The most potent Land Rover Defender ever made has lost none of its off-road ability with its extra need for speed. In fact the OCTA increases its ride height so that it can tackle trails at a greater pace.
Based on the biggest Defender 130 it’s propelled by BMW’s N63 4.4-litre twin turbo, mild-hybrid V8 engine which makes 635 bhp and drives through an eight-speed automatic transmission. You’ll still find high and low-range gears and the full array of all-terrain drive modes, ensuring the OCTA can do everything expected of a Defender.
Where it goes beyond those expectations is in its ability to sprint from rest to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and reach 155 mph flat out (on 22-inch wheels and all-season tyres). Stick some mud and snow rubber on and you’ll be able to take advantage of the 28mm lift and 68mm wider track plus the hydraulically-interlinked 6D Dynamics suspension to leave the asphalt behind. As well as the new electronics, the mechanical components of the suspension have been upgraded including longer, tougher wishbones, and new active dampers with separate accumulators. Bigger front brakes with Brembo calipers are also installed.
A new OCTA drive mode is calibrated for high-speed all-terrain driving with tweaks to ABS and traction settings. There’s even an off-road launch feature.
“Our high-performance experts have achieved the impossible with Defender OCTA, working tirelessly over the past three years to create the most capable Defender ever made – regardless of which surface it is enjoyed on,” says Land Rover SVO Director Jamal Hameedi. “They have re-engineered components throughout the vehicle to ensure Defender OCTA is the perfect companion for epic adventures anywhere on the planet.”
To prove its potency Land Rover put the OCTA through a program of 13,960 additional tests at high speeds on the road and off it. Test pilots have even been spotted going sideways at the Nürburgring, such is their devotion to durability testing.
Catch an OCTA standing still and you might just spot the revised grille design, extended wheelarches, the four-exit active exhaust poking through a re-worked rear bumper, and the massive 33-inch Goodyear tyres developed especially for the car. Hidden from sight are increased underbody protection, while the front and rear tow eyes are finished in a phosphor bronze.
The OCTA is named after the octagon – the shape of a diamond – and Land Rover says that’s because of its “rare combination of extreme toughness and luxury.” That’s particularly notable in the cabin, with new performance seats, featuring a “body and soul’ technology that puts sound shakers in the seats to immerse driver and passenger in music. Material options include a lightweight Ultrafabric or semi-aniline leather in an extensive range of colors.
Prices begin at £143,000 with a limited-run Edition One available for £160,800 and you can watch the OCTA in action for the first time at the Goodwood Festival of Speed from 11-14 July.
