The original defender had a simple seat configuration, usually two front passenger seats and either bench seating or no seating in the rear, to make room for storage and supplies. Today, you can choose your defender seat configuration if you buy a custom Defender or even a “new” defender. Here are a few options you may want to consider when choosing your seat layout of your vintage defender, and yes, the model matters.

Seat Configuration Options for the D90

The agile two-door classic defender is the smallest of the defender wheelbases but still has a ton of options for seat layouts. However, the small defender can still seat more than other two-door SUVs on the market today. Starting with the standard two front seats, most of your options will come from the rear layout. You can opt to seat an additional two passengers with two captain seats, a single rear bench seat, or two folding jump seats for the best of both worlds. If you need seating for more than 4, you can also opt for two rear bench jump seats or four rear jump seats for a total seating capacity of 6 individuals. The jump seats don’t leave much room for knee space but can easily be folded up to make room for storage if you need more space than seats. You can also just have two front seats and leave the rear empty for storage.

Seat Configuration Options for the D130

The largest wheelbase is the D130, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it has more room for seating in this 4-door defender. The vintage defender has the most limited options for seating arrangements. You can opt for the standard two front seats and leave the remainder of the vehicle for storage, or you can opt for a full back seat. The full back seat seats 3, bringing your total seating capacity to 5. The rear of the vehicle can be covered with a custom tent as a part of your vintage defender restoration but cannot hold any more seating due to the vehicle’s size and ability to shift weight safely. You do have the large bed in the rear, pickup style, making carrying supplies easy, but the max capacity remains at 5.

Seat Configuration Options for the D110

This popular classic defender offers the most seat layout options available. Like the other builds, you can opt for just two front seats, but the max capacity for the D110 is a whopping ten individuals. This is one of the highest seating capacities for a 4-door SUV and off-road vehicle. For this option, you’d have two front seats and four inward-facing jump bench seats, and again, knee space is limited, but the entire family plus friends can enjoy the ride. The most popular seat configuration for the restored defender 110 is usually two front seats, a full middle row that seats three, and either two rear forward-facing captain jump seats or four inward-facing rear jump seats for a total capacity of 7 or 9 seats, respectively. Like with the D90, you can opt to remove a side of rear seats for storage, or like the D130, opt for only seating five and keep the rear for storage. The seating configurations offer a ton of options to fit your needs.

To make seating and layout easy, ECD shows clients a 3D rendering of the inside of their vehicles so they can make the best decision for their newly restored lifestyle vehicle. The seat setup can also depend on the style of seat choice, such as Corbeau Racing seats vs. the simpler Puma-styled seats. Have more questions about which seating arrangements are possible? Email us at [email protected] or head to our website configurator to take a look at some base options.