From the creator of the Ford Raptor comes a snarling new Defender, nearly half a decade in the making.
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Here it is, in all its glory: the Octa, Land Rover’s fastest and most powerful Defender ever. But if you ask its creator, Jamal Hameedi, as I did recently at the vehicle’s LA unveiling, the impressive SUV promises much more.
Monster track
The Land Rover Defender Octa is a new high-performance and ultra-capable Defender 110.
According to Hameedi, Head of Special Vehicles at Land Rover (and whose CV includes the development of the Ford Raptor), the manufacturer tested the new Octa over 1,000,000 kilometers, both off-road and on track.
Interestingly, it’s the last location where Hameedi thinks the new Octa really shines.
“This thing is just as fun, maybe more fun, to drive on a track as it is off-road.”
“This thing is just as fun, maybe more fun, to drive on a track as it is off-road,” they said. “I’ve never seen this before and it makes the Octa really special. We even tested the Octa at the Nurburgring.”
A diamond in the rough
With the Octa, Land Rover is doubling down on a trend of pushing each of its vehicles as their own sub-brand. For example, Defender and Range Rover are now two different entities.
octa, meaning diamond, will be the new high-performance Defender line. (Think: AMG in Mercedes or M in BMW. It’s much more than a bigger engine.) Meanwhile, “Special vehicles [Operations]” will support high-performance Range Rover models.
Expect to see a lot of ‘Octa’ references in the coming years. In fact, Land Rover has already started bringing back the Land Rover badge for new cars.
The most powerful defender ever
Land Rover did not hold back on the equipment of its new flagship. Octa is filled to the gills.
- Power: The Defender is powered by a BMW-sourced 4.4-liter Twin Turbo mild hybrid V8 that produces 626 HP and up to 553 lb-ft of torque. 0-60 mph comes in 3.8 seconds.
- Great speed: Some models have a top speed of 155 mph. To stop that much mass, the Octa comes with massive Brembo brakes.
- Suspension: Land Rover has released a reworked version of the 6D Dynamics suspension originally released on the SV Range Rover Sport. Here, it is able to flatten the pitch and roll. If you’ve seen those robotic toys that keep the ball level on a surface, then you can imagine what this does for the Defender.
- Tires: When optioned with the new 20-inch off-road wheels, the Defender is fitted with a new special tire that Hameedi told me took two years to develop. It’s a 33-inch (275/60 R20) 3-ply off-road legitimate tire that’s also capable on a track (shown in our live photos).
- Elevator: The 1.1-inch lift, along with the lift of larger off-road tires and a nearly 3-inch wider stance, give the Defender a truly serious presence in person. It is capable of an additional depth of 100 mm.
- External details: An all-new front bumper, massive fender flares, graphite body cladding and carbon fiber chopped details make up most of the exterior changes
- Inside: All-new seats (front and back) with special fabrics including leather and animal-free fabrics. And more interestingly, Land Rover has incorporated integrated subwoofer-like actuators from Subpac and Coventry University into the seats to better feel your music. It’s like a bass shaker in premium cinema. Expect to see more of this.
- With flavors on top: The US-spec clearance lights (like you see on high-performance trucks) and dual raised air intakes are tall but necessary on the Defender Octa because of the V8 and 80-inch wide stance. The fact that they are necessary to meet legal requirements is just icing on the cake. I’m sure we’ll see people fitting these to Defenders as soon as the parts are available.
- Competition: A clear burst in the Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG.
A special version for early adopters called “Edition One” has special Faroe Green paint with matte wraps and chopped carbon fiber details. The brass hooks are a particularly ornate touch. This is the model in our photos.
When will you see it in the wild?
The Defender Octa’s public debut will take place at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 11.
For those of you not in the UK, you’ll need to be on standby. Only 4,010 units will be built for the first year, of which only 1,000 will come to the US.
Pre-orders will debut soon with production beginning in October.
Price: As you might expect, a huge premium
- The standard Defender Octa starts at an MSRP of $152,000. You can expect your local dealer, depending on his scruples, to mark it.
- The Defender OCTA Edition One, pictured here, which will only be available in the first year of production, will have a starting price of $167,800.
Stay tuned for more insights as we get behind the wheel of the Defender Octa.