2023 Land Rover Defender 130 First Edition
Written by Marco Carvajal
The Defender 130 is the longest version of the famous British 4×4 Land Rover. This all-terrain elegant vehicle adds a new chapter to Land Rover’s powerful family of off-road vehicles opening up a world of luxury adventure rides for a capacity of up to eight passengers in three rows of seats, with a very good and large comfortable interior space on each row.
The price range for the Defender 130 goes from 68K to 99K, Yes, it is not a cheap car, we are talking about a powerful, large capacity, and luxury car designed in England that is frequently driven by members of the royal family.
Four doors and eight seats are the perfect setup for drivers who like to have good capacity and plenty of space. We can see how many car manufacturers are producing three-row SUVs, but the Defender 130 is not just one more kid on the block, this is a different type of three-row species of car. This Land Rover is very versatile and it can be perfect to invite for a ride the royalty class of England to go on an African safari, or for a regular family trip who will appreciate class and power merged into one amazing vehicle. The long and powerful Defender 130 is ready for any adventure while keeping Land Rover’s British luxury and elegant style.
The longest Land Rover, the British Defender 130 First Edition can drive 8 passengers in 3 rows on any road condition, this is a very luxurious 3-row car that can drive you on the worst terrains or give you a smooth ride in the most comfortable conditions. The elegant style and powerful engine and body of the 130 is complemented with all-season tires.
“New Defender 130 brings a new dimension of capability to our most durable and rugged family of vehicles,” said Nick Collins, Executive Director, of Vehicle Programs, Land Rover. “Its spacious interior welcomes and transports up to eight people in supreme comfort, enabling unparalleled sophisticated adventuring opportunities for families, with unique design signatures to create a distinct New Defender experience.”
There are a few trim models available, but in my opinion, the 130 First Edition trim model I am test-driving represents the very best of the New Defender 130, available in a few colors with its own very attractive color palette design, and also offers with a wide array of optional features and trim models.
The longest Land Rover is a favorite of the royal family driving 8 passengers in 3 rows.
Defender Three Sizes
The Land Rover Defender is available in three sizes and up to eight seats. The smaller Defender 90 with two doors and five seats, the medium size Defender 110 that seats up to 7 passengers, and the longest and top-of-the-line Defender 130 that I am driving, with four doors and eight seats.
The Defender is not only an all-terrain car, it is also a car with a lot of class and luxury that makes all its crew members enjoy the ride with great quality and pleasure.
Just like the Defender 90 and 110, the new 130 model design takes its name from the original Defender family and it is the largest model in the Defender lineup. It can carry up to eight passengers over any terrain, a capacity very difficult to find in off-road and adventure cars.
The new Defender 130 is made to drive in all road conditions and also very comfortable as a highway cruiser to enjoy driving out of town for the weekend with a very smooth ride and royal elegance.
The Longest Defender 130
Transporting up to eight passengers over any road conditions is what the Defender is made for, being able to show its power and large capacity.
The Defender size is 211.7 inches of length with the spare tire on the back, 82.9 inches of width with mirrors out, and 77.6 inches of height. It is long and tall but not huge.
Exterior and interior design, together with technology innovations distinguish the new Defender 130 as unique car, balancing comfort and capability, characteristics with the Defender’s durability and capability typical of Land Rover cars.
The Defender’s Volume behind the third row is very small, this could be a weak point of this glorious car, but this is normal for a three row vehicle, with a total of 15.3 cubic feet. You can fix this issue and increase cargo space a lot, by folding the third row.
The Defender’s exterior design is complemented by the Extended Bright Pack, which offers an exclusive design with Ceres Silver Satin finish on the lower body of the entire vehicle and front and rear skid plates in Noble Chrome finishing.
Driving the Defender you can enjoy advanced connected technologies and a powerful chassis systems, such as a new larger 11.4-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen, standard electronic air suspension and the upper cabin air purification system, offering maximum support and class and a very smooth ride.
Powerful Engine
The Defender 130 is available with a powerful and efficient range of electric motors, including the powerful six-cylinder P400 Mild Hybrid Ingenium gasoline model on the 130 First Edition trim model.
Micro-hybrid electric (MHEV) technology underpins Land Rover’s six-cylinder Ingenium engines and delivers stronger responsiveness and efficiency with tons of power for any ride.
The integrated 48 V belt-driven electric motor-generator (BiSG) system that recovers the energy that is normally lost during braking or deceleration and then stores it and uses it while driving.
The Defender 130 First Edition that I am driving comes with a powerful 3.0L P400 i6 GAS MHEV engine.
The 3.0 litre 6-cylinder engine produces 395 Horsepower, Turbocharged Gas MHEV with an Automatic transmission All Wheel Drive. Powerful 406 Torque completes the great power of the 130.
Top speed for the Defender 130 First Edition is 119 miles per hour. Acceleration goes from 0 to 60 MPH in 6.3 seconds. The Defender has a towing capacity of up to 8,200 lbs.
The base model Defender 130 comes with a less powerful engine 3.0L P300 i6 GAS engine that is also good but produces around 100 less horsepower than the engine of the 130 First Edition.
Intelligent All Wheel Drive
All Defender 130 vehicles feature Land Rover’s intelligent all-wheel drive (iAWD) system and a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission standard.
The smart iAWD technology efficiently manages the engine and power distribution between the front and rear axles to optimize on-road efficiency and off-road capabilities using the four wheels.
Dynamic Adaptive Suspension
Every Defender 130 features electronic air suspension with Adaptive Dynamics and Land Rover’s advanced Terrain Response system to deliver unparalleled off-road capabilities and driver confidence in any situation. The combination of advanced systems ensures comfortable easy driving on uneven surfaces safely.
19 MPG Average Fuel Economy for the Defender 130 First Edition
This powerful and large car is not a cheap car to maintain or to buy, but considering all what you get in terms of power and luxury, fuel economy is very reasonable with an average consumption of 19 miles per gallon.
- City 17 MPG
- Highway 21 MPG
- Combined 19 MPG
- Fuel tank capacity 19.80 Gallons
Premium Meridian Sound System
Part of the pleasure of driving a car is to enjoy high quality audio while on the road. Driving the Defender 130 you can enjoy the 130 First Edition standard premium audio system by Meridian. Driving the130 you can also enjoy a high quality 11.4 interactive touchscreen infotainment.
When you drive the Defender it makes you remember the movies where they show the royal family driving Land Rover and Range Rover cars near their castles.
The Defender is not flashy but it shows a solid elegant style difficult to match.
2023 Defender 130 Pricing and Models
The 2023 Defender 130 is available in the following trim models, 130 S, SE, X‑DYNAMIC SE, and 130 X, with a price range that not all can afford from $68K up to $99K. As a bonus edition the Defender First Edition is also available. For 2024 the First Edition is not available anymore and there are a few new trims available including the powerful and more expensive V8 trim model.
- 2023 Defender 130 S, MSRP $68,000
- 2023 Defender 130 SE, MSRP $78,300
- 2023 Defender 130 X‑DYNAMIC SE, $81,400
- 2023 Defender 130 First Edition $84,70
- 2023 Defender 130 X $99,900
The Defender 130 FIrst Edition is my favorite model with a great combination of power, luxury features and still a low price for this segment.
Safety Features
Land Rover cars are very safe and strong. Besides power and Luxury one can feel very safe when driving a Land Rover Defender due to all its safety systems, strong construction and off road capability.
Some of the smart safety features of the 130 Defender First Edition are the following:
- Emergency Braking
- 3D Surround Camera
- Lane Keep Assist
- 360⁰ Parking Aid
- Traffic Sign Recognition and Adaptive Speed Limiter
- Wade Sensing
- Blind Spot Assist
- Rear Traffic Monitor
- Adaptive Cruise Control
Land Rover
The famous british brand, Land Rover was founded in 1948. All vehicles are designed and engineered in the United Kingdom. Land Rover provides some of the most luxurious and capable vehicles.
The Jaguar Land Rover Group produces luxury and high quality cars. Land Rover’s new lineup includes the Defender; Discovery and Discovery Sport; Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar and Range Rover Evoque.
