Originally a body-on-frame 4x4, the Defender became a unibody in 2019 for the 2020 model year. Still hugely capable off the beaten path, the best-selling Landie of 2023 will get a twin-turbocharged V8 and trick suspension this year. Land Rover calls the newcomer OCTA, which isn't an acronym.
Rather, OCTA stands for a diamond's octahedron shape. Land Rover says the OCTA name reflects the sport utility vehicle's luxury credentials, which is kind of curious because Range Rover is Land Rover's luxury arm. Previously dubbed Defender SVX, the Defender OCTA has been recently spied lapping the Nurburgring Nordschleife.
A high-riding SUV with all-terrain rubber going fast on a 12.944-mile circuit is like a bull in a china shop. However, there is reason in this insanity, that reason being the 6D Dynamics hydraulic interlinked suspension system. Similar to the Range Rover Sport SV, the suspension enables a near-level stance during on-road cornering, acceleration, and braking. It also maximizes articulation and wheel travel across uneven terrain off the beaten path.
From a visual standpoint, it's hard to miss the muscled-up fender flares and the rectangular exhaust finishers of the camouflaged prototype. By comparison, the overly expensive Defender 110 Carpathian Edition with Jaguar Land Rover's 5.0-liter supercharged V8 features four round outlets.
The Defender OCTA hides a twin-turbo V8 with mild-hybrid assistance under its hood. Jaguar Land Rover offers a 4.4-liter unit in the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, but rather than JLR, said engine is manufactured by German automaker BMW.
Photo: Baldauf
Replacing the N63-based S63, the S68 engine rolled out in 2022 in the X7 M60i. Its punchiest application to date is the BMW X7 M60i-based Alpina XB7, which packs 631 horsepower at 5,600 to 6,500 revolutions per minute and 640 pound-feet (868 Nm) from 1,800 all the way to 5,600 rpm.
The Discovery OCTA is more likely to develop the 626 horsepower and 553 pound-feet (750 Nm) of the Range Rover Sport SV, which uses the ZF-supplied 8HP torque-converter automatic. With the Defender getting BMW's newest twin-turbo V8, it's pretty obvious that Jaguar Land Rover will stop making the AJ-V8 Gen III 5.0 we know and love.
The direct-injected eighter was introduced in 2009, and said V8 also spawned a rather curious V6. More specifically, Jaguar Land Rover blanked two cylinder bores and reduced the bore sizes on the remaining cylinders in order to save money. The heir apparent of the supercharged V6 is the JLR-developed Ingenium twin-turbocharged inline-six.
To be revealed later this year, the Defender OCTA is most certainly going way more than the Defender 110 Carpathian Edition V8. At press time, the latter starts at $118,600 (sans destination charge) in the United States market. Land Rover advertises the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 as the P525, with P standing for petrol and 525 for metric ponies. In old money, that would be 518 mechanical horsepower.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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