Replacement for the Defender V8 adopts turbocharged mild-hybrid propulsion from BMW and gains 28 mm more ground clearance.
While only confirmed to make its formal public debut at next week’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, JLR has gone ahead with the reveal of the Defender OCTA as its most powerful, off-road focused derivative to date.
Effectively the replacement for the current Defender V8, the OCTA, which JLR describes as the “most dynamically accomplished Defender ever created” becomes the first former Land Rover badged model to eschew the long-serving 5.0-litre supercharged AJ-V8 for the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 sourced from BMW.
Already used in the full-size Range Rover, the 48-volt mild-hybrid unit has been carried over without change and as such, develops 467kW/750Nm – 81kW/125Nm more than the Defender V8 – which JLR claims results in a 0-100 km/h sprint time of four seconds.
In addition to the being the fastest Defender ever made, the OCTA, whose name is derived from the octahedron shape of a diamond, also features a launch control function that ups the available torque to 800 Nm when in engaged.
Excluding the petrol unit, the mild-hybrid system adds an additional 25kW/175Nm for short burst, though the claimed top speed is otherwise unchanged at 250 km/h.
Still paired to the ZF-sourced eight-speed automatic gearbox, the OCTA’s main differences from the rest of the Defender range involves not only uprated brakes, but also a completely redesigned chassis that accommodates what the brand calls 6D Dynamics.
Central to the latter, the OCTA’s height-adjustable air suspension uses hydraulically-interlinked continuously variable semi-active dampers to scan and then adjust the suspension to the varying road surface to as to reduce body-roll while also aiding comfort.
Along with for improved wheel articulation, according to JLR, the system which has undergone 13 960 supplementary tests on top of the regular Defender product programme, the OCTA gains 28 mm more ground clearance than the standard Defender for a total of 323 mm, a 68 mm width increase and special 22-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 33-inch Goodyear Advanced all-terrain tyres specifically designed for it.
On top of the 6D Dynamics, JLR has revised the Terrain Response 2 system to incorporate a new OCTA mode.
Supplementing the existing Comfort, Dynamic, Mud/Ruts, Grass/Gravel/Snow, Sand and Rock Crawl settings, selecting OCTA mode activates what JLR calls an off-road launch control “for optimum acceleration on loose surfaces”.
At the same time, OCTA also engages the off-road ABS system, which has been specifically designed for it instead of having been carried over from the standard Defender.
Uprated further with a new exhaust system, the OCTA also boasts the ClearSight transparent front-view camera, a claimed wading depth of one metre, expanded underbody protection, strengthened wishbones, a new cooling system and an upgraded differential and transmission cradle.
Teased earlier this year, stopping power comes from Brembo, which involves a six-piston calipers setup at the front and single at the rear with respective disc sizes of 400 mm and 365 mm.
Besides its off-road tyres, which can be swapped for 20-inch forged alloys wrapped in less chunkier rubber, the OCTA’s other aesthetic changes from the regular Defender consists of quad exhaust outlets, extended wheelarches, Phosphor Bronze recovery points and a redesigned rear bumper.
On top of this, the grille has been restyled to aid airflow and a gloss black diamond within a sandblasted titanium disc added to the side panel behind the C-pillar as per the octahedron reference.
In total three colours have been allocated; Charente and Carpathian Grey, and the unique Petra Copper. Contrasting all three is a Narvik Black roof and tailgate.
Reserved meanwhile for the limited run Edition One is a bespoke colour called Faroe Green and carbon fibre detailing for the side vents, Defender script and bonnet vents.
Inside, mostly cosmetic and material changes have taken place, namely semi-aniline leather upholstery finished in Burnt Sienna with Ebony Kvadrat textile trim, or so-called Light Cloud ultra-fabric inserts with Lunar or Ebony semi-aniline leather upholstery.
A dual-tone khaki and Ebony upholstery with knitted textile fabric inserts can, however, be specified solely for the Edition One.
South Africa approved
Already confirmed for South Africa, order books for the Defender OCTA will soon open with pricing from R3 499 100.
Additional information from drive.com.au.
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