THIS is the new Land Rover Defender 130 – revealed ahead of a debut on 31 May

The latest take on the new Land Rover Defender – the Defender 130 – will debut on 31 May, and Land Rover starts the tease with the first photo.

It seems a long time since naysayers were declaring Land Rover had got the new Defender all wrong, failing to deliver a worthy successor to the 1940s original. But sales figures speak for themselves and, despite some hefty price tags, Land Rover can’t build enough to keep up with demand.

We already have the Defender 90 and Defender 110 models on offer, with a range of trim options and engines from a four-pot diesel to V8 petrol. And now we’re about to get the new Land Rover Defender 130.

Of course, we’ve already seen the Defender 130 with camouflage, but with little to reveal apart from the back end, Land Rover has released the first picture of the 130 (above) as it confirms a debut on 31 May.

The big deal with the 130 is its extra room, although unlike the original Defender the new Defender will make room for more not by increasing the wheelbase but by bolting a bigger shed on the back of the 110. The 130 will seat eight in a 2+3+3 configuration.

As the ‘Flagship’ of the Defender range, it seems likely the 130 will only be offered with higher-end trim and more powerful powertrains, and we could even see the BMW V8, already seen in the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, in the Defender for the first time.

All will be revealed on 31 May.