The current Land Rover Defender is a very capable off-roader and also offers a healthy turn of pace in V8 form. There’s not yet been a version that emphasises both of these traits, but that’ll soon change with the announcement of the Defender OCTA, a new model that Land Rover calls a “high-performance all-terrain hero.”
Announced with a series of teaser images, the OCTA will sit at the top of the Defender range, and see the introduction of a mild-hybrid twin-turbocharged V8, making it the most powerful Defender of all time.
Land Rover Defender OCTA – side detail
While unconfirmed, it’s highly likely this will be the same 4.4-litre BMW unit that powers the new Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. In the high-performance SV version of the latter, it produces 626bhp, a significant gain over the 518bhp offered by the current range-topping Defender with JLR’s old 5.0-litre supercharged V8.
Of course, giving something the size and shape of a Defender that much power challenges engineers to overcome the basic laws of physics, and Land Rover’s solution is a trick new ‘6D Dynamics’ suspension system. This hydraulically linked system actively controls pitch and roll, which will apparently allow the OCTA to maintain a “near-level” stance during acceleration, braking and cornering.
Land Rover Defender OCTA – tyre detail
The 6D Dynamics system will also allow for maximised independent wheel articulation off-road, which is where the OCTA is being pitched as at its best. Indeed, the teaser images show both some hardcore off-road tyres and big Brembo performance brake callipers, suggesting both aspects of the car’s personalities are being taken seriously.
The OCTA’s testing programme has apparently incorporated the Arctic Circle, the Nürburgring and the deserts of Dubai and Utah.
It’s unknown whether the OCTA treatment will be given to all three Defender body styles – the sole teaser that shows a fully disguised prototype only reveals a mid-sized 110 version.
Land Rover Defender OCTA – brake detail
Inside and out, the OCTA will feature a motif of a diamond within a circle, a symbol that will denote all future flagship Defenders as Land Rover attempts to reposition the model as its own brand – indeed, the initial press release makes no mention of the Land Rover name at all.
The Defender OCTA will be revealed in full later this year. It’s pitched as a highly exclusive model that sounds as if it’ll be released in various ‘batches’ – Land Rover is inviting customers to register their interest for the ‘first release’ now.