Land Rover Defender Octa review: the ultimate off-roader

It may sound like heresy, but some of us think the Sterrato could be the finest Lamborghini ever made. It slides brilliantly, looks superb and can absorb a huge amount of punishment. The Porsche 911 Dakar is cut from similar cloth. Yes, its limits are far lower than those of the more track-focused 911s, but accessing them is much less difficult. It is a fascinating new direction.

The Land Rover Defender Octa follows a comparable path, albeit from the other end of the spectrum. Its brief is to become the world’s fastest off-roader. That is a definition as tricky to pin down as jelly to a wall, and a Nürburgring lap time would never reveal the complete picture. This is about breadth of ability: a vehicle capable of ridiculous off-road feats while remaining civilised in everyday use.

In that sense, the Octa answers a scattered collection of once niche demands. It is a dune-bashing, near-Dakar rally machine concealed within a long-distance family transporter. It can crawl over rocks, then drift with carefree enthusiasm. It is also a celebration. Since the Land Rover name was relegated while the company began promoting its individual model brands, Defender has been a colossal success since its 2019 arrival.

The old, much-loved but outdated model was selling 12,000 examples a year towards the end of its life; the current Defender achieves that figure every month. The original business plan projected global annual sales of 55,000, so twice that volume, alongside all those heavily specified Range Rovers, makes for very healthy profits.

Land Rover Defender Octa: flagship purpose

Now comes the flagship. Developed over three years, extensively re-engineered and subjected to 13,960 extra tests, the Octa costs £161k. Blimey. Does it justify that price? We are in South Africa to discover the answer, with the full range of challenges ahead. Indeed, there is every chance that we might destroy this new vehicle.

As for its name, Octa draws inspiration from the diamond: octahedral in form, it is equally beautiful and tough. It was also a name LR could register in 175 territories without legal complications. Perhaps SV was not distinctive enough.

It looks good, does it not? Time and familiarity have done nothing to diminish the Defender’s styling, although the divisive “square of despair” remains. In Octa form, it sits 28mm higher than the standard model and measures 68mm wider overall, thanks to muscular wheel-arch extensions. The design team has avoided completely blacking it out, making it about as discreet as a vast high-performance SUV can possibly be.

First Edition cars receive a new Faroe Green paint finish, along with fresh copper and grey accents. It has a distinctly military appearance and character, especially when fitted with the optional matt protective film. The only ornamentation comes from the chopped carbon fibre on the bonnet, sides and seats.

Most alterations improve the Defender’s already exceptional suitability for its role. To accommodate the larger tyres and additional ride height, the front and rear axles have moved forwards by 4mm and 3mm respectively. A larger front intake meets the more demanding cooling needs of the new engine, while a powder-coated metal underbody shield supplies added protection.

The rear receives similar treatment. A longer bar behind its shield protects a pair of auxiliary radiators, while a hard-wearing composite undertray sits underneath. Heat management was crucial. There is a heat shield surrounding the fuel tank, plus triple-insulated fuel lines. In total, this vehicle contains around 12 miles of pipework. At its most extreme setting, wheel articulation rises by 100mm to 500mm, while approach, departure and breakover angles are all better.

V8 power and 6D dynamics suspension

Few vehicles feel as planted on the road, or create such an imposing convoy. Lesser traffic seems to tremble behind us. Leaving Cape Town for the Cederberg mountains, however, produces an immediate surprise. Whereas the old supercharged 5.0-litre V8 was something of a party animal – like John Belushi in Animal House – the newer, cleaner 4.4-litre twin-turbo mild hybrid feels unexpectedly reserved. There are 626bhp and 553lb ft on offer, but it does not constantly demand your attention.

It is a BMW engine, although it gains several model-specific changes, including a reinforced transmission cradle and new oil sump. The propshafts are unique, the driveshafts have a greater diameter, and the joints are strengthened. Engineers have even added high-tensile steel to the rear differential because the Octa produces significantly more axle torque. The familiar ZF eight-speed transmission is paired with a selectable high- and low-range transfer case.

A V8’s job description requires a rolling-thunder soundtrack under load. Accordingly, the Octa has a bespoke quad-exit exhaust system, with its back pressure carefully tuned to maximise performance without compromising wading capability. It can, in fact, handle water up to one metre deep, exceeding every previous Defender.

Yet in its normal mode, the dominant sound is distant tyre rumble, partly because our vehicle wears the optional Goodyear DuraTrac Advanced All Terrain tyres. They are vital, as we will drive the Octa across a range of punishing environments. Their appearance suits the restrained new 20in alloy wheels, and they are the biggest tyres ever fitted to a Defender.

Their three-ply construction strengthens the sidewalls, although their top speed is restricted to 100mph, or 112mph in North America. More significantly, they slightly reduce on-road handling ability, although JLR vehicle attributes specialist Matt Becker, formerly of Lotus and Aston Martin, says the compromise is minimal. Most Octas will instead leave on 22in alloys with Michelin all-season tyres.

A brief press of the rather cheap-looking Octa button at the bottom of the steering wheel selects Dynamic mode. It noticeably sharpens the experience. Steering, throttle response, suspension and exhaust note become more eager and immediate. The real key, however, is the ‘6D dynamics’ air-suspension system; its name refers to the 6° of axis through which a rigid body can move in three-dimensional space.

Instead of conventional anti-roll bars, the Octa uses hydraulically linked, triple-valve semi-active dampers, allowing independent control of compression and rebound. Yes, it is the same technology used by the McLaren 750S. New control arms, links and knuckles are fitted too. Nobody will confuse the Octa with a McLaren, but its ride has genuine suppleness and its body movements are tightly managed. It truly can handle. SUVs often suffer from head toss, yet there is very little of it here.

On a narrowing mountain pass, the Octa’s trump card is its distinctly quicker steering. I am still unconvinced it would have an answer here for an Aston Martin DBX707 or Lamborghini Urus S, both genuinely entertaining, if more expensive, machines. Then again, nobody sensible would take either fully off road. To use the paddleshifters for manual gearchanges, you must move the gear selector sideways into ‘Sport’, an odd omission.

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The Defender feels utterly at home amid the rolling views around us. It is hard to picture a vehicle better suited to this terrain, a shifting combination of stirring mountains, immense plains and wilderness. The sky is almost the deepest blue I have ever seen, while the few clouds are implausibly fluffy and white. This is Africa.

It is also an ideal opportunity to revisit the Defender’s cabin. JLR chief creative officer Gerry McGovern is keen on the notion of “materiality”, and a Defender offers plenty to appreciate and touch. Its dashboard layout is marvellously straightforward, the touchscreen is simple to operate, and the trim is both robust and pleasingly tactile. The centre console also uses more recycled carbon.

New to the Octa are “body and soul” seats, employing vibro-acoustic, AI-enabled technology and four transducers to create audio that is felt as well as heard. It is a clever feature, supplemented by six wellness programmes that take the massage-seat concept to its outer limits. The seats themselves are new too: seamless and exceptionally comfortable. Our vehicle is upholstered in sustainable Ultrafabric (TM), which is considerably lighter than leather and generates a quarter of the CO2 during production. The centre storage compartment is cooled, and USB-C ports are everywhere. The Octa is an extremely practical piece of equipment.

The steering wheel is new as well, featuring translucent, edge-lit paddleshifters. They illuminate red when Dynamic or Octa modes are chosen. We travel along an extended gravel road, keeping up an impressive speed despite the loose surface and sliding through corners. The Octa reaches 62mph in four seconds and has a 155mph top speed on all-season tyres.

Defender Octa off-road capability

Arriving at Bushmans Kloof raises the intensity by several more degrees. Looking for breadth of ability? This is the setting. There is a straightforward route to the accommodation in the centre of this 18,500-acre private reserve, but where would the enjoyment be in that? Our hosts have created an improvised test circuit around a lake, although first we must crawl across the landscape to reach it. Zebras and baboons appear along the way. The latter have apparently learned to open the lodge doors, but keys still defeat them.

Given everything it can do, it’s really in a class of its own

The Defender’s terrain-response system makes preparation for serious off-roading absurdly straightforward. One press engages the low-range transmission, another selects the appropriate setting, and active electronically controlled centre and rear differentials undertake the hard work. Trust me: you will never enjoy moving so slowly more than when faced with a succession of seemingly impassable boulders. One moment the windscreen contains nothing but sky; the next, it is filled with ground. We have spotters to guide us, but this remains immensely cool.

That is only the beginning. We now select Octa mode and properly attack the course. This is where the Defender leaves its polished rivals behind and moves to another level. New software algorithms recognise rough terrain by tracking suspension movement and signals from the dampers’ control modules and the ABS. The Octa uses 400mm front brake discs with six-piston Brembo calipers, plus 365mm discs at the rear. A boost system reduces fade. It brakes as effectively as it accelerates.

Matt Becker completes a demonstration lap around the arena, taking astonishing liberties with the vehicle and choosing lines that seem impossible, but evidently are not. Then it is our turn. With DSC disabled, the Octa charges around the track like an oversized WRC car, answering Scandinavian flicks with the enthusiasm of something half its mass and size. Crests and yomps that would pulverise most vehicles barely trouble it, its damping and wheel articulation consistently perfect. The system is so intelligent that it even recognises when the car is airborne and prepares the suspension for touchdown. It is unquestionably game for anything.

It is just as capable on the sand dunes at Lambert’s Bay, a slower yet even more technical off-road test. All we do is reduce tyre pressures to 20psi, then remember to sustain momentum without using excessive throttle. That is how you become stuck, something easily done in sand so soft and unpredictable that one of the experts accompanying us considers it the most difficult he has encountered.

At this point, it is easy to start taking the Defender Octa for granted. Given everything it can do, it’s really in a class of its own. Certainly, some rivals perform even better in extreme terrain, but you will absolutely not enjoy the journey there as much. It is quick enough, secure and confidence-inspiring. This is the rock ’n’ roll Defender, just with considerably less roll.