2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA: We Drove on the Moon

The Defender is the best-selling member of the JLR family, and the one that has been steadily gaining in popularity for the past five years—a rare occurrence in the auto industry, where models normally lose ground as they age. Why? Because Land Rover has successfully created a distinctive-looking and uniquely capable SUV with such a strong personality that it keeps winning over buyers. What’s more, the company’s imagination knows virtually no bounds when it comes to introducing new versions and special editions.

The 2025 Defender lineup includes as many as five powertrain and three wheelbase options, plus seven different trim levels, one of which is called Outbound (Defender 130 only) and features solid panels instead of rear side windows. You can bet that more are coming.

• Also: Most Powerful Land Rover Defender Ever Arrives With 626 Hp
• Also: 2023 Land Rover Defender 130: Family-Friendly Post-Apocalyptic Warrior

The one we’ll be focusing on here is the Defender OCTA, the most powerful and most capable Defender ever built. In order to prove just how much this vehicle lives up to the manufacturer's claims, we were invited to take it for an intensive test drive in a wide range of conditions down in South Africa. All that was missing was a bit of snow.

Everything You Can Think Of

Our tester was an Edition One model sporting a satin-finish Faroe Green exterior. All units have now been sold, but another 2,000 will be available globally, offering a Charente Grey or Petra Copper body. Options are limited to wheel designs and interior colours since the Defender OCTA comes with all the bells and whistles. Naturally, you can add a ton of accessories through dealers.

Named after the octahedron shape of a rough diamond, the OCTA is aimed at discerning customers who want something exquisite but not flashy. It stands out with 28 mm (1.1 inches) of extra ground clearance, 68 mm (2.7 inches) of additional track width, a redesigned front grille and bumpers, an aluminum alloy front under shield with graphite finish and exposed Phosphor Bronze-finished front and rear recovery points.

Don’t look for special badges or ornaments other than a subtle emblem on the C-pillars. This understated SUV is designed for purists, not attention-seeking drivers. It’s the same thing inside, with only slight modifications to the cabin. The main highlight is a pair of all-new Performance Seats appointed in Burnt Sienna semi-aniline leather and Ebony Kvadrat textile trim. This is complemented by a host of top-end creature comforts such as a cooled storage compartment and massaging seats with built-in subwoofers for a multi-dimensional audio experience.

626 Horsepower

When it comes to performance, the Defender OCTA cranks things up to 626 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque thanks to a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 borrowed from BMW and shared with the Range Rover SV. This amazingly responsive engine delivers blistering acceleration and proves wonderfully flexible, too. On the other hand, one could argue that 0-100 km/h sprints in four seconds don’t matter for off-roading purposes. A big and heavy V8 can definitely upset balance and handling—just ask Jeep Wrangler 392 owners, who don’t enjoy the same level of agility or finesse that the Wrangler 4xe provides.

Of course, Defender engineers didn't just add more muscle under the hood. They also revised suspension geometry, widened the tracks by 68 mm as mentioned earlier and fitted hydraulically cross-linked semi-active dampers instead of traditional anti-roll bars. The new setup, combined with high-strength suspension components, helps stabilize the body, limit body roll and enable maximum wheel travel when required. The exceptional 40-degree approach and 42-degree departure angles almost make you feel like the vehicle could scale a wall.

The full suspension lift gives you an extra 28 mm to defeat seemingly impossible obstacles. But you know what? We were even more impressed by the suspension’s ability to deliver a comfortable and stable ride even with the apocalypse-ready Goodyear Wrangler tires. The latter, incidentally, can be swapped for BFGoodrich tires that are a bit quieter and better suited to paved roads. Otherwise, Michelin Primacy tires on 22-inch rims come standard.  

670 Km of Dirt

The driving program in South Africa took us on a 670-km trip, nearly half of which consisted of dirt roads in seriously bad shape, loose sand, mud and rocks. You could probably count on one hand the number of rivals that would have passed the test (Wrangler, Bronco and Ineos Grenadier, among others), though not with the same mastery as the Defender OCTA, obviously. The amount of power combined with the extraordinary tires and suspension made it all seem like child’s play even though it really wasn’t.

There are no fewer than eight off-road driving modes to choose from, including Sand/Rock/Snow and Gravel, which allow you to adjust throttle response, damping, power delivery, ride height and more. A performance-oriented OCTA mode, easily accessible by pressing a button at the base of the steering wheel, is also part of the mix. Then there are various on-road driving modes such as a Tow mode (maximum capacity of 8,200 lbs) and a Dynamic mode amplifying the V8's growl.

The Defender OCTA is a multi-talented SUV, so it’s hard to pinpoint the most impressive thing about it. Clearly, it’s not afraid of very loose sand, steep inclines or rough treatment. Just like an Olympian, it goes to work and performs at the highest level without ever suffering from overexertion thanks to a remarkable powertrain and extremely rigid chassis. Naturally, the OCTA burns a lot of fuel in the process, even in normal driving conditions (around 15 L/100 km).

As we drove along, the engineers were giving us instructions over a radio transmitter, mainly to ensure we selected the proper driving mode at all times. Many other vehicles offer a bunch of driving modes and you don’t really know what to do with them or when it’s actually best to use them. We figured everything out after a while—the quicker steering ratio is a blessing, too—and made the most of the incredible potential of the Defender OCTA as a result. This is an SUV that simultaneously delivers the comfort of a luxury vehicle, the muscle of a workhorse and the capability of an adventurer that doesn’t need roads or a map.

$$$$

Want to play? There’s a huge price to pay, mind you—around $215,000 including freight and PDI as well as the federal luxury tax (by comparison, a 395-horsepower, six-cylinder Defender 130 can be had for less than a hundred grand). A number of people won’t hesitate to shell out that kind of money since there is no direct alternative on the market. The Mercedes-AMG G 63 is probably the closest thing, but it comes with an even higher price and lesser skills.

If you already had a Defender in mind but decide to give the OCTA a shot, the risk of falling in love and spending like there’s no tomorrow is very real. It’s the same thing with all those Range Rovers that sell for over $250,000.