- The Land Rover Defenderis currently offered in 90 and 110 body styles

- The new variant of the model is likely to be unveiled next year

Range Rover has commenced public road tests of the Land Rover Defender 130. Spy images reveal a test mule of the model that was spotted on the streets near Nurburgring in Germany, ahead of its debut that could take place early next year.

As seen in the spy images, the length and the rear overhang of the test mule is the biggest giveaway that the Defender 130 is on its way to markets across the globe soon. The model will get an eight-seat configuration, one seat more than the 110 variant. Compared to the latter, the Defender 130 will be longer by 342mm, while the wheelbase will remain unchanged.

In terms of powertrains, we expect the Land Rover Defender 130 to come with every motor that is offered in the current Defender line-up, including the petrol, diesel, hybrid, and even the V8 supercharged engines. Reports suggest that the test-mule in question was testing with the 3.0-litre, six-cylinder mild-hybrid motor under the hood. In its current state of tune, this engine produces 296bhp and 400Nm of torque.