Surfing dunes review, 2023 Defender 130

"Just stick your foot in it and you'll be fine." That's the first thing I say to my partner as we head for the dunes of Dubai. She takes the wheel of the 2023 Land Rover Defender 130, and I get in the passenger seat. Ahead of us are miles of steep dunes that undulate like the nearby Persian Gulf.

"Whatever happens, don't take your foot off the gas pedal until I tell you."

My driving partner (let's call her Melissa) gives me a nervous glance, but I put the big SUV in gear, take a deep breath, and off we go.

2023 Land Rover Defender 130 Discipline on the Dunes

Driving on the dunes is all about commitment, or "driving with passion," as the Land Rover guide says. Especially when piloting a vehicle more than 17 feet long, seating eight, and weighing more than 5,700 pounds gross, you have to keep your foot on the throttle to maintain momentum. Anyone can drive a small side-by-side through the dunes. If it's a full-size SUV. Not so much.

I have driven normal cars on dunes in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, California, and Nevada, and I have never coached a beginner. The Land Rover has a sand-specific drive mode, full-time all-wheel drive with automatic center and rear differential lockers, and an air suspension that raises the minimum ground clearance to 11.5 inches, making instruction easy.

For this trip, the Defender 130 is powered by the P400 powertrain, which combines a turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-6 with a mild hybrid system to produce 395 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. 8-speed automatic transmission is mated to a 32-inch Goodyear Duratrac tires to get that power down to the sand.

As Melissa heads down the sandy slope, she feels the traction control start to kick in a bit.

"Sheesh. Still in auto mode."

Sure, auto mode reacts to the terrain and acts accordingly, but it's definitely not as forgiving as sand mode. The Land Rover doesn't even let me inflate the tires yet, so I have less ground clearance in the sand and less buoyancy. But we're in the middle of it, so we can't stop and change modes. Melissa has to do it.

"Throttle. Throttle. Go. Go. Go. I shout as Melissa keeps her eyes firmly focused on the goal and where she wants to go. It wasn't the prettiest climb the dunes had ever seen, but she conquered her first dune.

She looks over at me with a winning smile." This looks like fun."

Running big in a 2023 Land Rover Defender 130

Melissa confidently reduces the tire air from about 39 psi to 25 psi and switches to sand mode, which keeps the RPMs high and cuts the traction control nanny. piloting the Defender up and over a medium-sized sand dune. This gave me plenty of practice stopping and starting on the soft sand. It may sound easy, but if you stop too abruptly, it will dig into your front tires and get you stuck. Stomping on the throttle from a stop would bury you as well.

Then I had the opportunity to coach a large dune where throttle control was key.

"You need to be fast enough to climb the dune, but at the top you have to lift at just the right time. If you go too fast, you lose momentum and get stuck. Too slow, and you'll go over the dune."

This gal has it. The turbo six provides more than enough power and she climbs the dune with enough speed. At the top, she opens the throttle and coasts the last few feet with all four wheels on the ground.

She does get stuck once, however, which is easy to do in a longer vehicle like the Defender 130. The wheelbase may be the same as the Defender 110, but the rear overhang is much, much longer; all of the added 13.3 inches of length versus the 110 is carried to the rear, bringing the overall length to over 200 inches. The departure angle is 28. 5 degrees when the air suspension is set to the highest setting. On the other hand, 110 and 90 are much better at 40.0 degrees.

This means that the rear can drag on the rise from a steep slope. The sand is soft and easy to power through, but the sand at the bottom of the hill is chewed up and Melissa doesn't have the momentum to power through. But don't worry. A light tug with the exercise rope will get her moving out again.

When it is my turn to drive, she is a bit more aggressive. I crab-walk down the side of the dune, scattering sand from my four wheels. I take the highest line possible across the face of another dune. I can point out to Melissa some of the hazards, such as the witch's eye. A witch's eye is a small patch of sand that is so hard to see that if you drive into it, your day is over. We also talked about looking ahead at some of the dunes to determine our course and surfing at the top of the dunes as much as possible. While the others were sweating under the hot Dubai sun, Melissa and I were having a good time in our comfortable, air-conditioned seats, singing along to bad 80s music.

Of course, since we were in a Defender with three rows of seats, we couldn't resist trying the last row. In fact, it doesn't look that bad. At 5'7", my knees are a little high and my hips are a little low, but the 31.7 inches of legroom should be enough for a short trip. Hip and shoulder room is a bit small for three full-size humans, but kids would have no problem.

I like that the Defender is suitable for longer treks and has a truly butt load capacity; over 1,700 pounds of gear and people can be shoved in it, and while the rig is running, 370 pounds on the roof [8.5 kg ) can be placed on it. This dynamic rating, combined with a static roof loading rating of 661 pounds, is more than enough for a two-person rooftop tent.

While I always prefer smaller rigs for off-roading, there is no denying the dune-running ability of the Defender 130. It's easy for a beginner to learn and I enjoy it too. Of course, you have to pay for that privilege. The SE trim we tested starts at just under $80,000, including a $1,475 destination fee, while the top-of-the-line Defender 130 X trims plunge into the six-figure range.

That's certainly enough money, but let's see what else is out there. Besides Land Rover's three-row Range Rover and Discovery, only the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer can match the Defender's off-road capabilities. In other words, you're going to take a Cadillac Escalade into the wild. Enjoy.

If you've never driven in the dunes, don't be afraid. Sure, it can be scary, but there are only two things to remember: to let the air out and to drive with passion. Sand mode is also helpful.

Land Rover covered the lodging and airfare for Motor Authority to present this field report.

-by Emme Hall