New Land Rover Defender 130 V8 and Outbound special edition join the ranks

The V8-powered eight-seat Land Rover Defender has 493bhp

The Land Rover Defender has gained a new variant, combining the eight-seat 130 model with a supercharged V8 to create the ultimate iteration of the current Defender. It’s joined by a new Outbound special edition plus a ‘County’ pack has been added to the 110. 

The 130 V8 is offered with the same 5.0-litre, supercharged V8 found in the most powerful versions of the Defender 110 and 90 although it’s been detuned from the 518bhp and 625Nm of torque you get in those cars to 493bhp and 610Nm. 

Despite this and the extra size, the 130 V8 will go from 0 to 62mph in 5.4 seconds - the same as the V8-powered 110. Cosmetic changes over the standard six-cylinder petrol and diesel Defenders come in the form of grey and black exterior accents, a quad-exit exhaust system, V8 badging and 22-inch wheels - all of which you’ll find on the other Defender V8 models. 

The cabin has also been treated to some bespoke tweaks. There are 14-way heated and cooled front seats, four-zone climate control, an upgraded sound system and a head-up display. At £116,845, the 130 V8 costs £5,190 more than the 110 V8 and we expect first deliveries in the next few months. 

Land Rover’s Defender news doesn’t stop there however because a new Outbound special edition has joined the ranks as well. It’s based on the 130 but loses the rear row of seats to make it a five-seater with a huge 1,329-litre boot - expanding to 2,516 litres with the back row folded. The Outbound comes with 395bhp P400 petrol or 296bhp D300 diesel powertrains. 

Customers of the Defender 110 now have the choice of the ‘County’ design pack which pays tribute to the old Defender County by adding retro graphics on the exterior, illuminated front treadplates with a County symbol and 20-inch wheels.

Now read our full in-depth review of the Land Rover Defender...

Senior news reporter

A keen petrol-head, Alastair Crooks has a degree in journalism and worked as a car salesman for a variety of manufacturers before joining Auto Express in Spring 2019 as a Content Editor. Now, as our senior news reporter, his daily duties involve tracking down the latest news and writing reviews.

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