8-seater Land Rover Defender 130 to debut on May 31

Land Rover will take the covers off the 8-seat Defender 130 on May 31, 2022. The Defender 130 will be the biggest version of the current Defender family and will be longer than the standard Defender 90 and the Defender 110 models that are already on sale globally.

• Defender 130 will be 5.1m long
• Will be the longest Defender in the range
• Will come with an 8-seat layout

8 seat Land Rover Defender 130: what we know so far

As mentioned above, the Defender 130 will be the longest in the range and come with a three-row seating layout. It will be 5.1m long, compared to the standard Defender's 4.7m and the short-wheelbase Defender's 4.3m. Land Rover will also offer a commercial variant of the Defender 130 in some markets.

The original Defender 130 had an extended wheelbase, but this new model gains 342mm on the current 110's overall length due to its enlarged overhang. It’s also 227mm longer than its Mercedes-Benz G-Class rival.

Land Rover has remained tight-lipped ahead of the 130’s full debut but has confirmed that it will feature eight seats in a 2-3-3 configuration, as well as advanced integrated chassis technology already seen on other Defender models. It’s positioned as the ‘premium explorer’ of the range, meaning it is likely to command a significant price premium over the Defender 90 and 110.

8 seat Land Rover Defender 130: Rivals

The Defender 130 will rival three-row SUVs throughout the globe including the Audi Q7, BMW X7 and also the larger North American SUVs like the Cadillac Escalade, the Lincoln Navigator and also the recently introduced Jeep Grand Wagoneer. The Defender 130 will have multiple engine options ranging from turbo-petrol units to diesel mild-hybrid powertrains.

Apart from the Defender 130, Land Rover is also readying an off-road focused Defender SVX, read more on that here.

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