NEW DEFENDER 130

In the middle of May Land Rover teased us with just this one photo of the New Defender 130 playing in sand dunes, but yesterday they finally showed us some more and opened the order books.

Land Rover’s unstoppable 4x4 family will expand with the introduction of the practical Defender 130 body design, which will join the existing 90, 110 and commercial Hard Top choices.

With a spacious 2-3-3 seat configuration that can seat up to 8 people, New Defender 130 will be ready for any adventure with the whole family, and has all the latest digital technologies and advanced integrated chassis technologies, making Defender the toughest, most capable off-road vehicle.

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.

All Defenders now have Keyless Entry featuring 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 it will automatically lock when the key fob is more than 1.5 metres away.

Exterior design

Defender’s iconic silhouette has been extended by 340mm at the rear for better interior space across all three rows, without compromising its all-terrain capabilities, and features an extended rear overhang that provides even greater interior space in the third row of seats and load area.

All Defender models are fitted with a panoramic sunroof as standard, with a second sunroof above the third row also featuring on all Defender 130s.

Land Rover engineers have crafted a subtle boat tail-style uplift 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 bodycolour hard-shell cover for the spare wheel is available. 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.

Efficient powertrains

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).

Spacious interior

The elegantly extended rear creates uncompromised accommodation in the third row, with enough width to provide comfortable seating for three adults, while the Defender’s familiar outline ensures generous headroom in all three rows. Getting in to the third row is effortless, as the row two seats slide and fold forwards to provide wide access.

Additional touches ensure a comfortable passenger experience in the third row, including heated seats, padded armrests, storage and USB-C provision to charge devices on the move.

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.

Defender 130 provides a spacious and practical load area, with up to 3893 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 you choice in configuring the interior to best suit your needs. They are split in 40:20:40 configuration for added convenience.

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.

The five-seat version of Defender 130 offers a vast load area of up to 2,5161 litres with row two folded.

New Defender 130 integrates the global location platform, what3words (which we wrote about in issue 21), giving customers accurate and precise navigation even in the most remote environments. 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.

The interior design features new colour and material options, and is furnished with the latest connected technologies and chassis systems - including a new, larger 11.4" Pivi Pro touchscreen, standard Electronic Air Suspension and Cabin Air Purification Plus - providing the ultimate support and comfort for modern off-road excursions.

Unstoppable capability

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 3,000kg4, 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.