Land Rover Defender 130 now with V8 option and a Defender Outlander model too

Land Rover adds a petrol V8 with 493bhp option to the Defender 130 offerings, and there’s a new Defender Outlander Edition too.

It’s getting on for a year since Land Rover revealed the Defender 130 as the third variant of the new Defender with room to party for eight, but it didn’t come with PHEV or V8 engine options.

We had wondered if the lack of a V8 option on the Defender 130 when it launched last year meant Land Rover had decided the old 5.0-litre SC needed to be supplanted in the Defender as it has in all JLR’s other models (bar the F-Type), but it seems that’s still a while off with the arrival of the new V8 130 as Land Rover has decided the SC V8 is a good fit for the Defender 130 – rather than the BMW V8 – and has rolled out the new Defender 130 complete with the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 good for 493bhp and able to hit 62mph in 5.7 seconds.

The V8 Defender 130 is differentiated from its lesser siblings with exclusive grey and black paint options, 22″ grey wheels and quad exhausts and comes with stuff like Meridian Sound, Heated Seats and HUD as standard and is now on sale from £116,845.

Also new for the Land Rover Defender 130 (actually, it’s now just the ‘Defender 130’ as Jaguar Land Rover now calls itself JLR and has made Jaguar, Defender, Discover and Range Rover brands in their own right) is the Defender 130 Outlander Edition.

The 130 Outlander dispenses with the third row of seats for those who want to cart around oodles of kit for adventures and comes only as a 296bhp D300 diesel and costs £80,390

Mark Cameron, MD Defender, said:

Defender 130 Outbound is an incredibly desirable addition to the Defender family, for our most adventurous clients who love to get out and explore and need greater load carrying space with a five-seat configuration. Its unique design enhancements and spacious interior provide a compelling blend of capability and practicality. The 4×4 family offers something for everyone, with the introduction of the V8 powertrain to Defender 130, while the new County Exterior Pack celebrates Defender’s roots with a modern take on a classic design.