Land Rover Defender OCTA Powered By BMW V8 Debuts
The Land Rover Defender OCTA brings some serious power and capability to the table.
Land Rover has been introducing BMW V8 engines to their Range Rover line-up over the years and now the Defender is getting one too. The new Defender OCTA was launched today with a 4.4L Twin Turbo Mild Hybrid V8 from Munich and it’s being touted as the most extreme and powerful variant in the range. Mind you, the Defender was offered with an in-house 5.0L supercharged V8… The OCTA is based on the Defender 110, the 5-door model. No Defender 90 OCTA has been announced yet.
The Defender OCTA Performance Upgrades
While the press release doesn’t quite mention BMW, it’s pretty clear to us that this 4.4L is a version of the N63 found on the L460 and L461. In the Defender OCTA, it cranks out 635PS and 750Nm of torque, which makes the previous supercharged V8’s 525PS and 625Nm of torque look puny in comparison. In fact in Dynamic Launch Mode, the torque figure temporarily rises to 800Nm. The Defender OCTA sprints to 100km/h in just 4 seconds.
Land Rover haven’t just thrown in a new engine and called it a day. They have also revised chassis components to deal with the added performance of the powertrain. One such improvement is the new 6D Dynamics suspension, which greatly reduces body pitch and roll while still retaining maximum suspension articulation for off-road performance.
Wishbones have been strengthened and lengthened while the active dampers have been revised as well. The Defender OCTA has 28mm more ground clearance versus the standard model and is 68mm wider too. The steering ratio of the Defender OCTA is also the fastest it has ever been and stopping power is improved thanks to larger 400mm front rotors with 6-piston Brembo calipers.
There’s also a new OCTA Mode which enables an Off-Road Launch mode for more fun off the beaten path. Land Rover put this new vehicle through 13,960 additional tests to ensure it was as durable as possible.
OCTA Name & Design
You may think that the OCTA name comes from some association with its 8 cylinders but Land Rover claims that it’s actually derived from the octahedral shape of diamonds… Because diamonds are the toughest minerals on earth. To reinforce this tough image, the Defender OCTA comes with underbody protection and redesigned bumpers for better approach and departure angels.
It is also now able to wade through 1 metre of water, which is deeper than any production Defender can do. The Defender OCTA also gets a signature diamond shaped graphic which you’ll find mounted to a titanium disc on the body-coloured C-pillar panel.
Visually another way to tell the OCTA apart is by looking for the contrast roof and tailgate in gloss Narvik Black and the new rear bumper with 4 exhaust exits, plus tough underbody protection with graphite finish and exposed Phosphor Bronze-finished front and rear recovery points. There are also two new exclusive colours – Petra Copper and Faroe Green but the familiar Carpathian Grey and Charente Grey are also available. Personalisations are available and these range from mild options like matte protective film to 33″ diameter tyres with extended wheel arches.
Jaguar Land Rover Malaysia is actually open to taking orders for the Defender OCTA and here’s how you can register your interest or find out more information: either head to this link or call Land Rover Malaysia, Ara Damansara at 03-76512000.
About the Author
Subhash Nair Written work on dsf.my. @subhashtag on instagram. Autophiles Malaysia on Youtube.
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