Land Rover Defender OCTA (2025 - )

Remember the good old days when Land Rover’s Defender was simply a go-anywhere 4x4 that was easy to fix and could be adapted to suit all needs, with firefighting vehicles and the Hover Rover, complete with inflatable skirt, being just a couple of the whacky conversions.
But when the hand-built production line came to an end in 2016, the modern robot-built era for the Defender began. We may not get so many weird adaptations these days, but every so often a Defender that’s a little bit special appears and that’s just what the OCTA brings to the mix.
It’s the most-powerful, high-performance version of the Defender to date, and one of the most expensive rocking up at just shy of £160k with a few options factored in. There was a pricier OCTA Edition One model at launch, that was about £12,500 more, but this is no longer available.
And just to clarify, the OCTA name takes its inspiration from the octahedral shape of a diamond rather than being an acronym, so expect to see diamond-inspired detailing dotted around the cabin.
Land Rover bills this vehicle as ‘the extreme performance hero’ and we had the opportunity to take it for a spin.
 

Land Rover has certainly cranked up the power on the four-wheel drive Defender OCTA with a 635PS 4.4-litre Twin Turbo mild-hybrid V8 engine that’s matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission. With high and low range gears, it is the most powerful and most extreme Defender ever. And with 750Nm of torque this vehicle that weighs in at 2.5 tonnes, can shift from 0-62mph in just 4.0 seconds and onto a maximum speed that is limited to 155mph.
The Defender OCTA is an accomplished motorway cruiser and will sit happily at 70mph eating up the miles. It’s also balanced and confident when firing along twisting country lanes where the grip is exceptional with perfectly weighted steering. The paddles can be used to switch through the gears manually for added driver engagement.
There are drive modes called Comfort, Dynamic and OCTA – the latter of which can be quickly accessed by pressing a diamond-shaped button on the steering wheel. Press once and it activates the OCTA drive mode for sharper throttle responses accompanied by a louder exhaust note. But a longer press engages the OCTA off-road settings for performance-related driving on rougher terrain.
The elevated seating results in excellent all-round driver visibility and the vehicle is actually quite agile while weaving through busier village-centre traffic.
Unfortunately, our test drive was limited to the Tarmac on this occasion, but hopefully we will get to venture off-road next time round and explore that crazy pace in more depth.
 

The rugged styling of the standard Defender is bold enough, but the OCTA takes the basics and runs with it. It’s more rugged and tougher looking with an emphasis on being capable of dealing with the most challenging off-road terrain. There are revised bumper designs, and the flared wheel arches certainly make a bold statement. And the black pillars and full-sized spare on the back door certainly add to the kerb appeal.
Our test car looked gorgeous from any approach thanks to its striking Sargasso Blue paintwork complemented by a black contrast roof, privacy glass and 20-inch alloy wheels.
Climb on-board and the Defender OCTA blends luxury with durability so occupants will be at home on long motorway journeys or clambering up the side of a mountain. The seats are upholstered in premium perforated Ultrafabrics and these are powered, can be heated or cooled and even offer a massage function.
Technology is plentiful with the main focal point being a 13.1-inch Pivi Pro touchscreen sitting proudly at the centre of the dashboard. This offers access to a wealth of features, including full smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in navigation, a Meridian sound system, DAB radio, Bluetooth, a 3D surround view camera and much more besides.
Behind the steering wheel is the digital driver display showing speed and other important data, and there are two large dials next to the chunky gear lever that can be used to alter the climate settings or move through the off-road terrain settings.
 

The Defender OCTA is built for extreme workouts stretching 4,813mm in length (5,003mm with spare wheel at the rear). It is 1,995mm tall (with air suspension) and is 2,105mm wide with mirrors. The 3,023mm wheelbase makes for a spacious cabin with bundles of room for five adults to sit comfortably. 
The boot is accessed via a side-hinged rear door, which looks great especially with the full-sized spare wheel. But, it can be a hindrance if trying to access the boot with limited space behind the vehicle. 
With all seats in an upright position, there is 972 litres of storage space, increasing to 2,277 litres with the rear seats folded flat. Additionally, there are numerous convenient storage compartments throughout the cabin, including a lockable glovebox, a massive chilled central cubby bin, practical door pockets, front and rear cup holders, some trays and a large storage area beneath the centre console.
The Defender OCTA can pull a braked caravan or horsebox weighing up to 3.5 tonnes, and when ventures off road beckon, it can wade through water up to 1,000mm deep. Then with the raised air suspension activated, the ground height increases from 250mm to 323mm and this Defender has off-road approach and departure angles of 4.2 and 42.8 degrees respectively. 
 

When we get to the running costs section, it’s probably best to sit down. That because the Defender OCTA has a base price of £142,500. That’s before any optional extras are factored in, and our test car featured specialist matte protective film costing £4,500, along with 20-inch diamond turned satin dark tint wheels with satin black contrast, at a cost of £5,250, plus advanced all-terrain tyres that added £530 to the total.
So that adds up to £152,780. And that’s before we even look at the road tax. With its high carbon emissions output figure of 298g/km, owners will face a first-year tax bill of £5,690, although this drops to the standard £200 fee after 12 months.
But as the vehicle exceeds the government’s £40k Expensive Car Supplement threshold, buyers will need to find an extra £440 from years two to six.
Day-to-day running costs will not be cheap either with a WLTP-tested fuel efficiency figure of 21.4mpg, which will mean regular trips to the filling station to top up.
The vehicle, as tested, has a Benefit in Kind tax rating of 37 per cent for any business owners lucky enough to be looking, and it sits in insurance group 50, which is the most expensive.
 

The versatility of the Defender over the decades has been one of its most charming attributes. And now this OCTA technology brings one of the most extreme interpretations to the table.
The 4.4-litre twin-turbo petrol engine delivers exceptional performance figures, but the off-roading capabilities are also enhanced on this vehicle.
It feels fast, but unlike many predecessors, is both composed and refined, while it ticks all the practicality boxes too with a spacious cabin that’s packed to bursting with high-end tech.
This is certainly a statement vehicle and for that, as expected, it has a statement price-tag too. But if you have the money, it’s well worth a look.