2024 Land Rover Defender 130 V8 review

[ad_1]

2024 Land Rover Defender 130 V8

It should come as no surprise that the Land Rover Defender has become the brand’s best-seller in Australia.

Revered for its rugged looks, matched only by its unquestionable off-road ability, the Defender has remained true to its utilitarian roots while simultaneously presenting a thoroughly modern face to the world.

Last year, the Defender accounted for almost half (45.6 per cent) of the brand’s sales in Australia, with 3846 reported as sold by Land Rover.

Now, for 2024, the not inconsiderable range has been supercharged – quite literally – by the addition of V8 power to the flagship Defender 130 range.

The 5.0-litre supercharged V8 is already familiar to the Defender line-up, under the bonnet of both 90 and 110 variants. Adding Land Rover’s ageing but venerable supercharged bent-eight to the flagship Defender 130 line-up completes the deck.

Joining a Defender 130 range already served by lusty diesel- and petrol-powered sixes, the 2024 Land Rover Defender 130 P500 V8 (to give it its full and proper title) makes little sense.

But common sense and supercharged V8 power rarely go hand-in-hand. Instead, the Defender 130 V8 strikes an emotional chord, a rumbling and grumbling thumbing of the nose at the prevailing automotive ‘net zero’ zeitgeist. And it’s all the better for it, if not for the faint of heart. Or wallet.

How much is a Land Rover Defender 130?

Adding V8 power to the eight-seater Defender 130 might not be for the faint of heart, but nor is it for the faint of wallet, priced at around $100,000 more than its six-cylinder brothers in the 130 line-up.

That makes the 2024 Land Rover Defender 130 P500 V8 a $240,270 proposition before on-road costs and options.

To give that some context, the Defender 130 P400 Outbound LE and its six-cylinder petrol motor starts at $136,870, while the diesel-powered Defender 130 D300 X-Dynamic SE seems a relative bargain at $126,670 (all prices before on-road costs).

The Defender 130 P500 is available in a choice of just two colours, both sinister and decidedly oozing with kerb appeal. Santorini Black is standard, while Carpathian Grey premium metallic comes at a $1040 impost. It’s the colour we have on test here, a hue emboldened by a $7040 optional coating of satin protective film. It looks dark, it looks mean, it looks decidedly urban, and it looks every bit like a quarter-of-a-million-dollar super-sized luxury SUV. A contrasting black roof is standard, although buyers can option a body-coloured roof for no extra cost.

As befitting a premium SUV with a matching premium price tag, the list of standard equipment is long.

External highlights include 22-inch five-spoke alloys finished in satin grey, matrix LED headlights, smoked out tail-lights, black chequer-plate accents on the bonnet, subtle blacked-out V8 badging on the lower front doors, and quad exhaust pipes exclusive to the V8. Our test car also came fitted with optional ($1040) front underbody protection, something we’d suggest is a must-have if you’re planning on going off-road.

Inside, black Windsor leather comes standard, as do swathes of Alcantara accents including on the (heated) steering wheel. There’s also a panoramic glass roof, four-zone climate control, privacy glass, heated and cooled front seats with 14-way electric adjustment and memory for the driver. There’s heating for the second and third rows of seating, an upgraded Meridian sound system and an 11.4-inch infotainment display.

Upper large, V8-powered eight-seater (or seven) SUVs are thin on the ground when it comes to considering what else buyers might look at. Sure, a $363,561 Mercedes-AMG G63 might have the same emotional appeal, thanks to its raucous twin-turbo V8. But it’s only available with five seats.

And while the BMW X7 M60i does feature seating for seven, and is powered by a monster V8 that is more powerful and more torquey as well as being faster to 100km/h, the X7 lacks the sheer unadulterated presence of the Defender 130. It’s priced from $205,900 before on-road costs.

How big is a Land Rover Defender 130?

There’s no bones about it, the Defender 130 is a big, big SUV. Bigger even than the full-fat Range Rover SV LWB. It is, in short, the biggest vehicle of any kind from the British brand.

The ‘130’ name comes, of course, from the original Defender series, that utilitarian workhorse so beloved of English farmers and landed gentry alike. Back then, the 130 designated a dual-cab utility (or pick-up truck) with a longer wheelbase than its 90 and 110 brethren.

These days, the Defender 130 is no longer a dual-cab ute and it shares its wheelbase with the smaller Defender 110 range. But it’s the extra 342mm of length, all found behind the rear wheels, that sets the Defender 130 apart from its smaller siblings.

You’d think adding 34.2cm to the length of an SUV would upset its proportions, but that’s not the case here. Yes, the rear overhang is big by comparison, but the Defender 130 wears its extra length like a well-fitting suit.

It’s a big suit too, measuring 5377mm long, 1996mm wide, and 1970mm high with a wheelbase stopping the tape at 3022mm.

That extra length pays dividends inside where the Defender 130 is a genuine three-row SUV, one capable of seating eight people comfortably, even in the third row. Yes, there are seven-seat Defender 110 options, but third-row seating remains compromised, especially for adults.

That’s not the case with the 130 where adults will find plenty of space to get reasonably comfortable, even if they will find it a touch awkward to enter, ingress to row three requiring some minor contortion. Kids, and their supple limbs, will be just fine. And in something of a rarity for three-row SUVs, the outboard seats are heated. Nice.

The Defender’s cabin is best described as functional luxury. It’s hard not to be taken by the nods to the original, those design flourishes – such as the shelf in the dashboard and exposed bolts on the door cards – redolent of the original Defender. It is at once purposeful yet unashamedly luxurious.

Plush leather seating and swathes of Alcantara trimmings feel pretty primo. The front seats are heated and cooled, as are the outboard seats in the second row. Four-zone climate control covers the first two rows of seating, while occupants in row three benefit from separate air vents.

The driving position, as you’d expect, sits nice and high and offers a commanding view over the Defender’s checker-plated and imposing bonnet. You feel like minor royalty from behind the wheel, such is the Defender 130’s commanding presence.

Storage options abound – from the open shelf in the dashboard and its embossed ‘Defender’ logo to a decent (and cooled) central storage bin, cupholders, and generous door pockets, there are plenty of places to stow your small stuff.

Second-row amenities include cupholders located in a fold-down armrest, bottle holders in the doors, a pair of USB-A points, separate climate controls and air vents as well.

For those with little kidlets, there are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the second and third row outboard seats, while the top-tether anchor points count runs to six, three for the second row two and three in the third row.

Boot space is generous, as you’d expect in a vehicle of this size. Even with all three rows in use, there’s a usable 389 litres to play with, certainly enough for a pram or stroller. That expands to 1232L with the third row folded away, while stowing the second row releases a total of 2291L of cargo capacity. That’s room enough for a lot of camping equipment, should you decide to take your $240,000 plus on-road costs SUV off-road. Access to the boot is via a side-hinged door festooned with the Defender’s full-size alloy spare wheel. 

A big family SUV needs to offer big family space, and the Defender 130 certainly delivers, parlaying its extra length into comfort and practicality in equal measure.

Does the Land Rover Defender 130 have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

A larger Defender gets a bigger touchscreen. In the Defender 130, a curved 11.4-inch touchscreen hosts the Defender’s infotainment set-up. Smaller Defenders in the range make do with a 10-inch screen, though the 11.4-inch version is available.

Land Rover’s Pivo Pro operating system is sleek, responsive and pleasingly intuitive to use. Standard features include satellite navigation, digital radio, and of course Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration.

Connecting wirelessly or with a cable proved faultless during our week with the Defender 130, quick to pair and quicker still to reconnect at start-up, with the system starting its load-up sequence before you start the car. The connection remained stable throughout as well, with no dropouts during our time with the big SUV.

The system is fitted with its own dedicated SIM card that allows for over-the-air updates, as well as live information such as the availability of parking at your destination and weather. It can also stream music. 

Digging through the Defender’s native system brings up plenty of information screens too; a particularly handy feature showing the Defender 130’s exterior dimensions.

The images projected by the Defender’s 360-degree camera are as crisp and clear as any we’ve seen. It’s only boosted by an off-road function that projects images of the track or road immediately ahead, along with the direction the wheels are pointed to help you navigate those tricky rock- or mud-strewn paths ahead with confidence.

A premium Meridian sound system blasts tunes through 15 speakers including a subwoofer, with a clarity you’d expect from a luxury vehicle like the Defender 130.

Ahead of the driver, a digital dash offers a range of customisation to suit your needs. It can be a bit fiddly to configure, and it’s arguably not as feature-laden as some systems we’ve experienced in other brands, but once you’ve found your preferred set-up, it’s a case of set-and-forget.

Is the Land Rover Defender 130 a safe car?

All variants of the Land Rover 130 and its much smaller sibling Defender 90 remain untested by Australia’s independent safety body ANCAP and by its European counterpart NCAP.

Only the Defender 110 range has been assessed, earning a five-star rating in 2020. However, ANCAP’s assessment specifically excludes V8 variants of the Defender 110.

Just for context, the Defender 110 scored 85 per cent for adult occupant protection and 88 per cent for child occupant. Vulnerable road users (pedestrians) scored 71 per cent, while the 110’s safety systems were scored at 76 per cent.

What safety technology does the Land Rover Defender 130 have?

Land Rover hasn’t scrimped on safety technologies with the Defender, and the entire range is fitted with a full suite of advanced driver assist systems (ADAS).

There’s autonomous emergency braking, which includes pedestrian, cyclist and junction detection, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assistance and lane-departure warning. Additional ADAS includes adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring and safe exit warning, rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition and driver fatigue monitoring.

Our time with the Defender 130 revealed no glaring issues with any Land Rover’s safety assists, the systems well calibrated with no signs of overzealousness. 

The adaptive cruise control worked particularly well, maintaining both pace and distance behind the car in front in a smooth and predictable manner.

How much does the Land Rover Defender 130 cost to run?

Land Rover covers the Defender 130 with its standard five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is par for the course in today’s new car landscape.

Land Rover doesn’t provide service intervals for the Defender. Instead, as is increasingly common these days, servicing is conditional-based, meaning the vehicle itself monitors its status and will alert you when it is time to book a trip to the workshop.

Land Rover does offer a five-year/130,000km servicing plan that will set you back $3750 for the duration.

Comprehensive insurance for the V8-powered Defender 130 runs to $4228 per annum, based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Is the Land Rover Defender fuel-efficient 130?

Land Rover claims the Defender 130 V8 will use 12.7L/100km of 95-octane premium unleaded on the combined cycle. Our week with the big, powerful beast, skewed slightly to urban running but with decent dollops of motorway driving, returned an indicated 16.2L/100km.

Additionally, Land Rover quotes 17.0/100km on the purely urban cycle, and here we got much closer to the brand’s claim, with several days spent navigating Sydney’s traffic returning an indicated 17.8L/100km.

That’s not a bad return against the manufacturer’s claim, and certainly not for a vehicle this big, this powerful, this heavy.

For context, our recent test of the Nissan Patrol Warrior, also an eight-seat V8-powered SUV, saw an indicated 20.0L/100km.

What is the Land Rover Defender 130 like to drive?

Let’s not beat around the bush. The undoubted star of the Defender 130 V8 show is that aging but totally beguiling supercharged bent-eight hulking under the bonnet.

It’s seen service for many years in a portfolio of Jaguar Land Rover vehicles – from Range Rover and Jaguar SUVs and even the Jaguar F-Type coupe. It’s also available in the Defender 110 and in the short wheelbase Defender 90.

Here, in the 130, it makes 368kW and 610Nm, slightly down on the 386kW/625Nm outputs of the V8-powered Defender 110 and 90 models. But it doesn’t suffer for it.

That growling V8 is matched with JLR’s slick eight-speed automatic transmission, providing a delicious combination on the road: powerful, theatrical, fulsome.

As you’d expect, take-off from standstill is effortless, the 2670kg SUV moving away with a briskness belying its size and heft. Land Rover claims a 0–100km/h sprint time of 5.7 seconds, which is not exactly slow for a vehicle of this size.

That acceleration is played to an accompanying soundtrack that sparks joy with its deliciousness and serves as a reminder of what we will have lost once the world has transitioned to fully electric. A hint of supercharger whine from under the bonnet is matched by an exhaust note composed by the gods of thunder. It’s simply intoxicating.

But equally, drive it sedately through the streets of your town, and the Defender 130 V8 is as soft of note as a purring kitten.

It’s a similar story out on the motorway where a cruising speed of 110km/h barely raises a sweat, the supercharged V8 rumbling along lazily and quietly, with only bursts of acceleration eliciting any kind of menacing soundtrack.

Keeping things nice and comfortable is the Defender’s air suspension set-up that strikes a nice balance between comfort and capability. It also allows you to lower the Defender 130 for some added kerbside appeal, sitting nice and low on its haunches.

Conversely, if you’re hell-bent on taking your quarter-of-a-million-dollar luxury SUV off-road, you’ll be after some extra ground clearance. Air suspension has you covered, raising the ride height to give you the same 291mm of ground clearance enjoyed by other, shorter Defenders.

And the adaptive damping works a treat. Leave the Defender’s drive-mode selector in Comfort and you’re rewarded with a luxuriously cushioned ride that absorbs all but the meanest of nasties on our scrappy road surfaces. Road noise too is kept at bay nicely, leaving you to enjoy whatever music you’re listening to or revel in the burbling and growling tones of that 5.0-litre V8.

Call up Dynamic mode and things firm up noticeably under wheel, but it remains well within the boundaries of comfort.

Of course, the Defender is underpinned by a permanent four-wheel-drive system that also features such off-road goodies like a low-range transfer case and locking centre and rear differentials. There’s also a suite of electronic Terrain Response driving modes that recalibrate the Defender’s driving characteristics for all types of loose surfaces, including sand, snow, mud and gravel.

Make no mistake, the Defender 130 V8, despite its unashamed street appeal, is designed to feel equally as at home off the road as it is on sealed suburban surfaces. We didn’t put the new V8-powered 130 through its paces on the loose stuff this time, but we know from past experiences that the Defender is as good as any off-road. After all, it has taken out the Drive Car of the Year Best Luxury Off-Road SUV four years in a row – no mean feat against quality opposition.

But really, this particular Defender and its baritone V8 are better suited to urban life, whether serving time as a family weekday hauler or ferrying the tribe on the wide open roads of our vast lands.

It does so with commendable ease, every moment spent behind the wheel a reminder that once upon a time, there was simply no replacement for displacement.

How much weight can a Land Rover Defender 130 tow?

The Land Rover Defender 130 V8 has a 3000kg maximum tow rating for a braked trailer. When towing, it has a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 3380kg, which when considering the 130’s kerb weight of 2670kg leaves 710kg of available payload.

Bear in mind, that 710kg payload includes the driver and any passengers, as well as all their luggage and any accessories fitted to the car. So it’s not a stretch to imagine that with eight people aboard, the Defender 130 isn’t going to be rated to tow a full 3000kg.

It’s worth pointing out that the Defender 130’s larger dimensions (and extra weight) have resulted in a lower towing capacity than its Defender 110 siblings, which are rated to 3500kg (braked) against the 130’s 3000kg.

Should I buy a Land Rover Defender 130?

In a heartbeat.

But only if you really need the 130’s seating capacity.

Make no mistake, the Land Rover Defender 130 V8 is a wonderful SUV, a giant of a thing with a gigantic supercharged heartbeat. But unless you have a large family or plan on driving around with seven of your best mates regularly, then the 130 V8 makes little sense.

And it’s not like Land Rover hasn’t got you covered if you covet V8 power in your Defender, with both the short-wheelbase 90 and the longer Defender 110 available with that glorious bent-eight. 

Still, not everything in life has to make sense, and if your heart craves an imposingly large SUV and a thunderous supercharged V8, then the Land Rover Defender 130 V8 has got your back.

It’s big, it’s brash, it’s powerful, it’s glorious.

How do I buy a Land Rover Defender? The next steps.

If you want a Defender in 2024, you’d better get ordering with a Jaguar Land Rover spokesperson telling Drive that “the current time between order and Australian delivery for a new Defender (including the 130 V8) is currently between six and nine months”.

Of course, individual Land Rover dealers may have stock on hand, so getting in touch with your local dealership would be a good place to start. Find your nearest Land Rover dealer via this link.

The next step on the purchase journey is to check the Land Rover website for stock of your preferred Defender variant. You can also find Land Rovers for sale at Drive Cars For Sale.

We strongly recommend taking a test drive at a dealership before committing because personal needs and tastes can differ. We’d also recommend test-driving both the BMW X7 M60i and the Mercedes-AMG G63, because while not as large as the Defender 130, they are very similar in philosophy.

If you want to stay updated with everything that’s happened to this car since our review, you’ll find all the latest news here.

The post 2024 Land Rover Defender 130 V8 review appeared first on Drive.

[ad_2]

Source link