THEY say that first impressions count for a lot, and I’m inclined to agree. My first impression of the Defender 130 has nothing to do with the firmness of the seat, the reassuringly solid ‘thunk’ when shutting the door or the colour definition on the 11.4 inch touchscreen. Nope, the first thing I raise an eyebrow to when clambering aboard the newest body-style L663 is how far away the back window is when looking in the rear-view mirror. It’s almost like it’s in another county.
To put things in perspective, the 130’s just-over-five-metre length is a whole 34cm longer than the current 110 and 40cm longer than the Disco 5, placing it on par with the newest Range Rover, and slightly longer than the Sport. These are all big cars, but somehow the 130 just looks and feels especially huge. Numbers on paper are one thing, but the size of this behemoth is really quite something when you see it in person.
Land Rover’s main reason for introducing the 130 body-style to the range (and yes, it’s a body-style, because the wheelbase is the same as the 110 version) is to offer an eight-seat Defender. Two up-front, three in the middle and another three in the third row. Boot space – something
