as the most luxurious version of the Defender, with the flagship Land Rover off-roader set to be offered in top-end trims only. Despite this version packing considerably more luggage space, it's unlikely a Hardtop commercial version will be available.
Claimed to measure in at around 5.1-metres long, the Defender 130 would be something like 342mm longer than the 110 and around 227mm longer than its closest rival, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class.
Under the bonnet of the prototype is Land Rover's latest mild-hybrid 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder petrol, that should provide for around 394bhp and a 0-62mph sprint of around 6.0 seconds.
As well the powerful petrol, the firm's 296bhp mild-hybrid twin-turbo-diesel 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder will also be available and that should be capable of blending both a sub-seven-second 0-62mph dash and a 30mpg average. Both the 399bhp plug-in hybrid P400e and the most powerful 518bhp supercharged 5.0-litre V8 power units could also be offered.
Following on from the longer Defender 130, Land Rover is also rumoured to be secretly developing a pick-up version of the Defender that is expected to sit on the same extra-long platform. When it arrives, the dual-cab pick-up will rival both the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi's L200.
Is the new Land Rover Defender 130 too big for the UK? Have your say in the comments...
