When Land Rover’s reimagined Defender came onto the scene in 2020, purists scoffed at the modern tech and luxury upholstery over a venerable off-road icon. Fast forward to 2026, and the Defender 130 V8 now represents the most unapologetically powerful and luxurious Defender you can buy. It’s a bulging-muscle version of an already capable machine.
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The 130 was the last configuration to join the family, and it quickly established itself as the go-to option for buyers with many passengers or an eye on serious cargo space without compromising off-road capability. It stretches the Defender’s dimensions without stretching its identity too far, at least on paper.
Bolting a supercharged V8 to the chassis only amplifies the character of this already very affable SUV. Think of it as adding a bit of American muscle to Land Rover’s desert-rat heritage.
Quick Facts
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That’s what Land Rover wants us to believe, though. How does the biggest, most powerful Defender actually feel from behind the wheel? Is it really as capable as the other options in the lineup? What’s it like to live with day in and day out?
We had to test one for a week to get a sense of the answers to those questions. What we found surprised us… Especially considering this car’s as-tested price of over $130,000.
Keep in mind that we’ve already tested the smaller, five-seat version of this SUV called the 110. When we did, we found that it was a true all-around vehicle capable of being just as fun on the highway as it was in the backwoods. The 130 does have some tradeoffs, but we’re still glad it’s here.
Modern Take on an Icon
Photos Stephen Rivers for Carscoops
From a styling perspective, the 130 might be the most fetching of the bunch. It seems to blend Land Rover’s classic styling into a modern silhouette better than anything else on offer from the brand family. Sure, it’s considerably larger in every way compared to classic Defenders, but as modern interpretations of older vehicles go, this one nails it better than most.
Read: 2025 Land Rover 110 Defender Is A Go-Anywhere Luxury SUV That Loves To Get Dirty
It would’ve been easy to lose some of the rigidity and angularity of the original Defender. Land Rover didn’t do that, though. Even with this longer version, it’s unmistakable. Nobody in the school pick-up queue is going to mistake this for a Porsche, or worse, an Escalade. Every inch of this SUV looks somewhat like a bank vault.
It’s upright and monolithic. It has a few visual cues, albeit very silly ones, that specifically tie it to the older Defender as well. The opaque panels on the C-pillar are one good example. They serve no purpose whatsoever aside from making this look sort of like older Land Rovers that had actual accessories in this same space. The hood likewise has some fake plastic diamond plating that, in our opinion, should be real metal if it’s going to be there at all.
Nevertheless, the reality today is that very few Defender buyers are complaining about these things. If they were, the brand would change the design. You can be certain of that.
All told, this is an attractive, stylish, and head-turning design. On top of that, Land Rover will sell it with a wrap or special matte black finishing, as we had on our test car. It was so eye-catching that multiple strangers remarked about it to me throughout my week of testing.
A Cabin Designed for Everyone Inside
The cabin is largely identical to the rest of the Defender family. That means you get the same rugged textures and materials that we loved in the 110. For example, the steering wheel spokes and center are real metal, most likely textured aluminum, and it feels very bougie.
The dash is all about functionality with tons of storage, grab handles, and rubberized surfaces that should handle mud, dirt, and even the occasional juice-box spill with ease.
Frankly, it’s this SUV’s focus on carrying people that helps it stand out. No, it doesn’t have every single amenity that it could, and we’ll get to that, but it makes up for that lack with genuinely thoughtful touches for every single occupant.
Second-row riders get captain’s chairs with Land Rover’s famous stadium seating that elevates their visibility. Impressively, this doesn’t cut down on headroom.
Photos Stephen Rivers for Carscoops
At 6’6’’, I had no issue sitting in the second row behind where I placed the driver’s seat. That’s incredibly rare in today’s car market. Better yet, the third row isn’t half bad either. In fact, the outboard seats each have their own heated seat control, a cargo cubby, a cargo net, a power port, a climate vent, and a cupholder.
Unlike the 90 and 110 variants, the 130 provides more than enough space for people and cargo behind those people. There are 13.7 cubic feet behind the third row and 43.5 cubic feet behind the second row with the third row down. Fold down both rows, and you’ll get over 80 cubic feet of storage.
The Interior Annoyances
It’s worth noting that the cabin and experience are far from perfect. The seats don’t feel especially nice, and considering that the base price for this car is north of $120,000, that’s just unacceptable. The infotainment system, while smooth, intuitive, and easy to use, also frustrates me a tad.
First, the Range Rover branch of the family uses a nearly identical, but even more intuitive system. It enables almost instantaneous climate changes for each occupant via the screen, regardless of whatever is selected on the main display.
Yes, the physical controls here are superior, but imagine owning this and say, the Range Rover Sport. It would drive one mad to switch between the two and lose a basic function that could be incorporated into the Defender.
On top of that, the infotainment system latches onto your mobile device harder than regret at 2 a.m. Hours after you’ve locked the car and walked away from it, the Pivi-branded system can remain on and connect to your phone.
I suppose the only good side of that is that owners will eventually get so used to it that they won’t wonder why their phone isn’t making noise at random times. It’s just tied into their locked Range Rover or Land Rover, so their video, phone call, or music is playing in their car, wherever it might be locked away in the garage or whatever.
This issue is, of course, solved by having a carriage house ever so slightly away from one’s mansion. For the rest of us plebeians with an attached garage, we’ll just have to get over it.
Driving the V8 Defender
Upon delivery of the Defender 130 V8, I was sincerely excited. The 110 drives incredibly well both on and off-road for what it is. Sure, this is larger, but I expected a very similar experience from behind the wheel.
Sadly, at least for me, the guy with no kids to take to soccer practice, it was a bit of a letdown but read on. I’m pretty sure that came down to my own preconceived ideas. For instance, one thing that doesn’t necessarily need changing is the V8.
The supercharged engine makes a very solid 493 horsepower (368 kW) and 450 lb-ft (610 Nm) of torque. It sends that power to all four wheels (though it favors the rears in most situations) via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. From behind the wheel, it doesn’t actually feel like some big bruising American muscle SUV, though. That likely comes down to its power-to-weight ratio.
The Defender 110 with its smaller but still quite mighty six-cylinder makes 154 hp (127 kW) per ton. This V8 version weighs some 740 lbs (335 kg) more. So while it makes 168 hp (138 kW) per ton, that extra weight really shows up in the way it moves both longitudinally (acceleration and braking) and laterally (body roll and cornering).
Interestingly, the 110 with the six-cylinder actually makes more torque-to-weight as well, so that plays another role in how differently these SUVs drive back to back. The V8 is unquestionably stronger, and while it doesn’t sound amazing, it does provide a better note than the six. That said, this SUV isn’t going to wow anybody with its driving dynamics. It’s bigger and heavier both in reality and in the way it feels from the driver’s seat.
That translates to higher running costs over time. This is the least fuel-efficient version of the Defender. We achieved just 15.4 mpg in our week with it. The EPA rates it at 14 mpg in the city and 19 on the highway, so at least it fell between the two. That said, a vehicle of this size and weight will go through brakes and tires faster than lighter SUVs. It’ll also cost more to insure, and we aren’t even getting into the depreciation conversation.
Off-road, there are more compromises. Sure, Land Rover still includes some very important hardware on this SUV. It has air ride suspension capable of providing 11.5 inches (293 mm) of ground clearance. It has locking differentials and decent approach, departure, and breakover angles, too, especially for something of this size. That said, the stock 22-inch Continental Cross Contact tires at each corner don’t provide the type of grip or confidence we prefer when paved roads are nowhere within a 20-mile radius.
At the same time, let’s be considerate of the intended market. The average buyer probably plans to use this as a family hauler more than anything else. Parents and nannies aren’t chucking kids around in the back as they try to hit their local on-ramp at 7/10ths pace. They aren’t trying to tackle Pritchett Canyon in Moab either. They’re puttering around patiently, and that’s where the 130 V8 comes into its own.
It’s comfortable, easy to place in a lane, and very quiet. Visibility is excellent, and despite its size, it’s not very hard to drive in dense traffic or tight parking lots. The 360-degree camera is one of the best we’ve used, and the incorporation of AI and image stitching is the real key there.
From any angle at any speed, one can see each corner of the car and make a good judgment on how close they are to any obstacle. What the 130 gives up in driving dynamics and off-road capability, it tries to make up for in everyday civility and V8 cachet.
Competition
The Defender is unique in that it’s one of the very few luxury SUVs that leans almost entirely into things that an SUV should be good at, namely, hauling people and going off-road. Because of that, it doesn’t really have all that much in the way of sincere competition. The closest thing is the Ineos Grenadier SUV, and it’s not particularly close.
The Ineos basically takes everything the Defender used to be in previous iterations and modernizes it even more closely to the classic model than Land Rover did with the actual Defender we’re testing. The price is far more approachable, the off-road capability is just as sincere, and the styling prioritizes functionality over style.
At the same time, the Defender is in another league when it comes to luxury and on-road driving dynamics. Land Rover also offers three rows, while Ineos doesn’t.
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It’s plausible that someone considering the Defender 130 V8 could also consider something like the Land Rover Range Rover, but it’s more cramped and less prone to going off-road, even if only for its wild pricing. Those interested in getting their SUV a little dirty are far better served by the Defender in pretty much any form.
Final Thoughts
The Defender 130 V8 is a fascinating contradiction. It’s the biggest, most expensive, and most powerful Defender you can buy, yet it’s arguably the least focused version of the lineup. That isn’t a flaw so much as it is a statement of intent.
This isn’t the Defender for purists, and it isn’t the Defender for people who spend their weekends crawling through Moab. It’s the Defender for buyers who want presence, capability on paper, and space for everyone. And for those who also want to say they bought the V8.
As a daily driver, the 130 V8 succeeds more often than it stumbles. It’s quiet, comfortable, easy to live with, and surprisingly manageable in traffic for something this large. The interior packaging is excellent, visibility is outstanding, and the tech (when it behaves) does a lot of heavy lifting.
As a performance SUV, however, it never quite delivers the muscle-car theatrics its spec sheet suggests, nor does it feel as cohesive or agile as the lighter 110.
So the real question isn’t whether the Defender 130 V8 is good. It is. The question is whether it’s the right Defender. For most buyers, the six-cylinder versions make more sense in terms of dynamics, cost, and overall character.
But for those who want the biggest Defender with the loudest spec-sheet bragging rights, maximum space, and a V8 under the hood simply because it still exists, the 130 V8 fills a niche that no other SUV quite does. It may not be the best Defender, but it is unquestionably the most indulgent one.
