First Drive: The Land Rover Defender Octa takes off-road performance to a new level

Up until now, the quickest Defender model that you could buy has been the V8, but that all changes with this car – the Octa. It’s a comprehensively reworked Defender designed to go further and faster than the standard car. We’ve been testing it out.

You’ll also find that the rest of the car has been toughened up, with more extensive underbody protection helping deflect the blows. Redesigned front and rear bumpers help with approach and departure angles, too, while that ride height boost means that the Octa can wade in depths of up to a metre – more than any other Defender.

You can get the Octa with a broad choice of tyres, too, ranging from serious off-road rubber to more road-focused options. Despite the implementation of some light mild-hybrid tech, don’t expect this to be an efficient drive – we saw 12.9mpg during our time with the car.

Head off-road, however, and the Octa truly shines. We tested it out through rivers, up steep gradients and even across high-speed sections and not once did it feel out of its depth – figuratively or literally. Its level of prowess across difficult terrain is barely believable – even more so considering that you can just hose the car down, head back to the tarmac and find yourself in a car which is just as comfortable as a regular Defender.

You won’t find the same number of exterior colours available on the Octa as you would the standard Defender, mind you, with JLR taking a ‘curated’ approach to paint choices. However, Octa-exclusive Petra Copper and Faroe Green look great – to our eyes – and stand out against more traditional options like Carpathian Grey.

It would be quite nice to see a few more bespoke touches on this Octa model, but you can’t fault the fit and finish inside – though that’s the same on the regular car. Boot space stands at a useful 646 litres, rising to over 2,300 litres with the rear seats folded flat.

Edition One cars – alongside a beefier price tag – add in that ‘chopped’ carbon interior, alongside diamond-turned 20-inch wheels and a smattering of ‘Edition One’ logos. In truth, the standard car should be more than enough for most drivers as it still gets all of those stand-out mechanical upgrades.

The Defender Octa arrives as a suitable flagship for this popular range of cars. The good news is that it has been masterfully executed, feeling far beyond simply a ‘car with a bigger engine’. Comprehensively re-engineered, the Defender Octa feels like a car at the very top of its game.

The running costs will be high and the price is significant, but if you’re after a car that’ll do it all – and do it convincingly, too – then the Defender Octa is the off-roader for you.