2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA Test Driver Sends It at the Nurburgring

Coming courtesy of the CarSpyMedia YouTube channel, the video below kicks off with Jaguar Land Rover's test driver sending it big time. Smoking rubber while sliding through a corner at the Green Hell is one thing, but on all-terrain tires in a tall vehicle that weighs more than a small elephant is a jaw-dropping display.

Although it's hard to estimate how much the Defender OCTA weighs, we do know that it's pretty close to the Defender 110 with the soon-to-be-discontinued AJ133 supercharged V8 engine. Ford Motor Company sold Jaguar to Tata Motors in 2008, one year before the AJ133 rolled out with a displacement of 5.0 liters, direct injection, as well as continuously variable camshaft timing.

In the Defender V8, it's good for 518 horsepower and 461 pound-feet (625 Nm). The Defender 110 with said engine tips the scales at 2,678 kilograms (5,904 pounds) in left-hand-drive spec for the European market. Based on the lifted suspension, knobbier tires wrapped around 20-inch wheels, and widened arches, Defender OCTA might weigh in excess of 2,700 kilograms (5,952 pounds).

The additional weight shouldn't pose that big of a problem, though, because Defender OCTA hides a BMW-sourced V8 under the hood. The M-specific S68 engine, that is, meaning 4.4 liters, a couple of turbos, and more than 600 ponies at the crankshaft. In the Range Rover Sport SV, the German powerplant is a mild-hybrid affair that puts out 626 horses and 553 pound-feet (750 Nm) of twist.

Named after the most common shape of natural diamond crystals, Defender OCTA should also shame the AJ133-powered Defender 110 from a dig and from a rolling start. When it comes to maximum speed, chances are that Jaguar Land Rover will electronically limit the gentle giant due to its BFGoodrich all-terrain tires and sheer weight.

In the Old Continent, all Defenders equipped with the AJ133 are capped at 240 kilometers per hour or just under 150 miles per hour. Definitely capable off the beaten path, Defender OCTA will impress on the road as well, partly due to its trick suspension borrowed from the aforementioned RRS SV.

Jaguar Land Rover advertises the 6D Dynamics air suspension as being a class-leading setup, most likely referring to large unibody SUVs. Introduced by the 2024 model year Range Rover Sport SV, 6D Dynamics comprises height-adjustable air springs and hydraulic interlinked dampers. A semi-active setup devoid of anti-roll bars, the 6D Dynamics suspension also promises superlative ride quality.

Rumored to debut on July 11, the Defender OCTA is a member of the yet-to-be-detailed Defender Elements series. Previously dubbed Defender SVX, the OCTA should cost a bit more than the Defender 110 with the AJ113 supercharged V8. At press time, prices in Germany and the United States kick off at 142,000 euros and 111,500 bucks, respectively.