The Land Rover Defender 130 and its performance in Kingsley Holgate's Epic Afrika Odyssey

The new Land Rover Defender 130 made quite a lot of waves with its introduction in 2023, and since then, it had to, forgive the pun, defend its reputation as one of the best off-road vehicles available. And what better test is there than around 50 000 kilometres over gruelling terrain covering 12 African countries?

But before you sell your car quickly and easily here, and search for new or used Land Rover Defender models on AutoTrader to go on your own expedition. Let us find out how well the model has fared in the field with Kingsley Holgate at the helm here. 

 

Related: Land Rover Defender 130 D300 First Edition (2023) Review

 

Land Rover Defender 130 

The Land Rover Defender is available in three body configurations, namely the Defender 90, 110 and 130. The Defender 130 offers up to eight seats; however, if it is packing space you are after, you can load up to 2 291 litres of luggage when the second and third rows of seats are folded flat. 

Land Rover offers three powertrain configurations for the Defender 130 variants. One can have a 3.0-litre, turbocharged, inline-6 diesel motor delivering 221 kW and 650 Nm of torque and with an average claimed fuel consumption figure of 8.2 L / 100km. Next up is the 3.0-litre, turbocharged, inline-6 petrol engine producing 294 kW and 550 Nm with an average claimed fuel consumption figure of 10.5 L / 100km.

But if speed is what you are looking for, then the 5.0-litre, supercharged V8 petrol engine is the one. The powertrain delivers 368 kW and 610 Nm with an average claimed fuel consumption figure of 12.8 L / 100km. However, the latter has a claimed top speed of up to 240 km/h, whereas the inline-6 petrol and diesel derivatives should accelerate to 191 km/h, according to www.duoporta.co.za, unless the 22-inch optional wheels are fitted, which increases the top speed to 209 km/h. 

Related: Which Land Rover Defender is better: diesel or petrol?

Afrika Odyssey Expedition

But how well does the new Defender tackle the rough stuff? Kingsley Holgate and his team have been putting the new Land Rover Defender 130 through its paces during their travels on the Afrika Odyssey Expedition. The voyage so far has resulted in over 40 000 km completed in 6 months, in some of the most challenging conditions and terrains on the African continent. 

During the 6 months, the two Defender 130s, nicknamed Moyo (heart) and Isibindi (courage), travelled through South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. Their journey sees them visiting remote villages and communities close to or next to African Parks wildlife conservation parks.

During their visits, not only does the team spread a message of love over the African continent, but they also partake in malaria prevention and education for pregnant women and mothers with young children. This includes indoor spraying and community education and the distribution of long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets, of which, on this Afrika Odyssey Expedition alone, they have managed to deliver over 7 600 nets. 

This is estimated to have kept around 23 000 African children safe. Furthermore, as part of the Rite to Sight project, the team provides mostly elderly people but, overall, poor-sighted individuals with eye tests and reading glasses. The team also help educate children about the importance of the conservation of wildlife and plants through interactive art projects. 

The Kingsley Holgate Foundation team has embarked on the second half of the Afrika Odyssey Expedition and is heading to the Republic of Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Nigeria and Benin to continue with their initiatives. To find out more about the expedition and the charitable and conservation efforts of the team, visit the Kingsley Holgate Foundation website here.