2025 Land Rover Defender 130

Is the 2025 Land Rover Defender 130 a Good SUV?

"The Defender 130 is a tough one to classify, but given that it's essentially a Defender 110 — a midsize luxury SUV — with a stretched body, we feel comfortable tossing it in with this crew. Third-row space is relatively cramped despite the added length, and we find the 130's styling rather awkward, like a lifted Ford Flex. If you truly intend to take your 130 off-roading, you'll enjoy its exceptional prowess on the trail, but there are better choices if you'll be staying on the pavement. We might change our tune from the driver seat of a Defender 130 P500 with its supercharged V8, but that's a $120k truck to start."—Ranked #7 out of 10 Midsize 3-Row Luxury SUVs

Which 2025 Land Rover Defender 130 Should I Buy?

MotorDonkey's proprietary vehicle data identifies every significant version of each model so that you can compare and decide. Ordered by price from low to high, here are the versions of the 2025 Land Rover Defender 130 that you need to be aware of, along with our expert analysis and recommendations.

1. 2025 Land Rover Defender 130 P300 3-Row (3.0T S/C 4-Door)

• Base Price: $69,700
• MPG Combined: 18
• Drive Type: Four-wheel drive
• Engine: 3.0-liter inline-6
• Aspiration: Turbocharged and supercharged
• Transmission: 8-speed automatic
• Horsepower: 296 
• Torque: 347 lb⁠-⁠ft
• Weight: 5,620 lbs
• Length: 211.7 in
• Towing Capacity: 6,613 lbs

Like the lesser (well, smaller) Defenders, the Defender 130 would be a lot shorter — 10.9 inches shorter, in fact — without its bolted-on spare tire hanging off the cargo door. But it's a big vehicle either way, which is why we don't recommend this base 296-horsepower P300 inline-6 with its detuned output. Better to upgrade to the P400 version and enjoy the same engine at full strength. The air suspension comes standard on the 130, like it or not.

2. 2025 Land Rover Defender 130 P400 3-Row (3.0T S/C 4-Door)

• Base Price: $77,700
• MPG Combined: 18
• Drive Type: Four-wheel drive
• Engine: 3.0-liter inline-6
• Aspiration: Turbocharged and supercharged
• Transmission: 8-speed automatic
• Horsepower: 395 
• Torque: 406 lb⁠-⁠ft
• 0-60: 6.3 sec
• Weight: 5,620 lbs
• Length: 211.7 in
• Towing Capacity: 6,613 lbs

If a six-cylinder Defender 130 is what you're after, the P400 engine is the one you want. It gets the same fuel economy as the detuned P300 version while delivering far more punch, which is very welcome in a three-row hauler that's pushing three tons on the scales.

3. 2025 Land Rover Defender 130 P500 3-Row (5.0 S/C 4-Door)

• Base Price: $118,900
• MPG Combined: 16
• Drive Type: Four-wheel drive
• Engine: 5.0-liter V8
• Aspiration: Supercharged
• Transmission: 8-speed automatic
• Horsepower: 493 
• Torque: 450 lb⁠-⁠ft
• 0-60: 5.4 sec
• Weight: 5,885 lbs
• Length: 211.7 in
• Towing Capacity: 6,613 lbs

The V8 certainly gets the hefty Defender 130 moving more rapidly than any other engine option, but egads, what a price premium! The full-strength P400 inline-6 starts under $80k, whereas you can't get the V8 for less than $117k to start. It's well-equipped, of course, but still. We love this supercharged V8, but do we love it that much?