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By Jonathan Crouch

Land Rover's Defender 130 offers a unique option for well-heeled large families. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 41

The Defender 130 super-sizes Land Rover's offering when it comes to the brand's most iconic model. In one of these, eight people can be taken, well, almost anywhere. At last, really huge families have an alternative to a large van-based MPV.

Backgroundword count: 106

Symmetry has returned to the Land Rover Defender line-up. This iconic 4x4 was traditionally offered in three body styles in its original form - 90, 110 and 130. It is again - with the addition of the lengthier Defender 130 model we look at here, the first SUV in Europe capable of carrying more than seven occupants. That gives this car a useful advantage over its two obvious segment rivals, both seven-seaters, the Mercedes GLS and the BMW X7. And it's all been achieved, says Land Rover, without any real compromise to this model's traditional off-road ability. Uber-large very well-heeled families should form an orderly queue.

Driving Experienceword count: 259

Land Rover says that this Defender 130 model's off-road ability is uncompromised. That's not quite true. This eight-seat variant's departure angle of 28.5-degrees is quite a bit different to the 40-degree reading of a Defender 110, but you'd still go further off the beaten track in one of these than you could in any obvious rival. On the road in a Defender 130 of course, you won't notice any difference at all compared to a Defender 110. Well not until you come to reverse into a tight-ish parking space anyway. Engine-wise, the range is fundamentally built around three MHEV mild hybrid 3.0-litre straight six cylinder powerplants mated to 8-speed auto transmission. The diesel offering is the D300, which as the numerals suggest offers 300PS and has 650Nm of torque. The two petrol offerings are the P300 with 300PS and 470Nm of torque; and the P400, with 400PS and 550Nm of torque. Under the skin, as with every Defender, the architecture is fundamentally the same as that which features on the current Discovery. But this 4x4 rides on reinforced suspension with greater travel and there's more ground clearance too. Air suspension is standard on the Defender 130. And as of course you'd expect, there's permanent 4WD, along with a Terrain Response system allowing you to set the car up for various driving conditions - or you can simply select an automatic setting and let the Defender handle everything for you. Plus it'll wade through water up to 900mm deep. Try doing that in a Merc GLS or a BMW X7.

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