Land Rover Defender 130 Teased As 8-Seat SUV Ahead Of May 31 Debut

The Land Rover Defender 130 will stretch the SUV to accept as many as eight passengers. The brand will unveil this larger offering on May 31, 2022, and it will begin accepting orders on the same day, at least in the United Kingdom.

 The Defender 130 retains the general styling of the existing 90 and 110 variants, except this one is longer. According to earlier reports, the 130 has the same 119-inch (3,022-millimeter) wheelbase as the 110, but the overall length increases by roughly 13 inches (342 millimeters) to 201 inches (5,100 millimeters). 

The increased size lets the Defender 130 have a 2-3-3 seating configuration across its three rows. In comparison, the 110 is also available in a three-row layout, but the rearmost section only has space for two people. Presumably, if you don't need to pack the vehicle full of people, the 130 would offer increased cargo space with the third row stowed over the 110.

We aren't expecting the Defender 130 to offer different powertrains than the other Defender variants. The entry-level engine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder making 296 horsepower (221 kilowatts) and 295 pound-feet (400 Newton-meters). Customers can upgrade to a mild-hybrid-assisted 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six with 395 hp (295 kW) and 406 lb-ft (551 Nm). A 5.0-liter supercharged V8 is the range-topper producing 518 hp (386 kW) and 461 lb-ft (625 Nm).

All Defenders have an eight-speed automatic gearbox and permanent four-wheel drive.

 Land Rover isn't offering any pricing details for the Defender 130 at this time. However, we expect it to carry a premium over the 110, which starts at $54,750 (including the $1,350 destination fee) for the 2023 model year. The V8-powered version of the 110 has a base price of $112,650.

Recent spy shots caught Land Rover testing an even more powerful version of the Defender. It would possibly wear the SVR badge. Under the hood, there's reportedly a BMW-sourced twin-turbo V8 making more than 600 horsepower (447 kilowatts). The brand reportedly wants this model to compete against the Mercedes-AMG G 63.

The pictures showed the hotter Defender testing using the 110's body. It's not currently clear whether the 90 or 130 might get the more-powerful V8, too.