Land Rover dials it up with the OTT Defender OCTA, the ultimate performance off-roader

When the ‘new’ Defender first rolled onto the scene in 2020, it was met with every emotion, from frustration and anxiety to excitement and jubilation. Many wondered if this modern, upmarket iteration was enough to replace the beloved bug-eyed workhorse that had faithfully served for 67 years.

While it was a significant departure from what had gone before it, upping the ante in terms of luxury, refinement, driving dynamics and cost, the sales figures suggest the new Defender has laid most of those concerns to rest. In 2023, JLR sold more Defenders than all of its Velars, Evoques and Discovery Sports combined and 2024 proved to be another stellar year for the model.

Empowered by the Defender’s success and imbued with confidence that it’s best-seller can compete at the sharp end of the SUV market, Land Rover has given its all-rounder the full performance treatment, ushering in the Defender OCTA.

Taking its name from the octahedral shape of a diamond – both hard-wearing and desirable – the OCTA is a mutant, rally-raid spec Defender powered by a BMW-derived 4.4-litre twin turbo V8. On paper, the headline figures speak for themselves with a 155mph limited top speed, 0-62mph in just 3.8 seconds and 626bhp, but it’s in practice – on the rough and rutted roads of South Africa – where the car reveals its true party piece.

Wider by 68mm, 28mm taller and a whole lot tougher than the ‘standard’ Defender, the OCTA is also equipped with the same trick 6D Dynamic air suspension system found in the new Range Rover Sport SV, which takes the Defender name into a new performance realm. By swapping more traditional anti-roll bars for the hydraulically interlinked independent dampers in each corner, the 6D suspension is able to cut out huge amounts of body roll and pitch, keeping the car composed on testing terrain and, perhaps most importantly, calm and comfortable in the cabin over the rough stuff.

'We did do a lot of benchmarking with this car and we knew how far we wanted to push this kind of this machine,' says Matt Becker, vehicle engineering director at Jaguar Land Rover. 'This [6D] technology gives you a greater bandwidth of what you can do with the car – having no anti-roll bars allows you to have greater articulation, and it removes any torque or friction to allow the wheels to move.'

When paired to a punchy V8 engine and the chunkiest off-road tyres on the options list – the Goodyear Duratrac, fitted to the OCTA’s 20-inch wheel – this potent combination of grip, grunt and hardiness can tackle almost anything that the South African bush has to offer.

From the smooth tarmac roads leading out of Cape Town, to the corrugated gravel tracks and even boulder crawls in the most remote corners of the country, the OCTA takes it all in its stride. While it’s unlikely many of those privileged enough to own an OCTA will turn a wheel in the wilderness, it’s reassuring to know the car is engineered to cope in the most extreme circumstances.

For those undeterred by the £160,800 price tag attached to the OCTA Edition One, it’s likely the appeal of a V8 engine alongside the uprated stance and subtly spruced bodywork were the main attraction. While it’s difficult to put your finger on exactly what has changed at first glance, the blistered wheel arches, functional rims, deeper grille and flecks of chopped carbon fibre outwardly suggest this is more than just a tweaked and tricked-up Defender.

On the inside, it’s a similar story with more chopped carbon fibre in the cabin and, most notably, the appearance of Land Rover’s Body and Soul Seat (BASS) on the Edition One, which sends haptic pulses through the seat in harmony with the bass of music. It’s a comfortable place to pass the time, even for five-hour drives across rough terrain, and the new seamless, performance seats are supportive in all the right places when traveling at pace.

Aside from those interior touches, the OCTA is treated to a transparent OCTA button towards the bottom of the steering wheel, which illuminates when pushed to show when OCTA mode is selected, alongside similar-looking gear shift paddles either side of the steering wheel. The Defender interior has always been one of the model’s greatest strengths, so perhaps it’s a benefit that it’s changed very little when it comes to the flagship performance model.

Regarding the competition, it’s hard to resist the temptation of comparing the OCTA with Mercedes’ brutal and bullish AMG-tuned G63 G-Wagen, which packs a similar punch performance wise but might be lacking on the suspension tech when put to the test off-road, together. But the market for performance off-roaders has changed in the past few years, with new, more eccentric entrants like the Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, Porsche 911 Dakar and even the Ford F-150 Raptor flying the flag for mutant machines that can lay their power down off-road as much as they can do on it.

With all the Edition One OCTAs already accounted for, those in the market for an all-singing Defender will need to order a ‘regular’ OCTA, which weighs in at £145,300. While there’s no doubting the OCTA’s ability to put a smile on your face on all surfaces, some will question if it’s worth nearly £100,000 more than its more sober, diesel-powered sibling.

But when compared to those cars that boast similar performance status, particularly those listed above, the OCTA almost looks like good value. After all, where can you find a car that can take on a rally stage at speed, bumble over boulders and wade through a one-metre-deep swamp before cruising back to the city like nothing ever happened?

Land Rover Defender OCTA, from £145,300, LandRover.co.uk, @Defender