Land Rover has released details and photos of the new 500hp Defender 130 V8 that seems to be squarely aimed at the Mercedes-AMG G 63 SUV. This new Defender variant now becomes the most expensive in the entire Defender line-up that includes the Defender 90, the 110 and the 130.
- Defender 130 gets 5.0-litre AJ V8
- Same engine as the Defender 90 and 110
- Defender 130 Outbound Edition does not get third row
Land Rover Defender 130 powertrain
The new Defender 130 V8 uses the same 5.0-litre supercharged engine as the most potent variants of the Land Rover Defender 90 and 110 – albeit slightly detuned to 500hp. It can crack the 0-100kph sprint in just 5.4sec.
It's marked out from the six-cylinder petrol and diesel 130 variants by its bespoke grey and black paint options, a quad-exit exhaust, bespoke badging and 22-inch dark grey wheels. It ticks most of the interior option boxes, too, with 14-way heated and cooled front seats, four-zone climate control, a Meridian sound system and a head-up display fitted as standard.
JLR would not confirm whether the Defender 130 V8 is the last production car to use the venerable 'AJ' V8, which was first introduced in 4.0-litre form for the Jaguar XJ8 and XK8 in 1997. Today, the 5.0-litre lump is used only by the range-topping Defender models and the Jaguar F-Type – the latter is in its final year of production. The V8 Range Rover cars have swapped to a BMW-derived 4.4-litre engine.
There's also the new Defender 130 'Outbound' edition that joins the line-up. This drops the rearmost row of seats to allow "those with active and adventurous lifestyles to pack everything they need to get out and explore". This opens up a whopping 1,329-litre boot, which increases to 2,516 litres with the middle row folded. It only comes with a choice of the mild-hybrid D300 diesel or P400 petrol engine.
Land Rover Defender 130 is longer than rivals
The Defender 130 brings 340mm of extra length behind the rear axle, rather than between the wheels, as was the case for its predecessor. As a result, it is identical to the mid-sized 110 ahead of the C-pillar and measures 5,358mm long. It is primed to take on the largest luxury SUVs on sale and, in fact, is slightly longer than the BMW X7 and Mercedes-Benz GLS. It accommodates a new two-three-three seating layout as an option, which makes the Defender the only mainstream SUV in Europe capable of carrying more than seven occupants.
Aside from the new V8 and Outbound editions, it is available in SE, HSE, X-Dynamic, X and limited-run First Edition guises – the last of which is offered in three “carefully curated” bespoke colour combinations and comes with a bulk of options ticked. All variants are equipped with adaptive air suspension, giving up to 430mm of articulation and, in its highest setting, a wading depth of 900mm.
Land Rover recently introduced the standard Defender 130 in India. Read our review on that here.
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