Summary
- Land Rover unveils the Defender OCTA, a top-tier flagship model with 626 hp BMW-sourced V8 engine and 6D Dynamics suspension system.
- The bespoke suspension system offers unrivaled axle articulation and increased off-road capabilities, while the interior features unique interfaces and “Body and Soul Seat” audio technology.
- The Defender OCTA starts at $152,000 and will make its official debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK.
On a cool spring and very British-like evening in Brooklyn, New York, Land Rover held an exclusive and private event to debut a new version of one of its most iconic models: the Defender OCTA. A new addition to the Defender lineup, the OCTA sits at the very top as the flagship model, designed and engineered to represent all that is possible from the factory with the latest Defender platform.
Built as the new flagship, top-spec, end-all-be-all Defender, the OCTA takes everything that Land Rover has to offer in its arsenal and applies it to the company’s signature off-roader, all to make the highest-performing, most capable, most luxurious, most ultimate Defender ever. So if you still had any doubts about the Defender being a capable and rugged off-roader like its predecessor, this new OCTA will certainly make you rethink your thoughts.
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Harnessing The Potential Of The Defender 110
Since its debut, the Land Rover Defender has been proving itself as a worthy modern successor to the iconic original square-bodied Defender that rooted its origins as far back as the Series I from the 1940s. In the case of the Defender OCTA, it all starts with 110 models and only 110 models.
Engineers then equipped its most powerful engine option, a BMW-sourced 4.4-liter twin-turbocharged mild-hybrid V-8, made sure it produced no less than 626 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, and buttoned it up with a bunch of other upgrades, all to make the ultimate Defender. The result is a 0-60 time in a manufacturer claimed 3.8 seconds.
Helping to shave off that speed are bespoke heavy-duty performance six-piston Brembo calipers up front with 15.7-inch performance rotors. A shorter ratio steering box quickens the steering for improved maneuverability and a sportier feel.
“With New Defender OCTA we have been able to unlock the full potential of Defender. It is the very definition of breadth of capability, and a testament to what we can achieve utilizing the very best technologies and talents within our engineering division. With its powerful V8 engine, ground-breaking 6D Dynamics suspension technology, exquisite finishes and unique detailing, it is rare, incredibly tough and inherently desirable,” Mark Cameron, the Defender’s managing director, said in a statement.
More power and eight thundering cylinders isn’t the only highlight of the Defender OCTA as it features a completely new 6D Dynamics suspension system that’s unlike any other system ever seen before.
It’s a bespoke suspension system found only on the Defender OCTA that raises the standard ride height by 1.1 inches. Axle tracks and additional body- and suspension work widens the Defender’s stance by 2.7 inches for increased ground clearance and on-road stability at speed.
Bespoke Anti-Roll Bar-Free 6D Dynamics Suspension
It starts with conventional struts, but they’re all hydropneumatically operated individually from each other. So there’s no anti-roll/sway bars or any other physical attachment between any of the four suspension struts like there normally would be for body control.
Instead, each hydraulic strut operates entirely separate from each other and are primarily electronically controlled to manage ride height, suspension comfort, and overall body control. Drivers can still adjust suspension height like on a regular Defender or Land Rover equipped with air suspension.
But what the 6D Dynamics suspension system offers is unrivaled axle articulation, boosting off-road capability and maneuverability. Typically, axle articulation is generally limited by a physical connection bridging two suspended axles together laterally for controlling body roll. This physical connection is called an anti-roll bar. Without an anti-roll bar, high-riding vehicles with high-center of gravity would simply topple over in any direction other than straight.
The compromise with anti-roll bars, in the case of four-wheeling, is that they limit the overall length of articulation that the axle can extend and retract to, reducing capabilities over very rough and jagged obstacles. By removing the anti-roll bars, the axles can extend further than ever before, while enabling more grip and more ground clearance, and ability to crawl over bigger objects. It’s the same principle behind detatchable anti-rollbars kits for some Jeep Wrangler models and the Wrangler’s optional electronic anti-sway bar disconnect.
Named After And Inspired By The Toughness of Diamonds
The new Defender OCTA and its name both take inspiration from diamonds, as a symbol for toughness, rarity, and allure. But more so, the emphasis is on toughness, because with an off-roading vehicle as iconic as a Defender, which is also known for its toughness in the wild, it seemed only fitting to mesh and equate the qualities and characteristics of a diamond with this ultimate Defender.
“Our high-performance experts have achieved the impossible with Defender OCTA, working tirelessly over the past three years to create the most capable Defender ever made – regardless of which surface it is enjoyed on. They have re-engineered components throughout the vehicle to ensure Defender OCTA is the perfect companion for epic adventures,” said Jaguar-Land Rover’s director of SVO or Special Vehicle Operations, Jamal Hameedi.
The OCTA is names after the prefix of the term, “octahedron,” which describes a polygonal shape with eight sides. Or in essence, the typical form to which a diamond takes shape.
As such, Land Rover says that its engineers performed over 13,960 additional tests beyond the Defender’s original R&D phase while developing the OCTA. Those tests consisted of a range of off-road and on-road durability tests to prove the car’s toughness and reliability in extreme conditions, a known Defender trait. Such testing isn’t normally found on most mainstream vehicles and such long-term testing does help to exhibit and prove a vehicle’s durability.
The end result, to build the fastest, most capable, and most fun Defender ever.
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Serious Off-Road Chops Made Even More Serious
Helping to round out the Defender OCTA’s added capabilities are a set of bespoke Goodyear Advanced All-Terrain tires developed specifically for the Defender OCTA. At 33 inches in diameter, it’s the largest tire ever fitted to a production Defender from the factory.
When being configured, the Defender OCTA will be available in only four hues: Petra Copper, Faroe Green, Capathian Grey, and Charente Grey. On display on a warehouse rooftop in Brooklyn were Petra Copper and Faroe Green.
On the inside, the Defender OCTA also benefits from bespoke interior appointments, color themes, insignias, and even unique interfaces for the Pivi Pro software on the inside.
Interiors start off with Burnt Sienna semi-aniline leather with Kvadrat textile trim in Ebony, while options include Light Cloud and Lunar with Ultrafabrics trimming. A semi-aniline leather interior is available only in Ebony.
It’s All Science-Based, Real-World Proven
Aside from clever use of premium synthetic materials, another highlight inside the Defender OCTA is the availability of new “Body and Soul Seat” audio technology. Developed in partnership with SUBPAC and Coventry University, engineers and scientist came together to offer unique vibration and massaging mechanisms built into the seat that actuate according to the music being played.
The result is increased levels of relaxation, particularly when listening to one’s favorite music. It employs knowledge and science behind what is known as bioacoustics, which is the study of the relationship sounds and acoustic have on biology, whether neurophysiologically or anatomically.
Basically, its the science and study behind why, for instance, certain types of music invoke specific emotions, or how the growth of organisms at the cellular level is impacted by sound waves.
Hitting Dealerships Later This Year
The price for all of this Defender? You’ll need at least $152,000 for the regular Defender OCTA. But should you want the more bespoke Defender OCTA Edition One, you’ll need to set aside more at $167,800.
The Defender OCTA will make its official world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the United Kingdom later this month.
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