Bringing classic vehicles with a cult following back from the dead is a tricky thing to do. Either the manufactures just take an old name and put it on the wrong body style, like the Jeep Gladiator, or they make something that was once rugged and make it too fancy. These things piss off the purists and mean nothing to the average consumer. The new Land Rover Defender has been towing this line fairly well, and now it is getting a newer, bigger version, the 2022 Land Rover Defender 130. 

The 2022 Land Rover 130 is gonna be big

As noted by Motor1, rumors of a larger variant of the Defender reboot were spreading as the reveal of the first of the new Land Rover Defenders in 2019. Now, Land Rover executives have confirmed the bigger Defender 130 rumors as true. This big boy Defender is officially coming down the pipeline, and if the truck/SUV trends over the past few years are any indication, the big dog will probably be pretty popular, at least here in the states. 

Even though we don’t have images yet, according to an internal document, the 2022 Land Rover Defender 130 will retain the same wheelbase as the 110 but will grow to a more family-friendly 201 inches, which is 13-inches longer than the previous model. This extra length is making room for a third row for the 4×4 legend. According to Motor1, this same document referred to the 130 as “premium explorer,” home to eight seats. 

The new Land Rover Defender line is growing quickly

This new three-row Defender news is hot on the heels of the news that Land Rover is also planning to add the V8 and plug-in hybrid versions of the shorter Defenders to the lineup. If that wasn’t enough, the line is still teasing the idea of a pickup truck version of the Defender. To any old-school defender fans, this should be exciting news. Sure the new ones are fancy and expensive, but all these variations feel like the old tractor-y Defenders from way back. 

Between the excitement of the new Defenders and the clear obsession with pickups that Americans have, the pickup truck variation seems like easy points. The same can be said for the V8 when paired with this new three-row variation. Both models sound like an open court layup based on what’s hot in the current market. Land Rover says that we should see some of these variations over the next 18 months. At this rate, we will likely have more variations before that time frame is up. 

If you don’t believe me, believe this guy…

Jaguar/Land Rover’s design boss Gerry McGovern has been dropping clues about the expanding Defender lineup as well. McGovern recently mentioned that there is more to come as the company is “looking at what we can do with that brand because with relatively small investment we can increase its appeal. I’m absolutely convinced Defender will become a power brand in itself.”

The Defender isn’t the only thing getting the overhaul; the Jaguar side is getting extra attention, too. The brand recently announced that it would be going all-electric by 2025 with six all-new models to choose from. Long gone are the days of the old blundering Defenders with rust holes and V12 Jags spewing oil from every which way. Things seem to be changing quickly, and we’ll have to wait and see how it all turns out.