Don’t let the name fool you, the new Defender 130 isn’t the pickup truck version of the Defender 110; it’s an eight-seater Defender. Nothing more, nothing less.
When Land Rover offered me the embargoed news of the new Defender 130, I eagerly accepted. And I immediately envisioned a unibody pickup to rival the likes of the Honda Ridgeline, Ford Maverick, Hyundai Santa Cruz, Chevrolet Silverado EV, Rivian R1T, GMC HUMMER EV and the recently announced Scout EV pickup.
Essentially, I pictured the truck of my dreams with a touch of luxury, capability, and style.
Imagine my surprise, however, when the official photos hit my inbox and I found myself staring at an embiggened (a perfectly cromulent word) Defender 110 — one with a third row of seats.
The new Defender 130 isn’t a pickup, like the last Defender 130. This one is the Defender 110 stretched by 13.38 inches. With the lengthened body, the Defender 130 boasts 80.9 cubic feet of cargo space with the second and third row folded down.
READ MORE: Review: Does the New Defender 110 Hold Up to the Legacy of the Original?
With this room you can fit as much as 1,760 pounds of gear in it, the rig’s payload capacity limit. All that gear is held up by Land Rover’s adaptive air suspension system as standard. The roof has an enviable load limit, too, of 661 pounds dynamic load rating and 360 pounds static.
Although the 130 is a bit longer (just over a foot) than the 110, its off-road-y angles are still pretty good. Approach angle is 37.5 degree, departure is 28.5 degrees, and breakover angle is 27.8 degrees.
Power comes from two powertrain options, codenamed P300 and P400. P300 is a mild-hybrid inline-six-cylinder producing 296 horsepower and 347 foot-pounds of torque, which is good for 0-60 miles per hour in 7.5 seconds. The top-tier powertrain (for now) is the P400 that churns out 395 hp and 406 ft-lbs that will propel the 130 to 60 mph from a stand still in 6.3 seconds.
Land Rover spends much time in its press release talking about its new 11.4-inch touchscreen in the center dash and leather and wood appointments throughout the cabin. Since this isn’t that kind of website, I’ll leave luxury talk for other outlets.
Is the Defender 130 the modern Land Rover pickup of my dreams? No, not by a long shot. Is it neat? If you’re set on overlanding in the new Defender and want to bring a lot of people and/or stuff, the 130 is likely your best choice.
