Goldilocks, your SUV is here.
The Land Rover Defender is now available in three sizes: small, medium and large.
Joining the two-door Defender 90 and four-door, two-row Defender 110 in 2023 is the three-row Defender 130.
The numerical names are a throwback to the system used for the classic Defender, when they roughly referred to the SUVs wheelbase length.
Today they’re not so exact, and the Defender 110 and Defender 130 actually share the same wheelbase, with the larger model’s extra size added behind the rear wheels.
It allows the midsize SUV to fit eight passengers in relative comfort, although it’s a tight squeeze through the rear door and into the third row.
There is plenty of leg room, as long as the second row passengers use their sliding seats to share it, and even its own sunroof.
The cargo space is deep enough for a couple of small bags, but you’ll want to get a roof rack if you’re planning on going deep into the wilderness or for a long trip to Disneyland with all eight seats filled. That said, the center seats in both rear rows fold down, making it easy to fit long cargo with four aboard, as I discovered while picking up a Christmas tree.
The Defender 130 starts at $69,475 for a model powered by a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six-cylinder engine. Stepping up to a $79,775 SE swaps in a hybridized version rated at 395 horsepower. It can be loaded with options to over $100,000, but most of the good mechanical stuff comes standard.
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That includes a fully independent suspension with adjustable air springs that can adjust its ground clearance from 8.6 inches to 11.5 inches and a full-time all-wheel-drive system with a two-speed transfer case.
Even though the stereotype is that many of these never see a dirt road, let alone rocks, the Defender 130 is a seriously capable off-road machine that has traction management settings for every surface imaginable, including mud, rocks and even water.
There’s an ultrasonic water depth gauge that shows you exactly how high the water is on the vehicle, which is rated to wade through up to 35 inches of it. On dry land, a 360-degree camera system can virtually show you the terrain that’s directly under the vehicle on display with a transparent outline of the vehicle. It does this by collecting images as the vehicle approaches them, then moving them underneath on a delay.
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Another screen also keeps track of the approach, breakover and departure angles, depending on what setting the suspension is in. It’s a helpful reminder that you have a bit more junk in the trunk compared to the Defender 110, because it otherwise drives exactly the same and feels much smaller than it is thanks to the short wheelbase. Also mind the tailgate-mounted spare tire.
On or off pavement, you’d be hard-pressed to find an SUV that rides better than the Defender 130. It’s so smooth that you might as well be driving in sand all the time. The power is strong thanks to the extra kick of the electric motor, but it doesn’t help the fuel economy much, which is 19 mpg combined.
That’s not much better than some larger, more powerful eight-passenger SUVs and actually less than the Toyota Sequoia’s 20 mpg rating. The tidier size makes it much easier to drive on the trails and in town, however, and its tall, expansive greenhouse provides good visibility as you do.
The Defender 130 is really a closer competitor to the Jeep Grand Cherokee L, just a bit roomier and more refined. My test vehicle had all-season tires, so I didn’t venture too far off-road with it, but having done that in other Defenders, I think I can vouch for its capability, which is pretty serious.
If you’re a very serious off-roader, you’ll probably want to go with one of the smaller models, but if you need to haul people and stuff to where the bears live, the Defender 130 won’t disappoint.
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2023 Land Rover Defender 130
Base price: $69,475
As tested: $87,375
Type: 4-door, 8-passenger all-wheel-drive SUV
Engine: 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six-cylinder with hybrid assist
Power: 395 hp, 406 lb-ft
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
MPG: 17 city/21 hwy
