Longer Land Rover Defender 130 due in 2022

Not content with short-wheelbase two-door 90, long-wheelbase five-door 110, Hard Top commercial, P525 supercharged V8 and hard-core Ford Ranger Raptor-rivalling versions of the born-again Land Rover Defender, the British off-road brand will reportedly soon release a longer three-row derivative dubbed the Defender 130.

According to Automotive News Europe, the new Land Rover Defender 130, which is likely to form the basis of the tray-backed Defender ute, will be launched globally within 12 to 18 months.

Jaguar Land Rover’s chief financial officer told ANE a longer Defender would “hit a sweet spot” that is yet to be accessed by the car-maker in markets like North America, China and the Middle East.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender 130 is reportedly set to share the same 3022mm wheelbase as the five-door Defender 110, which is already available with up to eight seats spread across three rows.

If that’s the case it will offer a longer rear overhang that is likely to deliver extra luggage space and more legroom for third-row passengers.

The ANE reports says the Defender 130 will be around 340mm longer than the 110 and should measure up to 5100mm from front to rear.

It’s unclear which powertrain options the 130 will get, but the recently-confirmed supercharged 5.0-litre V8 and more efficient P400e plug-in hybrid powertrains are almost certain to be offered.

Nor is it yet known whether Aussies will have access to the largest new Defender yet to be offered. However, the British car-maker’s local arm has long said it is keen to introduce a wide range of variants of the new Defender, which attracted more than 500 local sales last year.