“Tough Luxury”: Our First Drive in Land Rover’s No-Expense-Spared Off-Roader

To test the new Defender OCTA, hailed as the most capable and most opulent version of the SUV ever made, our correspondent tackled rocky crags and sand dunes in South Africa

February 4, 2025 6:42 am EST
InsideHook correspondent Basem Wasef standing next to the new Land Rover Defender OCTA
Our correspondent Basem Wasef with his six-figure dune crusher.
Land Rover

My experiences with the Land Rover brand have been, almost without fail, intertwined with adventure. My first serious time in a Rover came two decades ago in Moab, a challenging drive that opened my eyes to their remarkable off-piste capabilities. I’ve since added an older-than-dirt Series IIA to my personal fleet, tacked on a fully depreciated Range Rover, and even imported a diesel-powered Defender from Italy. This all led to a startling realization in 2022 at the first annual Destination Defender cult gathering brand event: I’m one of them. Dear reader, your narrator is biased.

So it was with intense curiosity that I slid behind the wheel of the new Defender OCTA in South Africa this January. Much has changed within the JLR microverse since my early experiences with the brand. Most recently, the Range Rover, Defender and Discovery nameplates have become tidily contained within those three silos, with Defender representing the ruggedest end of the spectrum. How would the OCTA, the most powerful Defender in history, stack up through that prism?

As it stands today, the Defender lineup ranges from a humble four-cylinder short-wheelbase 90 model to a highly capable supercharged V8-powered 110, with the OCTA now the much-hyped top dog in that lineup. This new variant is also the most expensive, starting at $153,625, as its name suggests: OCTA is a reference to the octahedron shape of diamonds, with Land Rover calling the vehicle a shining example of “tough luxury.”

The new Defender OCTA in the sand dunes of South Africa
The Defender OCTA is a luxury vehicle through and through. But it’s also meant to get beat up.
Land Rover

Superlative Specs With a Price to Match

Under the hood, the OCTA packs a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 that puts out 626 horsepower and a thumping 553 lb-ft of torque. The BMW-sourced powertrain is a mild hybrid, but don’t expect to go hypermiling in this multi-ton brute: its hefty curb weight (5,950 lbs.) and hulky stance (2.7 inches wider and an inch taller than a standard Defender) reflect its single-minded off-road focus. 

But the vehicle’s new suspension is arguably more noteworthy than the engine. First seen in the 2024 Range Rover Sport SVR, the so-called 6D Dynamics setup leverages a complex hydraulic system that interlocks a network of dampers that can be individually adjusted for rebound and compression in the blink of an eye. (If the system sounds familiar, it’s because a similar version is implemented in McLaren’s ambitiously engineered supercars.) Critically, removing conventional stabilizer bars enables the OCTA to claim more wheel articulation, steeper approach angles and deeper wading depths than any Defender before it, according to the brand. 

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Superlative claims call for extraordinary tests, which led me to the wilds of South Africa for a first drive of the Defender OCTA. As the base model doesn’t look much meaner than a run-of-the-mill Defender 110 despite its flared wheel wells and wider, taller stance, I was pleased to find that my already-pricey tester was equipped with the $15,800 Edition One package. Ticking this box adds a fetching Faroe Green paint job, more aggressive wheels and forged carbon fiber trim details that add a special touch to the Defender’s otherwise industrial-chic aesthetic. 

Photos of the Land Rover Defender OCTA driving on roads in South Africa and crawling over rocky crags
Kicking up dust and crawling over rocks.
Land Rover

Taking the OCTA Off-Road

While our armada of Defender OCTAs looked impressive rolling through the tidy streets of downtown Cape Town, the real test came when we ventured off the beaten path. The gravel roads we started off on were easy enough, and our 110s cruised smoothly over small ruts and bumps — no surprise there. But soon our fleet was rock-crawling across a landscape that is best described as lunar. There are a few variables that are key to off-road capability, and the latest Defender has them all dialed in: generous approach angles and clearance (thanks to new bumpers and the removal of stabilizer bars as a result of the hydraulic suspension), suspension articulation over uneven surfaces, efficient power delivery to the wheels and appropriate tires. 

As is often the case with vehicles of this nature, the OCTA’s tires are both its off-road strength and on-road weakness. Available with either knobby all-terrain or more balanced all-season rubber (both specifically created by Goodyear for the purpose), the OCTA doesn’t get a dedicated summer tire for road-going dynamics. That said, the all-terrain Goodyears do a stupendous job of gripping onto steep rocky crags like a billy goat, cruising through muddy ruts and even digging their way out of the silty sand dunes. Land Rover says the model underwent no fewer than 13,960 development tests in spots ranging from the dunes of Dubai to frozen lakes in Sweden. While the Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack was also used, its focus was mainly to fine-tune the truck’s dynamics over the bumpy and high-speed bits. 

Automotive journalist Basem Wasef test driving the new Defender OCTA
The outside may be dirty, but Wasef was riding in comfort in the OCTA’s luxurious cabin.
Land Rover

Paired with the off-road tires and powered by the torquey V8, it feels like there’s nothing the OCTA can’t tackle exceptionally well — except pavement. At least on the adventure-ready Goodyears, the OCTA feels like a fish out of water when negotiating the asphalt jungle. Yes, it can hit 60 mph in an astounding 3.8 seconds — quicker than its archenemy, the Mercedes-AMG G 63 — but especially with the all-terrains on all fours, the OCTA doesn’t quite dig in with confidence when taking off in the launch control setting: the back tires start losing grip from the V8’s massive twist, so power diverts to the front wheels, which causes the steering wheel to tug. The all-season tires should fare better, but they were not on hand for our excursion.

The hydraulic suspension works well at managing the Defender’s heft in tight corners, and there’s an excellent balance between ride quality (smoothing out the bumps) and body control (limiting the amounts of roll and pitch). But on the flip side, there’s also a lack of steering precision that comes with those squishy off-road tires, making the OCTA feel less like a sports sedan on stilts and more like a truck.

Further to that point, the V8’s exhaust note appears to have been tuned by Herman the Recluse: this powerplant has apparently taken a vow of silence, only making itself modestly heard when reaching the upper registers of its rev range. A little burble, pop and roar would go a long way toward giving OCTA a more soulful presence. For a swollen-fendered bruiser, it sure doesn’t sound the part.

Land Rover's new high-end Defender rock crawling in South Africa
The OCTA is endlessly capable off-road (as you can see). It’s a different story on the pavement.
Land Rover

The Most Capable Defender Ever?

At the end of my multi-day journey through South Africa, the OCTA delivered grandly on its promise to get me through some epically challenging terrain but failed to make my heart skip a beat on pavement. Perhaps it’s part of the brand’s bolstered focus on staying in its off-road-focused lane. But as an unabashed Landy fan who loves many dimensions of the brand, it hurts to see the burly Defender’s on-road ability effectively cut off at the knees despite its immense terrain crossing capabilities. 

Does this big-dollar Defender live up to its go-anywhere promise? It sure does. I just wish it were more extroverted while taking the paved path to get there.

dd

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