2025 Land Rover Defender 130 X – Review by David Colman

Delightful Appearance & Performance, Costly Maintenance

David Colman

Photos and Story by David Colman
Special Correspondent
THE AUTO CHANNEL

Land Rover's extended wheelbase (130 X) version of the 2025 Defender is without question the long distance cruiser I would put at the top of my list for interstate travel. Its manners and behavior on the Freeway during extended drives proved impeccable. This three-ton vehicle always ran arrow straight and true, with steering feedback second to none. Thanks to the "adaptive dynamics" of its standard air suspension, and the dampening effect of adding two full feet to the overall length of the Defender 110, Rover's stretch limo 130 X version treats its passengers to baronial levels of ride comfort.

Adding to the calming effect was the ample bump insulation provided by the high sidewall height of 130 X's 20 inch (255/60 R20) Pirelli Scorpion Zero M&S radials. The spacious cabin's ultra plush interior, furnished in Ebony Windsor Leather, also helped soothe the eyes and calm the soul. You can even dial up a dozen different interior lighting scenarios to match your mood shifts. As an added bonus, the Defender's 3.0-liter, turbocharged, six-cylinder gas engine, which produces 395hp and 406lb.-ft. of torque, proved more than adequate to any acceleration demands made of its chauffeur. For the record, this big rig is capable of posting 6.2-second runs to 60mph, while top speed runs out at 119mph.

You wouldn't be wrong if you called the Defender's stylistic motif a screw job. I counted no fewer than 64 exposed Allen wrench cap nuts fastening all 5 interior door panels to their respective frames. You can add a 65th for the glovebox door, and probably a couple more that escaped my attention. This plethora of nifty hardware evokes Land Rover's agrarian origins. The Defender's unique design motif pays tribute to Rover's storied farm and battle exploits, making you feel like you're driving a significant piece of automotive history.

Other quasi-utilitarian throwbacks include faux diamond plate hood panels, and the Defender's signature hard shell spare tire receptacle, which is pinned to the swing-out tailgate door. In every conceivable way, the 130 X looks the part of a British nobleman's proper farm apparatus. It updates the notion of the "shooting brake," a term Brits use to identify a station wagon or SUV expressly designed for leisure class pursuits. Note that contemporary derivatives of the Defender's inimitable style, like Hyundai's Santa Fe and Ford's Bronco fall short of the bravura elegance baked into the 130 X.

Life with the Defender, however, is not all hot-house roses. We found the instrument panel mounted shift lever occasionally troublesome, thanks to its requirement that you depress a button on the back side of the lever to select a gear. Failing to do so leaves you parked in Park, wondering what you need to do to get this rig going. Further complicating matters, Rover placed a "Sport Shift" gate next to the regular PRNDL pattern. This allows you to inadvertently slip over into Sport Shift mode. However, once I got the hang of things, I found the Sport Shift gate to be quite facile to use, requiring forward bumps of the stick for downshifts, and backward pulls for upshifts. This system worked better than paddles. I also discovered that the lowest available position of the steering wheel's electric adjustment range was too high for my comfort. As with the stick, I got used to the bus-like driving position, but why truncate the downward travel range so severely?

Our $106,092 test Rover was fitted with $1000 optional "heated and cooled second row Capt. Chairs with hinged headrests." While these luxury loungers might make your back seat occupants happy, they will interfere with maximum storage space in the event you need to fold rows two and three flat. The problem with the Captain's Chairs is they don't fold fully flat due to the added storage height of the hinged headrests. This in turn causes you to snag awkward loads on various protuberances, as I discovered when trying to load my mountain bike through the swing-out tailgate door. I'd pass on the Captain's Chairs and go for a split back bench for row two.

Unlike some manufacturers, Land Rover offers no complimentary maintenance on its Defender. If this manufacturer ranked higher, your outlay for routine maintenance would be less concerning than it is in Rover's case. However, out of 32 manufacturers, Consumer Reports recently rated Land Rover 30th in their "Which Brands make the Best Cars" 2025 survey. Although the 2025 Defender 130 X proved delightful to look at and drive, you might find yourself shelling out more for maintenance than you had hoped to spend.

2025 LAND ROVER DEFENDER 130 X

• ENGINE: MHEV 3.0 Liter inline-6, turbocharged
• HORSEPOWER: 395HP
• TORQUE: 406lb.-ft.
• FUEL CONSUMPTION: 18MPG City/20MPG Highway/19MPG Combined
• PRICE AS TESTED: 106,092

HYPES: Timeless Elegance, Haute Couture Interior

GRIPES: Spotty Reliability Record

STAR RATING: 10 Stars out of 10

©2025 David E Colman