Jaguar Land Rover (now known simply as JLR) has revealed the new Defender OCTA – a $300,000 twin-turbo V8 flagship SUV, made to excel on and off-road.
Australian orders for the Defender OCTA are set to open soon, with prices starting from $291,542 before on-road costs for the ‘base’ SUV, and $317,592 before on-roads for the limited-run Edition One.
That positions the OCTA between the circa-$240k Defender 130 P500 and the the Mercedes-AMG G 63, currently priced at $363,561 before on-roads.
JLR Australia has told CarExpert Australian deliveries are due to begin from March 2025.
With a name inspired by the octahedral shape of a diamond, the ‘hardest and most desirable mineral on earth’, the Defender OCTA comes with cosmetic and mechanical upgrades, headlined by the introduction of a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 with a 48V mild-hybrid system.
Mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with high and low range gears, the BMW M5-sourced engine – which also powers the Range Rover Sport SV – produces 467kW of power and 750Nm of torque.
This makes the OCTA the most powerful Defender ever, as well as the fastest-accelerating, completing the 0-100km/h sprint in 4.0 seconds.
Beefier 400mm brake discs with Brembo calipers bring it to a stop.
Based on the Defender 110, the OCTA also brings the 6D Dynamics suspension system first debuted by the Range Rover Sport SV.
Replacing traditional anti-roll bars with a hydraulic circuit, Land Rover claims that it reduces pitch and roll under acceleration and braking.
The OCTA sits 28mm higher and has a 68mm wider stance than the standard Defender, making it stand out compared to the base SUV.
Off-road upgrades also include unique to the new grade include active dampers, the fastest steering ratio of any Defender to date, and OCTA Mode – a performance-focused off-road setting with specially-honed anti-lock braking and launch control calibration.
With changes under the skin comes a new, tougher look for the Defender OCTA.
Sitting on 33-inch all-terrain tyres, the body gets new grille designs, a new rear bumper with quad exhausts, underbody protection, and exposed Phosphor Bronze-finished front and rear recovery points.
Two exclusive paint colours are available – Petra Copper and Faroe Green, the latter of which comes as standard on the limited-run OCTA Edition One.
The Edition One is also recognisable by carbon fibre details on the Defender bonnet script, fender vent surrounds and bonnet vent surrounds, plus the front seatbacks and centre console trim inside.
All Defender OCTA models feature a contrast roof and tailgate in gloss Narvik Black.
The interior of the Defender has also been given the OCTA treatment.
Two material choices will be offered, leather and fabric, with Burnt Sienna leather equipped as standard.
An Ebony leather interior is also available, as are Light Cloud and Lunar fabric options. OCTA Edition One examples are fitted with duo-tone Khaki and Ebony fabric.
New front performance seats feature ‘immersive’ audio technology.
Land Rover will introduce the Defender OCTA to the public at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed from July 11-14.
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