Upcoming Land Rover Defender 130 imagined in new rendering

UPDATE, March 2023: Defender 130 driven ahead of Australian launch

Before it gets to Australia, Wheels editor Enright has been out in the Middle East to test the new Defender 130's mettle. Read about it at the link below.

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March 2021: Upcoming Defender 130 imagined in new rendering

Land Rover’s new Defender will soon become an even more practical proposition for the upwardly and adventurously mobile, with some suspiciously good renderings of the yet-to-be-unveiled Defender 130 popping up on Russian website, kolesa.ru.

These pictures come only days after Automotive News Europe first reported that Jaguar Land Rover executives had officially confirmed the elongated Defender will be unveiled in the next 12-18 months.

Details about all three variants of the new Defender – the 90, 110 and 130 – had previously been leaked back in 2019, but JLR had never commented or acknowledged the information spill.

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These speculative images show an elongated body with a larger overhang at the rear of the vehicle, which supports information that the next 130 will sit on the same wheelbase as its smaller 110 sibling, but gain 340mm-plus of additional length, measuring 5100mm.

Like the 110, the 130 is also said to come equipped with a three-row, eight-seat configuration, so the extra expanse of the body should come in handy for passengers seeking more leg room and greater boot space.

JLR officials reportedly believe the big new Defender variant will cater to a wider range of audiences in key markets across the globe including China, North America and the Middle East.

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There’s also reports the new 130’s extra length will enable JLR to create the rumoured Defender pick-up truck – which, according to the UK's Autocar, has been seriously considered by the automaker’s top execs.

Of course, with the launch of the 130 still at least a year away, there’s obviously nothing solid about potential powerplants for the lengthy off-roader.

However, given JLR has been pushing its new 3.0-litre inline six cylinder, turbocharged plug-in hybrid into most of its new releases, there’s a strong possibility it will find its way into the 130.

We wouldn’t rule out the British marque’s herculean 5.0-litre supercharged V8 finding its way into the 130 either, considering recent news that both the 90 and 110 Defender have been bestowed with the sledgehammer donk.

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