We’re curious what a police sketch artist would draw if given these details: buslike proportions, blocked-off rear side glass, chunky tires, and accessories that look straight out of an overlanding parts catalogue. If we didn’t know any better, we’d picture a modified Mercedes Sprinter cargo van. But we do know better, and we’re certain that anyone who actually lays eyes on the 2024 Land Rover Defender 130 Outbound won’t mistake its identity. Still, we maintain that the lengthy mid-size luxury SUV gives off strong off-road-panel-van vibes. And we dig it.
Room for a Dirty Party in the Back
The new Outbound model debuts for the 2024 model year. Not only did Land Rover conceal the rearmost windows with exterior plastic covers, but it also ditched the third row. That might sound strange because the Outbound variant is available only in the Defender 130 body style, an extra-long 17.6-footer that was created specifically to make more room for a third row. As we previously learned during our time with a First Edition, there’s just one problem: little space inside to haul anything else when you’re using all the seats.
That’s what led Land Rover to introduce the Outbound, which solves the storage shortage with 36 cubic feet behind the second-row bench and 76 cubes with it stowed. Compared with the three-row Defender 130, we could fit one more carry-on suitcase (19 total) behind the Outbound’s rear seats; it can hold 36 with the rear seats folded, a six-bag advantage.
The Outbound clearly caters to folks who haul bulky stuff more often than six or more people. With rubberized material covering its load floor and rear seatbacks, the Outbound’s cargo area is great for muddy dogs and dirty gear alike. Body-colored window panels give the already distinctive Defender 130 a unique flair, but it looks bare without the available accessories that our example wore. The deployable ladder is useful when there’s a roof rack or a pop-up tent but useless when there’s not. The side-mounted lockbox exists as if to say, “It’s not a man purse. It’s called a satchel. Indiana Jones wears one.”
Big Size Requires Some Compromise
There’s one big flaw with the Outbound’s rear panels: They create a sizable blind spot. This long boi already feels like a bus, so the inability to quickly check for traffic on crowded streets or when changing lanes on the interstate can cause anxiety. We’d rather not primarily rely on the blind-spot monitor, especially if we just crawled off a muddy trail that left the sensors obstructed. While many Defender owners likely won’t leave pavement as regularly as Land Rover intended, the Bear Gryllses of the world will see that the 130 is much more capable than most of its ilk.
The Outbound features a standard set of black 20-inch wheels with meaty Goodyear Wrangler Territory Duratrac all-terrain tires; less adventurous types can opt for 22-inch rollers on more subdued all-seasons. Along with standard air springs and adaptive dampers, every Defender 130 has all-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case and a locking center differential. Land Rover’s renowned Terrain Response system features multiple off-road drive modes to make newbie dirt enthusiasts feel like old pros, and the myriad exterior camera views help too. Our Outbound had the $1250 Off-Road package that adds an electronically locking rear differential for help exploring parts unknown.
While the Defender 130 can keep up with its stubbier siblings—the two-door 90 and four-door 110—on most excursions, its considerably longer tail comes with a compromised maximum departure angle (28.5 degrees versus the Defender 110’s 40.0 degrees). The 130 otherwise has impressive off-road clearances that include a maximum 37.5-degree approach angle, up to 11.4 inches of ground clearance, and the ability to wade through nearly three feet of water. Those specs are similar to, and in some cases better than, those of the Ford Bronco and Jeep Wrangler.
Rugged yet Refined
Without question, though, the Defender is more sophisticated than the Bronco or the Wrangler. That’s obvious from the Rover’s on-road demeanor. We love its commanding driving position, and effortless steering makes controlling the nearly three-ton barge a mostly drama-free affair. Just don’t overcook the entrance to a cloverleaf interchange like we did. That’s when the boxy boat’s soft suspension and top-heavy nature make it lean precariously. Hard braking also elicits a nosedive, and the Outbound needed 187 feet to stop from 70 mph, 16 more than a 130 on all-season rubber.
Despite the Outbound’s knobbier tires and aero-disrupting exterior add-ons, its interior noise level at 70 mph was three decibels quieter than the First Edition we tested. Both featured Land Rover’s P400 powertrain, which mates an eight-speed automatic with a 395-hp turbocharged 3.0-liter straight-six aided by an electric supercharger. With that same setup, both 130 variants hit 60 mph in 6.2 seconds and finished the quarter-mile in 14.6 seconds. Fuel economy is predictably grim, and the Outbound has a slightly worse EPA combined estimate of 17 mpg. Then again, each returned 19 mpg on our 75-mph real-world route, which exceeds the Outbound’s EPA highway figure by 1 mpg.
While the Defender’s lazy throttle tip-in didn’t bother us, the engine’s delayed auto stop/start feature frequently did. Thankfully, the button to deactivate the system is easily accessible on the control panel that houses the electronic shifter and the satisfying physical switchgear. One pain point is being forced to reach over the versatile multitiered center console for the volume knob. At least we didn’t have any issues with the rest of the infotainment system, which operates through a curved 11.4-inch touchscreen that is easy to navigate and quickly connected wirelessly to Apple CarPlay on our phone without hiccups.
The Defender’s interior has an industrial design that fits its aesthetic. We like the exposed screw heads on the door panels, the rugged-looking materials, and the full-width dashboard storage shelf. You have to touch the cabin’s plentiful soft surfaces to appreciate their quality. The monochromatic color scheme is a bit dour, but it jibes with the Outbound’s limited paint options: Fuji White, Eiger Grey, Santorini Black, or the $1550 Carpathian Grey seen here. Regardless of color, the Defender 130 Outbound stands out for its retro-rugged appearance.
The Outbound starts at $85,975, which is $15,400 more than the entry-level Defender 130 with the base 296-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four engine. Loaded with options, our example eclipsed $95,000. That sounds like a princely sum, but these days it’s not hard to spend that much on a large SUV, especially one equipped like the Land Rover. Heck, a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 starts at $93,440, and a Ford Bronco Raptor costs at least $91,930. We’re talking about two different customer bases, but the point is, off-road SUVs aren’t cheap. The 2024 Land Rover Defender 130 caters to a wide audience, one where adventurers and aristocrats overlap. The Outbound appeals to subsections of that group: people who don’t pack light, and those who chose dogs over kids.
Specifications
Specifications
2024 Land Rover Defender 130 Outbound
Vehicle Type: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
PRICE
Base/As Tested: $85,975/$94,738
Options: Towing Pack 2 (All-Terrain Progress Control, Terrain Response 2, Configurable Terrain Response, Advanced Tow Assist, tow hitch receiver), $1850; Carpathian Grey Metallic paint, $1550; Off-Road pack (electronically controlled rear differential, domestic plug sockets), $1250; head-up display, $1000; Comfort and Convenience pack (premium cabin lighting, twin front cupholders with cover, front center console refrigerator compartment, $810; Premium Interior Protection and Storage pack, $700; Wheel Protection pack in black, $570; ClearSight interior rearview mirror, $570; Wi-Fi enabled with data plan, $360; Emergency pack, $75; Handover pack, $28
ENGINE
supercharged, turbocharged, and intercooled DOHC 24-valve inline-6, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 183 in3, 2996 cm3
Power: 395 hp @ 6500 rpm
Torque: 406 lb-ft @ 2000 rpm
TRANSMISSION
8-speed automatic
CHASSIS
Suspension, F/R: multilink/multilink
Brakes, F/R: 14.3-in vented disc/13.8-in vented disc
Tires: Goodyear Wrangler Territory Duratrac
255/60R-20 113O LR POR M+S
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 119.0 in
Length: 211.7 in
Width: 79.1 in
Height: 77.6 in
Cargo Volume, behind F/R: 76/36 ft3
Curb Weight: 5901 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS
60 mph: 6.2 sec
1/4-Mile: 14.6 sec @ 95 mph
Results above omit 1-ft rollout of 0.3 sec.
Rolling Start, 5–60 mph: 6.8 sec
Top Gear, 30–50 mph: 4.0 sec
Top Gear, 50–70 mph: 4.5 sec
Top Speed (gov ltd): 100 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 183 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.77 g
C/D FUEL ECONOMY
Observed: 15 mpg
75-mph Highway Driving: 19 mpg
75-mph Highway Range: 450 mi
EPA FUEL ECONOMY
Combined/City/Highway: 17/16/18 mpg
C/D TESTING EXPLAINED
Eric Stafford’s automobile addiction began before he could walk, and it has fueled his passion to write news, reviews, and more for Car and Driver since 2016. His aspiration growing up was to become a millionaire with a Jay Leno–like car collection. Apparently, getting rich is harder than social-media influencers make it seem, so he avoided financial success entirely to become an automotive journalist and drive new cars for a living. After earning a journalism degree at Central Michigan University and working at a daily newspaper, the years of basically burning money on failed project cars and lemon-flavored jalopies finally paid off when Car and Driver hired him. His garage currently includes a 2010 Acura RDX, a manual ’97 Chevy Camaro Z/28, and a ’90 Honda CRX Si.