The 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 is Land Rover’s largest Defender yet, and with it comes plenty of seating and the usual luxury that you’d expect from a Land Rover. Yet there’s one thing that the 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 won’t come with, and that’s a V8 engine. What does this mean for the SUV‘s power and pep, and is it a big deal? Let’s see what Car and Driver thinks it will mean and how it compares to the current Land Rover Defender.

The 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 won’t have a V8 engine

If you’re familiar with the Land Rover Defender, you’re probably aware that both the Land Rover Defender 90 and 110 each come with a V8 engine. That’s why it may be surprising to learn that the new 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 won’t have a V8 option. So what will it get instead?

The 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 will have two V6 options available, according to Car and Driver. It says that Land Rover “is launching the 130 with a new P300 powertrain that uses a downtuned version of the bigger 3.0-liter six-cylinder engine…” and that this engine will make 296 hp. However, it will have a powerful 347 lb-ft of torque.

Why won’t the new Defender have a V8?

Because the new 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 is the largest of the Land Rover Defenders, one might expect that it would have a V8 engine. In fact, Car and Driver says it’s kind of surprising that it doesn’t come with one. However, there will be a more powerful V6 than the base model’s offering. That’s a P400 that makes 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque.

Both of the engines also have hybrid help with a 48-volt battery. Car and Driver also thinks it’s likely that the base model engine will replace the 4-cylinder available on current Land Rover Defenders.

How fast will the Defender 130 be?

Because the 2023 Land Rover Defender is far from being released, there aren’t any official figures available yet about its capabilities. Car and Driver does anticipate that it will be a little bit slower than the current Land Rover Defender 110. That’s because in addition to having a less powerful engine, the new Defender is also larger and weighs more.

So what would those numbers look like? When Car and Driver tested the 110, it found that the Defender could go 0-60 in just 6.3 seconds. That’s not bad at all for a pretty sizeable SUV. It reached a quarter mile in 94 mph, also a respectable number for an SUV of its size.

The 2023 Land Rover Defender 130 V8 may not have a powerful V8 engine, but it will still probably be a plenty-fast SUV. It will also have all of Land Rover’s usual high-end luxury features and ride. Anyone who wants an incredibly nice, respectably fast luxury SUV with all the high-end bells and whistles they could possibly want would likely be very happy with the 2023 Land Rover Defender 130.