The Land Rover Defender Octa has launched in India at a starting price of Rs 2.59 crore. The top-of-the-line Octa is the Defender’s most powerful and offroad-centric iteration yet, with its closest rival being the Mercedes-AMG G63. Land Rover is also selling an Edition One variant of the Defender Octa, which has an even greater off-road focus, for Rs 2.79 crore. However, the Edition One will only be available through the first year of production.
- Defender Octa has new 22-inch wheels, wider wheel arches, redesigned fascia, and more
- Its cabin gets a larger 11.4-inch touchscreen, performance seats, new upholstery, etc.
- Off-road enhancements include a new suspension system and increased ride height
- The SUV is powered by a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 that develops 635hp and up to 800Nm
Land Rover Defender Octa exterior design
Gets bespoke wheels and paint finishes
The Octa comes only in the 110 body style, and it looks meaner than the standard Defender courtesy of flared wheel arches, a larger grille area, a revised front bumper and higher ground clearance. Over to the side, it features exclusive 22-inch wheels shod in all-season tyres (Edition One gets 20-inch wheels with off-road tyres) and ‘Octa’ badging on the C-pillars. The tailgate and roof have a gloss-black finish.
Adding to the exclusivity factor, Land Rover offers four bespoke colours for the Defender Octa, namely Carpathian Grey, Charente Grey, Faroe Green and Petra Copper. These can also be had with matte finishes, which include a protective film.
Land Rover Defender Octa interior and features
The Defender Octa’s interior is similar to the standard SUV’s, save for a handful of new goodies, such as a larger 11.4-inch infotainment touchscreen, Burnt Sienna semi-aniline leather upholstery and a mini-fridge inside the centre console. However, the seats have received a major upgrade.
Defender Octa seats vibrate in tune with music
The Octa gets new performance seats with a 3D-knit texture, integrated headrests and more supportive bolstering. Moreover, it features Land Rover’s Body and Soul Seat audio technology, which vibrates the seats in sync with any music playing through the SUV’s infotainment system.
Land Rover Defender Octa off-road features
New suspension system benefits on-road and off-road dynamics
Claimed to be the most capable Defender off-road, the Octa sports a new 6D Dynamics suspension system that nullifies the need for a physical anti-roll bar by hydraulically interlinking the dampers. According to Land Rover, it enables greater wheel articulation when driving off-road and “virtually eliminates” pitch and body roll.
Additionally, the Octa comes with longer and tougher wishbones, beefed-up underbody protection, a bespoke drive setting with off-road launch mode, a 28mm increase in ground clearance to 319mm and the most responsive steering rack of any Defender yet.
All of these upgrades, along with the new front and rear bumpers, help increase the Defender Octa’s maximum approach angle by 2.5 degrees, departure angle by 2 degrees, breakover angle by 1.1 degrees, wading depth by 100mm and maximum articulation by 139mm compared to the standard Defender 110.
Land Rover Defender Octa engine, gearbox and performance
0-100kph in 3.8 seconds
While the Defender Octa shares its 4.4-litre BMW-derived twin-turbo V8 mild-hybrid powertrain with the Range Rover, Land Rover has tuned the engine for an increased output of 635hp and 750Nm, which can be cranked up to 800Nm when using the off-road launch mode. The mill is paired to an 8-speed automatic gearbox channelling power through all four wheels, enabling the Defender Octa to dispatch the 0-100kph run in 3.8 seconds and achieve a top speed of 250kph. The Edition One's top speed, meanwhile, is limited to 160kph.
Here's an updated price breakdown of the full Land Rover Defender line-up:
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