James Kon
Adding another dimension to the all-conquering family of all-terrain vehicles, the new Land Rover Defender 130 that can accommodate up to eight adults across three rows of full-size seating was unveiled by Indera Motors Sdn Bhd in an exclusive private preview at the Land Rover showroom yesterday.
General Manager Alfred Yong Foh Sen, managers, guests and members of the press attended the preview.
Alfred Yong said, “Defender is a vehicle loved by many. It is distinctive, capable and durable, with a rich history that can be traced to the start of Land Rover.”
He added, “The new Defender 130 brings a new dimension of capability to our most durable and rugged family of vehicles. Its spacious interior welcomes and transports up to eight people in supreme comfort, enabling unparalleled adventuring opportunities for families, with unique design signatures to create a distinct new Defender experience.”
Defender 130 was unveiled by Sales Manager Hairol Ajak, After Sales Manager Ong Ching Chai and Defender Champion Pengiran Nizem. Currently, there are only two units of Defender 130 at the showroom.
A host of exterior and interior design enhancements and technologies distinguish New Defender 130, uniquely balancing comfort with customary Defender durability and capability.
The latest Defender has its own colour palette, with a new, exclusive Sedona Red option ensuring the 130 stands out in the line-up.
The interior design features new colour and material options, providing an amplified all-terrain experience. The latest connected technologies and chassis systems provide the ultimate support and comfort for modern off-road excursions.
Defender’s iconic silhouette has been elegantly extended by 340 millimetres (mm) at the rear to provide enhanced interior space across all three rows, without compromising its unparalleled all-terrain capabilities.
Defender 130 provides a spacious and practical load area, with up to 3,891 litres of cargo volume even with the rearmost seats in place. When the seats are not in use, they stow to create a large loading area, giving customers the ultimate choice in configuring the interior arrangement that best suits their needs. They are split in 40:20:40 configuration for added convenience.
For families, ISOFIX child seat attachments are found on up to five of the passenger seats, on the outer seats of the second and third rows, as well as the front passenger seat.
The five-seat version of Defender 130 offers a vast load area of up to 2,5162 litres with row two folded.
Up front, Defender 130 features a larger 11.4-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen as standard, allowing enhanced control over the vehicle’s core functions via a crisp and intuitive display. The curved glass interface provides fast, state-of-the-art functionality and is responsive as soon as the vehicle is started.
Interior air quality on every trip is enhanced by Cabin Air Purification Plus, which makes its Defender debut in the new 130.
It is fitted to the largest Defender in the line-up as standard and combines nanoe X technology for allergen reduction and pathogen removal, to help significantly reduce odours and viruses. CO2 Management and PM2.5 Cabin Air Filtration improve the cabin environment by monitoring interior and exterior air and adjusting accordingly, ensuring occupants experience the best available air quality.
Defender 130 is available with a powerful and efficient choice of electrified powertrains, including the P300 and P400 mild-hybrid Ingenium six-cylinder petrols, and the D250 and D300 Ingenium six-cylinder diesels.
Mild-Hybrid Electric Vehicle (MHEV) technology underpins Land Rover’s six-cylinder Ingenium powertrains, providing seamless responses as well as enhanced fuel economy.
Every Defender 130 is fitted with Land Rover’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive (iAWD) system and eight-speed ZF automatic transmission as standard.
The iAWD technology efficiently and effectively manages the powertrain and power distribution between the front and rear axles, optimising on-road efficiency and all-terrain capability as necessary.
Every Defender 130 is fitted with Electronic Air Suspension with Adaptive Dynamics and Land Rover’s advanced Terrain Response® system for unrivalled all-terrain capability and driver confidence in all environments.
The Electronic Air Suspension system allows for up to 430mm of articulation, with 75mm of additional lift at the front and the rear in off-road height to clear obstacles and assist when wading – Defender 130 will ford up to 900mm of water.
The foundations for the Defender’s all-conquering all-terrain capability rely on Land Rover’s aluminium-intensive monocoque D7x architecture. With a torsional rigidity of 25kNm/Degree, the Defender is three times more rigid than traditional body-on-frame designs and features the basis for the all-independent air suspension, twin-speed transfer box and Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system.
Defender 130 provides towing capacity of up to 3,000kg3, while hitching is made easier with the Electronic Air Suspension – controlled via a switch panel inside the tailgate.
The new Defender 130 is available in SE, HSE, X-Dynamic and X specifications, and is available for viewing and customisation at the Land Rover Showroom in Beribi until March 11.
