After years of leaks, rumors, spy shots, and speculations, Land Rover published the first photo of the Defender 130 while announcing its debut on May 31. The longer bodystyle variant of the Defender will slot above the 90 and 110, offering extra room for up to eight passengers.
The teaser photo is showing the 4×4 in its natural habitat, on sand dunes. While the sand is hiding most of the profile, we can clearly see the extra length of the roof and the rear side window. Predictably, the Defender 130 is sharing most of its body panels with the rest of the Defender range, although it will come with a stretched wheelbase and a longer rear overhang as highlighted in earlier spy photos and leaked patent pictures.
See Also: XL-Sized 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 Spied With V8 Engine And Quad Exhaust Pipes
The pictured vehicle sports a white paint combined with silver-colored accents and five-spoke alloy wheels. The SUV is expected to measure 5,100 mm (200.8 inches) long, which is 342 mm (13.5 inches) more than the five-door Defender 110 and an impressive 777 mm (30.6 inches) longer than the three-door Defender 90.
Land Rover was coy on details, but confirmed that the Defender 130 will have eight seats arranged on a 2-3-3 layout. We guess that the extra length will result in greater legroom for the second and third rows, as well as increased cargo space. The engine lineup will likely be shared with the rest of the Defender range, including the more powerful Defender V8 with a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 producing 518 hp (386 kW / 525 PS) and 846 Nm (625 lb-ft) of torque
Order books for the Defender 130 will open in line with the reveal on Tuesday, May 31. This is earlier than the August 2022 release date announced last year by Land Rover CFO Adrian Mardell, although the latter could also refer to the first deliveries of the new model.
