Is This Simply the Best Land Rover Defender Ever?

Start with the fact that the 2025 Defender OCTA is the fastest and most powerful of the breed, and signs point to yes.

Published December 22, 2024

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The Defender OCTA arrived this year as a bold statement in the frothy realm of luxury off-road performance vehicles.

More than just ambitious engineering, this isn’t just another special edition Defender; it’s the ultimate expression of Land Rover’s adventurous heritage with a healthy dollop of hooliganism. After all, the man behind the OCTA was responsible for the Ford Raptor.

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2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA

$152,000 at Defender

Powered by a 626-horsepower twin-turbocharged V8 (two snorkels!) paired with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, the OCTA, which demarcates high-spec versions of Defenders, is an audacious interpretation of the popular new Defender.

Sixty mph comes in just under four seconds. Its capabilities were developed and stress tested across the globe, including — listen up, enthusiasts — the Nurburgring race track.

The OCTA offers a sense of occasion without losing the plot. It marks a moment for Land Rover to express its chops in luxury, performance and capability — and flash some muscle.

Further distinguishing the OCTA from other performance SUVs is its holistic approach to off-road.

Power, factory-equipped all-terrain tires, and an adaptive air suspension offering up to 11.5 inches of ground clearance are combined with a new “6D Dynamics” suspension first seen in the SV Range Rover Sport, which uses clever engineering and tech to communicate and react to imperfections before you even realize they’re present. It’s your very own off-road precog Agatha.

land rover defender octa side — Nearly a foot of ground clearance lets you take on any terrain, even if you’re just driving to soccer practice.

The Defender OCTA offers a sense of occasion without losing the plot. It marks a moment for Land Rover to express its chops in luxury, performance and capability — and flash some muscle. Those elements have all converged in the OCTA, yielding something legitimately special.

It’s a bold debut for a pinnacle line of Defenders just as the “SV” has become for Range Rover. With this move, Land Rover’s strategy of separating their two iconic nameplates into distinct sub-brands may be looking pretty wise, after all.