2025 Land Rover Defender 130

Pros

• Great ability to go off-road.
• You can personalize it in many ways.
• The capacity to go off-road and improved safety features.
• An off-road SUV needs to have a smooth ride.

Cons

• Prices for options could go up.
• The big back hatch door opens outward toward the curb.

In what way is the Defender 130 driven? The engine from the Defender 130 test car was used. It has six cylinders and 395 horsepower. On the Invoices test track, the 130 could go from 0 to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds thanks to its quick handling. This is about the same as other top models in the same class that have six-cylinder engines. But it didn’t have as much stopping power. From 60 miles per hour, it took the Defender 130 about 125 feet to stop. Our Mercedes GLS, on the other hand, got there in 105 feet or less.

The 130 is very easy to live with, even though it’s big. The engine’s auto stop-start technology and the eight-speed automatic transmission change almost soundlessly. This three-row SUV is so good that it even handles very well. It works perfectly almost every time, which we didn’t expect from something this big.

How does the Defender 130 feel in your hands? Most of the time, the Defender is just as comfy as its more expensive competitors in the same class. As it glides down the road, avoiding bumps and uneven ground with ease, it gives off an air of sophistication. Along with that, it’s a nice place to sit. The front seats of our test SUV were pretty flexible, but some of our drivers thought the padding was too firm.

The Defender 130 also works without making a sound. It has plenty of metal and cloth to keep you warm, and even at high speeds, it is almost completely free of strange sounds and feelings, so it’s quiet enough to put all seven of your passengers to sleep. Also, the climate control system is able to keep the inside at a good temperature no matter what the weather is like outside.

How is the state of the inside? The Defender’s cabin is different from those of all Land Rovers, which is a good thing. Most of the Defender’s relatives no longer have physical controls; instead, they are easy to see from the dashboard. It takes a little while to get used to multifunction buttons, but the Defender’s interior is much easier to use without them. It also never looks like there are too many buttons.

An amazing amount of glass lets you see through it, and the driving position gives you a strong sense that you’re in something real. The view from the glass top makes the room feel bigger. From the front, you can see well, and there aren’t many blind spots. Some of the other beasts in this class are much bigger than the 130, even though the cabin feels big. Even so, the first two rows are pretty roomy. Additionally, there is a substantial amount of room in the third row. You have enough room for two average-sized people.

What’s wrong with the tech? The Defender’s features could be better. The infotainment system is simple to use because it has a set side rail that makes it easy to switch between tasks and a menu system that makes sense. The Meridian sound system in our test SUV had good sound quality and strong bass.

This Land Rover would be much better with a more reliable wireless Apple CarPlay connection, more USB ports up front, and voice commands that aren’t limited to a set of pre-programmed orders. Also, the infotainment system needed to be restarted three times during our two weeks with the test car, which is not normal for a car that costs almost $90,000.

Our test vehicle did not have adaptive cruise control, which is a must-have for a car this size that families would use for long trips. The 360-degree vision camera system makes parking in crowded areas less stressful, and the lane-keeping aid and blind-spot warning systems work well.

What’s going on with storage? It takes up 13.7 cubic feet of room when all three rows are folded down in the largest Defender model, which is 130. There are 88.9 cubic feet of space for goods if you fold down all of the back seats. The store is big enough to fit more trips, even if you go to both Home Depot and Ikea on the same day. It can carry about as much as the BMW X7 but less than the Jeep Wagoneer or Mercedes GLS. You can also press a button in the back of the car to lower the rear air suspension. This will make it easier on your back to load and unload things.

There are also many places to keep small things. Door bins are the proper size, the center console is large and deep, and the parcel shelf practically spans the dashboard. The shelf is a beautiful addition that makes the Defender’s interior look better and gives you a place to store small items like wallets and phones. Due to the Defender’s height, parents may have trouble fitting a car seat, although the standard air suspension can be lowered to “entry height”.

How much gas does the Defender 130 use? According to the EPA, the Defender 130 gets 18 mpg on the highway and in the city, which is about normal for a big SUV with a six-cylinder engine. The 395-hp Defender 130 engine got 18.7 mpg on our mixed-drive test route. This could mean that Defender 130 will use a little more gas than the EPA says it will when it is driven in real life since we usually see a higher number than the EPA puts together.

Is the Defender 130 on sale for a good price? The Defender has better build quality since our first look at it. The squeaks and misplaced panels inside that we first noticed have stopped. The Defender is made to be very strong and hard to break. Also, the panels fit together perfectly, which is what you’d expect from a high-end SUV in this price band. The 130 is a great deal when you think about how useful it is, how it comes with air suspension (which is an option on other Defenders), and how well it can handle on and off-road conditions.

Land Rover’s guarantee coverage is less than the industry average for this class. It only covers the engine and the basics for four years or 50,000 miles. Many other car companies offer free maintenance packages, but Land Rover does not.

Even though SUVs are very famous right now, the Defender is still a classic. It’s an icon. This is a new take on an old brand that looks completely different on the road while still maintaining a decent, comfortable, and mostly clean off-road image. The Defender 130 is a great choice if you want a big SUV with eight seats that can go off-road.

The Land Rover Defender is so good off-road that it deserves the X trim. Only the 110 and 130 trims offer the best all-terrain features. The front seats are heated and cooled, the adaptable air suspension can be adjusted for height to give you more ground clearance and a more comfortable ride on the road, and the orange brake calipers add a stylish touch.

Different types of Land Rover Defender

The 2025 Land Rover Defender has three body options. The Defender 130 is longer and features three rows of seats than the two-door Defender 90. The Defender 110 has two rows of four doors. Its lack of a third row of seats makes the Defender 130 Outbound more cargo-friendly. A two-person third row is available for the Defender 110, but not the front jump seat. On the other hand, the Defender 90 can have a front jump seat added.