It’s official: the Land Rover Defender 130 is confirmed, and it will ride on the same wheelbase, but have a 14-inch longer body.
Yes, the Land Rover Defender 130 will have a 119-inch wheelbase like the current 110. Unlike the 110, though, it won’t have a third row seat that’s too small for some children, let alone adult passengers. The extra 14 inches added to the overall body length will give the rear-seat passengers a chance to keep their lower limbs.
Automotive News Europe reported that JLR Chief Financial Officer Adrian Mardell stated, “Defender 130 will hit a sweet spot in North America, China, and also the Middle East, which we’re not yet touching.”
Despite some teething issues, the all-new Land Rover Defender is proving to be an exceedingly popular vehicle for the brand. Currently, they offer the five-door 110 in our market, but the Defender 90 three-door is about to land in dealerships as well. The seating in every 110 we’ve recently sampled proved very comfortable in the first two rows. Unfortunately, the third row was so small, it appeared nearly unusable.
What’s interesting here is that JLR just announced an optional fire-breathing V8 that will soon be available in the Defender 110 and the 90. This supercharged engine makes 518 horsepower and 461 lb-ft of torque – which is impressive. Now that we get the (presumably) heavier Defender 130, we expect that powertrain to find it way there as well.
No further Land Rover Defender 130 information – yet
Pricing has not been announced, but we suspect the Land Rover Defender will be about 10-percent higher than the equivalent 110. Currently, the Defender 90 starts at $46,100 and the Defender 110 starts at $50,500. Following that pricing strategy, it can be assumed that the Land Rover Defender 130 at about $56,000 or so. Of course, that could all change when that new V8 hits the market.
We will be keeping a close eye on this story. Honestly, when its functioning correctly, our Land Rover Defender 110 is an awesome vehicle, but it would be handy to have actual space for third row passengers. Maybe we’ll trade-up in the future?
