8-seater Land Rover Defender to debut May 31

Defender 130 has 2-3-3 seating configuration

It's been known for quite some time that a bigger three-row Defender will eventually arrive. Land Rover first confirmed the model in March 2021, and the prototype was even caught testing in winter conditions earlier this year.

Now it's ready to be revealed. The first-ever Land Rover Defender 130 will be officially launched on May 31, joining the three-door 90, and the five-door, five or seven-seater 110 in the Land Rover lineup, offering more cargo space and seats for eight occupants.

In terms of its looks, the Defender 130 is completely identical to the existing 90 and 110 variants, except that the upcoming model is 342 mm longer. This stretches the Defender's overall length to 5,100 mm, bringing it closer in size to the likes of the BMW X7 and the Audi Q7.

As for its powertrain options, we should expect the Defender 130 to have the same engine offerings as the other Defender variants. That means, it could either have a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbo with 300 PS and 400 Nm of torque, a 3.0-liter inline-six mild hybrid with 400 PS and 551 Nm of torque, or a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 with 518 PS and 625 Nm of torque.

Like the other Defender models, the Defender 130's engine is expected to be mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox with permanent four-wheel-drive.

As mentioned, the Land Rover Defender 130 will have its global reveal on May 31. When it comes to its arrival in the country, however, All British Cars has yet to make official announcements. But considering that the new Defender is performing well in the PH market, we should expect the 8-seater Defender 130 to be offered here sometime in the near future.