The Land Rover Defender Octa has made its debut, presenting as the most capable version of the L663-generation Defender yet. The Octa name was derived from the octahedral shape that gives diamonds their distinctive appearance and durability, says Land Rover.
In Malaysia, registrations of interest for the Land Rover Defender, and interested parties can find out more and register interest at the Land Rover Malaysia website, here.
As such, the Defender Octa is positioned as the flagship of the range, offered solely in the ‘110’ five-door body length, and gets the BMW-sourced, mild-hybrid 4.4 litre biturbo V8 petrol engine that is found in higher-end versions of the current L460 Range Rover and L461 Range Rover Sport.
Bringing the grunt and thus, its headlining stats is the aforementioned 4.4 litre biturbo V8 engine that outputs 635 PS and 750 Nm of torque (800 Nm when Dynamic Launch Mode is activated); these figures match those of the Range Rover Sport SV that made its debut in May 2023.
The Defender Octa does 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 3.8 seconds or 0-100 km/h in four seconds, slightly behind the 3.6-second run achieved by the Range Rover Sport SV, and a top speed of 155 mph (248 km/h) when fitted with all-season tyres; for comparison, the more road-biased Range Rover Sport SV reaches a top speed of 290 km/h.
New to the Defender for this Octa variant is the interlinked, hydraulic 6D Dynamics suspension setup bringing hardware and geometry changes, lifting the body by 28 mm and widening its stance by 68 mm. There are longer and tougher wishbones, while the continuously variable active dampers with separate accumulators are unique to the Octa.
Front brake discs are 400 mm in diameter, while the steering is the quickest of any Defender yet. Available for the Defender Octa are 33-inch diameter tyres, including a Goodyear Advanced all-terrain tyre that has been developed specifically for the Defender Octa, says Land Rover.
Bodywork revisions for the Defender Octa include extended wheel arches, front bodywork with a unique grille design for greater airflow below the bonnet, a new rear bumper with a quad-tailpipe active exhaust, underbody protection with an aluminium front shield in a graphite finish, along with front and rear recovery points in Phosphor Bronze.
Added to the Comfort and Dynamic selection of drive modes is Octa mode, which an off-road driving mode with a performance focus that has been developed for greater control and driver confidence. Octa mode enables and off-road launch mode for optimal acceleration on loose surfaces, and when combined with the lower traction control settings, also engages an off-road ABS calibration for better braking on loose surfaces.
Also included is the suite of Terrain Response modes, and the Defender Octa gets unique calibration modes including Sand, Mud and Ruts, Grass, Gravel, Snow, and Rock Crawl. Also here is ClearSight Ground View that aids visibility just ahead of the vehicle by simulating a transparent bonnet.
Inside, the driver and passenger in the Defender Octa get newly developed performance seats with integrated headrests and more supportive bolsters, and these also incorporate Body and Soul Seat audio technology, earlier featuring on the Range Rover Sport SV.
Interior upholstery for the Defender Octa features a choice of two Ultrafabrics PU options, which are 30% lighter traditional leather, and is standard specification on the Defender Octa Edition One (the green example pictured here).
Also available for the Defender Octa are semi-aniline leather in a new Burnt Sienna colour scheme, or alternatively in Ebony. Also available is the Ultrafabrics PU upholstery for the ‘regular’ Defender Octa.
The Land Rover Defender Octa will be making its public debut at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed which will take place on July 11-14, and order-taking will commence soon, says Land Rover. Indicative pricing for the Defender Octa starts from £145,300 (RM872,330) in the United Kingdom, while the Defender Octa Edition One that is available in the first year the variant’s production is priced from £160,800 (RM965,364).
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Would be nice if in Malaysia the price are not doubled due to tax
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