News this week that Defender is poised to become the partner car of the Dakar Rally is yet another milestone in the successful resurrection of Land Rover’s long-running model. In previous years, the idea that the brand would align itself with the toughest rally-raid competition in the world might have been met with wry amusement, given its less-than-stellar reliability record over the years. But who now would question the legitimacy of the Defender’s liveried-up appearance in the Empty Quarter? The odd electrical (of software-based) gremlin aside, the model has proved impressively dependable since launch. Generally speaking, and insofar as a relatively plush modern car can, it feels as tough as old boots.
Probably with a view to not upsetting the public’s favourable impression (and JLR’s taste for divisive trailblazing elsewhere has likely encouraged a more traditional, if-it-ain’t-broke-don’t-fix-it approach) the Defender’s MY25 update is mostly trifling. We’re talking a more streamlined choice of spec and bundled options, and the introduction of Sedona Red via something called the Sedona Edition - so, yes: it’s butter-knife dull stuff. With two notable exceptions. Firstly, the introduction of a ‘Captain Chairs Pack’ for the Defender 130, and, secondly, the introduction of the D350 flavour of Ingenium powertrain where previously you were stuck with the D300.
An opinion on the chairs, sadly, will have to wait for another day. Land Rover offered PH the Outbound version of the very latest 130 to test, and naturally its boarded-up rear end means entirely doing away with the third row of seats in favour of a conveniently large, rubber-lined boot. This obviously negates the value of the Captain Chairs, which is at least partly based on the much easier access to the pop-up pews at the back. Obviously the placement of two separate, armrest-equipped chairs in the second row means you sacrifice a middle seat - but on the basis that you’ve still got space for seven (and can now seat four in superior comfort) we can vaguely see the appeal.
It’s probably safe to assume though that this option has been added with the North American market chiefly in mind - which is, after all, what the 130 is all about. Even Land Rover is prepared to privately concede that the larger variant is not the ideal size for life in the UK; a fact evidenced by the way its 5.3-metre length tends to spill from parking spaces. Of course, PH doesn’t let tedious practical concerns cloud its judgment (a Lamborghini Aventador can be tricky to park too, y’know) and we’re on the record as liking the 130 generally and the Outbound specifically. Mostly because it was a) very comfy and b) geared toward doing stuff that involves muddy boots and large, unwieldy bits of kit.
Though admittedly a niche prospect, it seemed a bit mean at the time that the chunkiest, pluckiest Defender could not be bought with the life-affirming 5.0-litre V8 - yet it was hardly like the model suffered for the presence of the 300hp 3.0-litre straight-six. Indeed, the diesel unit has proved a perfect foil for the Defender generally, and even with well over two-and-a-half tonnes weighing it down, the gruff arrival of 479lb ft of torque from 1,500rpm made the 130 seem, if not fast, then at least fast enough for a car of its vast size and deceptively languid way of doing things.
But who doesn’t like more of a good thing, right? And that’s what the D350, its higher output already familiar from time served in the L460 Range Rover, delivers: the same essential flavour, but in Big Gulp servings. Somewhat predictably, this is less about a more enlivening 0-62mph gallop (where just a few tenths have been shaved from the previous Outbound’s claimed 7.1-second sprint) than it is an additional layer of convenience grease in moving from one speed to another. The D300 already managed to go from amble to half-fast with minimum fuss; the D350, which the same whirring sense of heft, gets you there that fraction quicker. With a commensurate increase in satisfaction.
That the 130 does not quite manage to rival the L460’s turn of pace (the D350 we drove back in 2022 was claimed to be an additional half-a-second quicker to the national limit) likely says something incriminating about the largest Defender’s real-world kerbweight - but you won’t dwell on this much while driving it. If the Outbound still falls short of seeming genuinely quick in the way the V8 does, the difference is rarely construed as a deficit: the straight-six is too well matched to the Defender and your expectations of it. Its lusty way of doing things, as indefatigable as oxen yoked to a paper mache plough and brilliantly marshalled by the eight-speed ZF transmission, end up seeming no less fundamental to the car’s appeal than its much-touted ability to climb mountains or crest sand dunes. Probably more so given the day-to-day absence of either in the South East (ignore the international flavour of the latest pictures).
This is a good thing, all things considered, because Land Rover remains dead set on charging you for the pleasure. The cost of a new Outbound does not dramatically overshadow the previous one (when we last drove it in January, it started at £81,285; nearly 12 months and 50hp to the good later, it’s now from £82,720) but once you’ve finished ticking desirable option boxes, expect the totted-up price to be nearing £100k. For a Defender that does a decent job of mimicking a van - one that will need light-footed encouragement to coax it beyond 30mpg - it does (still) seem a bit rich. To the extent where it’s quite possible that it makes no sense at all. Unless you happen to be heading to the Empty Quarter for three days in January. In which case we can think of few things better.
SPECIFICATION | LAND ROVER DEFENDER 130 OUTBOUND (D350)
Engine: 2,997cc, straight-six, diesel
Transmission: 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 350 @ 4,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 516 @ 1,500-2,500rpm
0-62mph: 6.8secs
Top speed: 119mph
Weight: 2,661kg (EU)
MPG: 32.1
CO2: 231g/km
Price: £82,720 (price as tested: £94,035)
1 / 11
