FIRST DRIVE: THE LAND ROVER DEFENDER OCTA TAKES OFF-ROAD PERFORMANCE TO A NEW LEVEL
What is it?
The Defender has been a big success for JLR. Despite some rumblings prior to its introduction that it wouldn’t live up to its famous nameplate, buyers have snapped up the high-riding off-roader, with just over 370,000 examples sold since it was first released back in 2020.
Up until now, the quickest Defender model that you could buy has been the V8, but that all changes with this car – the Octa. It’s a comprehensively reworked Defender designed to go further and faster than the standard car. We’ve been testing it out.
What’s new?
This is far more than a Defender with a bigger engine. No, the Octa implements a series of big changes to help it deliver more performance for more of the time. The most notable introduction here is the clever 6D suspension – used recently on the Range Rover Sport SV – which is hydraulically interlinked. Essentially, this allows the car to better control its pitch and roll, while offering a ride height increase of up to 28mm over the standard Defender.
You’ll also find that the rest of the car has been toughened up, with more extensive underbody protection helping deflect the blows. Redesigned front and rear bumpers help with approach and departure angles, too, while that ride height boost means that the Octa can wade in depths of up to a metre – more than any other Defender.
What’s under the bonnet?
You’ll find a 4.4-litre BMW-sourced engine lurking underneath the bonnet of the Defender Octa. With 626bhp and 750Nm of torque, it’s enormously powerful and, as you’d expect, connected to all four wheels in this case via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. Performance is punchy; zero to 60mph is dealt with in just 3.8 seconds and flat-out, the Octa will manage 155mph.
You can get the Octa with a broad choice of tyres, too, ranging from serious off-road rubber to more road-focused options. Despite the implementation of some light mild-hybrid tech, don’t expect this to be an efficient drive – we saw 12.9mpg during our time with the car.
What’s it like to drive?
The Defender Octa is a car of many characters. The good news is that they’re all wonderfully executed and this helps to give the car a multi-faceted approach. For instance, find some faster, sweeping corners and the Octa handles them easily with flat, confidence-inspiring responses. The V8 engine, naturally, gives you access to a whole lot of performance and though it’s happy to play the hooligan, it can settle down and tie into the Octa’s remarkable refinement.
Head off-road, however, and the Octa truly shines. We tested it out through rivers, up steep gradients and even across high-speed sections and not once did it feel out of its depth – figuratively or literally. Its level of prowess across difficult terrain is barely believable – even more so considering that you can just hose the car down, head back to the tarmac and find yourself in a car which is just as comfortable as a regular Defender.
How does it look?
The Octa is all about toughness. It’s even reflected in the car’s badge – a diamond shape – which references one of the hardest materials on the planet. As you’d expect, then, there are plenty of beefed-up touches included on this car, which help it to go further off-road while differentiating it from the standard car. You can get it with 33-inch diameter tyres – the biggest you’ll find on a Defender – while a number of those diamond ‘Octa’ logos can be found across the car’s exterior.
You won’t find the same number of exterior colours available on the Octa as you would the standard Defender, mind you, with JLR taking a ‘curated’ approach to paint choices. However, Octa-exclusive Petra Copper and Faroe Green look great – to our eyes – and stand out against more traditional options like Carpathian Grey.
What’s it like inside?
For now at least, you can only get the Defender Octa in 110 specification – rather than shorter 90 or longer 130 layouts – but that does mean you get plenty of space and practicality to go with this car’s performance. In truth, it all feels largely the same as the standard car when you’re in the cabin, with only the carbon-backed bucket seats and matching trim pieces on our test car showcasing it as something different. There is, however, a dedicated ‘Octa’ button on the steering wheel, which when pressed allows you to toggle through different performance driving modes, including a specific ‘Octa’ one which dials everything up.
It would be quite nice to see a few more bespoke touches on this Octa model, but you can’t fault the fit and finish inside – though that’s the same on the regular car. Boot space stands at a useful 646 litres, rising to over 2,300 litres with the rear seats folded flat.
What’s the spec like?
Prices for the Defender Octa start from a chunky £145,300, rising to £160,800 for an Edition One model. For now, a year’s allocation of 1,000 cars is coming to the UK, but it won’t be limited, so more will arrive once that initial run has finished. Of course, the bulk of that cost is coming through the engine and suspension upgrades, but there’s plenty of kit included too – as there should be, given the price. Highlights include 22-inch wheels and new ‘Body and Soul’ seats, which use speakers mounted in the seatbacks to add an extra dimension to your music as they ‘pulse’ to the beat. In truth, we found them a little distracting and turned them off most of the time.
Edition One cars – alongside a beefier price tag – add in that ‘chopped’ carbon interior, alongside diamond-turned 20-inch wheels and a smattering of ‘Edition One’ logos. In truth, the standard car should be more than enough for most drivers as it still gets all of those stand-out mechanical upgrades.
Verdict
The Defender Octa arrives as a suitable flagship for this popular range of cars. The good news is that it has been masterfully executed, feeling far beyond simply a ‘car with a bigger engine’. Comprehensively re-engineered, the Defender Octa feels like a car at the very top of its game.
The running costs will be high and the price is significant, but if you’re after a car that’ll do it all – and do it convincingly, too – then the Defender Octa is the off-roader for you.
- Model as tested: Land Rover Defender Octa
- Price: £145,300
- Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8
- Power: 626bhp
- Torque: 750Nm
- Max speed: 155mph
- 0-60mph: 3.8 seconds
- MPG: 21.1
- Emissions: 298g/km
