Land Rover has revealed the new Defender 130, an eight-seater version of its most capable SUV with a 2+3+3 seating arrangement.
The new Defender will reach local showrooms “towards the end of 2022,” Land Rover South Africa told TopAuto.
In our market, the eight-seater will be offered with one diesel and one petrol drivetrain, as well as in X-Dynamic HSE, X, and First Edition trim levels.
Pricing for the Defender 130 will be announced closer to its launch date, but it’s expected to have the highest starting price of the Defender family – the 90 currently starting at R1,232,294 and the 110 at R1,265,046.
In the United Kingdom, the new Land Rover can alread be ordered for a starting price of £73,895 (R1,451,000).
Defender 130 specs
The Land Rover Defender 130 is the “ultimate demonstration of the Defender’s breadth of talents”, playing home to a host of exterior and interior design enhancements to make it stand out as the new flagship model.
The body of the Defender 110 was extended by 340mm to make the 130, resulting in comfortable seating for eight adults, as well as a load capacity of 389 litres with all the seats up which grows to 2,291 litres if the rear rows of seating are not in use.
Additionally, a panoramic sunroof, LED lights, Narvik Black roof rails, and 20-inch alloy wheels are equipped as standard, while the Sedona Red exterior colour is also available exclusively on the 130.
Moving inside, each new Land Rover boasts an 11.4-inch Pivi Pro infotainment system, perforated Windsor leather upholstery, walkaway door locks, and support for the “what3words” global location platform.
“British technology company what3words has divided the globe into a grid of 57 trillion 3mx3m squares, each with a unique, easy-to-remember three-word address,” said Land Rover.
As such, the new Defender 130 is able to navigate to any one of these squares across the planet, without the need for a phone signal.
For the HSE and First Edition specifications, owners can further expect Matrix-LED lights, heated second and third-row seating, four-zone climate control, a Meridian sound system, the Driver Assist package, and privacy glass as standard.
The new Defender 130 in South Africa will be powered by the buyer’s choice between the D300 and P400 powertrains.
The D300 is a 3.0-litre, turbo-diesel engine putting out 221kW and 650Nm, while the P400 is a 3.0-litre, mild-hybrid, petrol with 294kW and 550Nm.
An eight-speed automatic transmission takes care of delivering drive to all four wheels, allowing the diesel to reach 100km/h in 7.5 seconds whereas the petrol does it in a faster 6.6 seconds.
Each new Defender 130 is also equipped with the electronic air suspension system as standard, providing up to 430mm of wheel articulation with 71.5mm of height adjustment at the front and 73.5mm at the back.
A maximum water wading depth of 900mm is on the cards, too, whereas the maximum towing capacity comes in at 3,000kg.
At its edges, the Defender 130 then measures 5,358mm long, 2,008mm wide, and 1,970mm tall – offering a ground clearance of 290mm.
Land Rover Defender 130
Keyword: New Land Rover Defender 8-seater revealed – When it will launch in South Africa