2023 Land Rover Defender 130 Tested: It’s a Long Road

The classic Land Rover Defender comes in a variety of sizes and shapes, so traditionally the new one should also fit in with tradition. When it first debuted, the reborn Defender appeared as a four-door 110 and two-door 90 pillars — smaller in length but with greater allure. The Defender 110 offers the option of an additional rear bench placed into the cargo area, although it’s completely useless. To create a genuine three-row seating package, a third body style was required, and that’s what we currently have with the Defender 130 stretched in velvet.

We praised Current defenderHis design, feat management is not easy is to look completely modern but is not to be confused with the off-road icon that first appeared in the 1940s. That sentiment applies to both the Defender 90 and 110. , but the additional length of 130 — 13.3 inches longer than 110, 30.5 inches longer than 90 — reduces its proportions. (For some of us, it’s reminiscent of Jeep Grand Wagoneer.) Given the long rear overhang, one can almost imagine that opening the side hinged cargo door and dropping a particularly heavy object onto the rear load deck could cause a Land Rover to explode.

Of course, that will never happen, in part because the Defender itself is so heavy. At 5931 pounds, our Defender 130 weighs 158 pounds more than the last Defender 110 that crossed our scales.

The 130’s engine offerings are trimmed from bottom to top, which means no turbocharged four and no V-8. Thus, driving this Land Rover’s mass is one of two 3.0-liter six-cylinder engines: the 296-horsepower P300 and the 395-horsepower P400. In most cases that will be the P400, at all but the lowest trim.

The turbo-boosted inline six also features an electrically controlled supercharger that effectively combats turbo lag. There is also a 48 volt motor generator; despite its presence, restarting from an automatic stop-start system may be faster. The long-stroke accelerator seems designed to adjust carefully in delicate off-street situations, with a discreet input. Get over that, though, and this boosted number six proves smooth and muscular. Working in sync with the excellent eight-speed automatic transmission built by ZF, it ditches the 130’s bump resistance and proves more than enough to push our fully loaded example. While the Defender 110 SE 2020 (with the same engine) needs 6.3 seconds to hit 60 and 14.8 seconds to run the quarter-mile, this 130 accelerates to 60 mph in 6.2 times. click and drop 0.2 seconds in a quarter mile time. It is also rated to tow 8200 pounds.

Predictably, the EPA’s estimates are grim at 17 mpg city and 21 mpg highway (with both engines), and in our 75 mph fuel economy test, the XL Landie did pass a premium gallon every 19 miles. That sounds bad, but it’s actually 1 mpg better than our results with the Defender 110X with the same powertrain. We should note that the 110X is equipped with the Explorer package that includes a roof rack, a snorkel and a side-mounted gearbox.

We didn’t get a chance to pilot the Defender 130 in its natural environment—such as climbing the mountains of Nepal or through the forests of Borneo. Those who travel in extremes will want to be mindful of their long steed’s commensurately shallower departure angle — 28.5 degrees versus 40.0 degrees for the 110 — lest the larger Rover pull its massive booty onto a rock. stone. Otherwise, however, the 130 will be as capable off-road as its siblings. That means, very, as we found out Drive the Defender 110 through the wreckage on Michigan’s Drummond Island. The standard four-wheel drive system includes a two-speed transmission and a lockable center differential. A rear differential lock is available as part of a $1500 Off-Road package. Ground clearance is 11.4 inches and like its siblings, the 130 can wade 35.4 inches.

The Defender 130 comes equipped with air springs, along with Land Rover’s Adaptive Dynamics system, as standard. Sophisticated suspension keeps the ride bouncing and effectively isolates passengers from broken pavement. The steering is moderately weighty and accurate for such a serious off-roader, but when cornering, the Defender 130 feels like an inch in size and you’ll have to slow down considerably when cornering. At the track, the 130 recorded a modest side grip of 0.71 g.

The Defender’s wire-brake system, which in the 2020 model year we found difficult to adjust, is nothing to complain about this time around. This setup also proved highly effective in sudden stops, pulling the Land Rover down from 70 mph in just 57 metres.

None of the above is a big difference from other Defender models. The big change here is the interior package: the 130 is clearly designed to accommodate three rows of seats. Its rear bench has enough headroom and an extra 11.2 inches of legroom for teens or even average-sized adults, though legroom is tight. Split in 40/20/40 or optionally 60/40, the seats have straps for three, which seems optimistic unless they’re all waifish models. Land Rover includes USB-C ports and even optional seat heaters in the rear, plus an additional sunroof, so it’s not like driving too much. Another change from the lower Defenders is that the 130 doesn’t offer an unusual three-person front bench (which would push the total capacity to nine), nor can there be a captain’s seat in the second row. .

Even with the extremely long fuselage, with all the seats deployed, passengers won’t be able to bring more than one toothbrush and one set of underwear to change into. Behind the last seat there is only space for three hand luggage. In maximum cargo mode, cargo space comes in at 81 cubic feet behind the front seats, just 2 cubic feet more than the three-row Defender 110. That’s about as much as you’d find in the Nissan Pathfinder but less than in some other mid-size models, such as the Hyundai Palisade, Chevrolet Traverse or Volkswagen Atlas, and with the seats folded, the Land Rover’s load floor isn’t flat.

Like friends who settle down for less time, the Defender’s interior is practical, with handles, a durable-looking finish, and plenty of storage. However, it manages to avoid seeming basic thanks to the generously padded surfaces. It is distinctly different from other premium SUVs.

The difference clearly describes the Defender overall and the price is definitely premium. The 130 skips the steel wheel stripper trim level and instead starts with the S, for $69,475, $9,700 more than the 110 S. From there, it climbs through the trim levels. SE, X-Dynamic SE, and First Edition to top with the X, which retails for $101,375 before options. However, aside from the extra spending, there aren’t many compromises to be made here. With 130, Land Rover has successfully expanded the Defender in size and capabilities.