Driven: 2025 Land Rover Defender Octa Wants to Do It All

Go to YouTube and you’ll find videos of Land Rover test drivers hooning prototype Defenders around the Nürburgring. It’s wild to see a boxy SUV on knobby all-terrain tires squeal and slide around Germany’s famously challenging racetrack. Then again, the 2025 Land Rover Defender 110 Octa—with its 626-hp twin-turbo V-8 and sophisticated hydraulic suspension—is no mere mudder. Jamal Hameedi, Jaguar Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations director, told us that it’s the first time a hardcore off-road tire was used on the ‘Ring, and he said the runs weren’t for fast lap times, but to ensure the Octa was durable and fun.

After three years of development—including some 14,000 more tests than a standard Defender, covering everything from Château de Lastours rally stages to rock crawling in Moab and ice driving in Sweden—the Octa has locked down the durability half of the equation. But is it fun? After two days and roughly 400 miles of driving on the paved highways, gravel roads, rocky trails, and sand dunes of South Africa, it’s clear the Octa excels at everything.

Octa Ups the Ante

The Octa is an unflappable über-ute that can hustle around sweeping corners or tiptoe over treacherous terrain. It’s not as ostentatious as alternatives like the 577-hp Mercedes-AMG G63, but this Landie is more powerful and handles way better than that hot-rod haycart. Unlike the G-wagen, the Defender has a fully independent suspension, and the Octa takes that up a notch with a trick setup called 6D Dynamics, which includes height-adjustable air springs and hydraulically cross-linked adaptive dampers. Shared with the Range Rover Sport SV, the 6D setup eschews anti-roll bars, instead relying on the air springs and linked dampers to combat pitch and roll. The result is a dirt-friendly SUV that didn’t feel loosey-goosey over the road. The Octa also promises better articulation and increased suspension travel versus a standard Defender, making it easier to clamber over boulders.

Compared with the regular Defender 110—the only body style offered for this trim—the Octa has a quicker 13.7:1 steering ratio, and the front and rear tracks are both 2.7 inches wider. The additional girth required longer and stronger control arms, and Land Rover engineers dropped the outboard pickup points to lower the vehicle’s roll center. Hameedi’s team also worked with Goodyear to develop Octa-specific rubber that’s allegedly more capable than the BFGoodrich KO3. The resulting Wrangler DuraTrac all-terrain tires have a blocky tread pattern and, when mounted on the available 20-inch wheels (22s are standard), stand 33 inches tall. Hameedi told us they debated using 35s, but the fatter sidewalls couldn’t provide enough lateral stiffness.

The Octa’s flared fenders—needed to cover the additional track width—help distinguish it from the regular Defender. Other visual elements include a black-painted roof, bronze recovery hooks, and the Octa’s diamond-like logo that replaces the Land Rover badge on the body-colored side panels. Since the SUV’s waistline spills over the 80-inch mark, U.S.-spec models give off a bit of a Ford Raptor vibe with a trio of federally mandated forward-facing amber lights. The Octa’s standard ride height is 1.1 inches higher than its Defender siblings, and it offers a solid 12.7 inches of ground clearance. Its trim-specific bumpers enable a big ole approach angle of 40.2 degrees, and its 42.8-degree departure angle bests the Ford Bronco Raptor. If you take the Octa for a swim, it can wade through 39.4 inches of standing water, about two inches deeper than the Bronco can handle.

Gobs of Power, Off- and On-Road

Despite V-8s seemingly going extinct, the Defender lineup now offers two different ones. While the Defender V8 has a 518-hp supercharged 5.0-liter, the Octa has a BMW-sourced twin-turbo 4.4-liter V-8 (another piece shared with the Range Rover Sport SV). Featuring a hot-V layout, which nestles the snails in the valley between the cylinder heads, this engine makes 626 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque, though it’ll briefly hit 590 pound-feet in launch mode. For Octa duty, the V-8 also gets a 48-volt hybrid system, dry-sump lubrication, and new intake and exhaust systems, as well as extra heat shielding to manage the increased underhood temps. The Octa also has an eight-speed automatic transmission and standard four-wheel drive with a two-speed transfer case, but Land Rover beefed up the driveline to handle all that extra hustle. Equipped with the available all-season tires and 22-inch wheels, we estimate the Octa should hit 60 mph in less than four seconds, with a top speed of 155 mph on all-season tires. All-terrain tires limit its top speed to 100 mph, so make sure you’ve got the right rubber equipped before performing any heroics.

Speeding down South Africa’s divided highways, we marveled at the cabin’s quietness. Finding what faint wind and noise remains required muting the Meridian stereo, even when cruising on chunky tires at 80 mph. Despite a lower speed rating, the rubber didn’t negatively affect the Octa’s on-road behavior. Racing around sweeping high-speed corners while smacking the rev limiter was, somewhat surprisingly, a drama-free affair. The Octa felt incredibly stable despite being over 78 inches tall, a testament to its steadfast body control. Its steering was impressively communicative for an SUV that’s traditionally focused on off-roading.

On straightaways, our heavy right foot triggered a near-immediate wave of thrust—a not-so-gentle reminder that the Octa has almost as many horses as a Lamborghini Urus. We only wish this V-8 Defender were more vocal. Holding the eight-sided button at the bottom of the steering wheel activates the high-performance Octa mode and opens the exhaust baffles. It added a refined growl, but we prefer a more raucous roar from something this powerful and pricey. While we drove a European-spec model, Land Rover said U.S. variants have the same exhaust system. Bummer. At least the paddle shifters add some engagement. Gearchanges aren’t Porsche-PDK quick, but manual mode will hold gears at redline, and we thought the paddles’ illuminated edges in Octa mode were a neat touch.

To shed speed, the mightiest Defender features six-piston Brembo front calipers that pinch 15.7-inch rotors; single-pot units clamp the 14.4-inch rear discs. No matter the terrain beneath us, the pedal felt reliably firm. Even during hard braking on loose surfaces, the front end didn’t squirm nervously, nor did the nose try to bury itself in the sand. When partially or fully deactivated, the Octa’s stability-control tech offers a model-specific ABS calibration for better control.

Of course, when the Defender does hit the dirt, we found it just as confident and easy to control. During our expedition, we conquered several rocky sections in the Octa, aided by its hardcore hardware and linear throttle control. Myriad drive modes provide virtual training wheels for off-road greenhorns, but pros can still activate the front- and rear-locking differentials at their leisure. A 360-degree camera system eased the anxiety of navigating obstacles of any kind (be they parking spots or sharp rocks), while a camera-fed rearview mirror/display helped counteract our obstructed aft end. Mounted to the tailgate, the Octa’s full-size spare wheel and tire adds a rugged aesthetic and proved easy to access, but its sheer mass makes moving the side-hinged tailgate quite the workout.

What’s the Retail on One of Those?

Inside, the Octa looks like most Defenders. The dashboard has a useful built-in shelf, the digital gauges are easy to read, and the 11.4-inch Pivi Pro curved touchscreen is responsive and includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The island below the center display includes a volume knob and user-friendly controls, thankfully avoiding the touch-heavy setups in other Jaguar Land Rover products. The Octa is the only Defender with what Land Rover calls its Body and Soul front seats. These two special chairs have adjustable bolsters and built-in transducers that can create vibrations to match the sound system’s bass. Cue up Nicki Minaj’s “Super Bass” and get yourself a free massage.

The Defender 110 Octa is now available to order, and Land Rover says the first batch of deliveries will occur shortly. All you need to pick one up is some house money. The regular Octa starts at $153,625—$38,500 more than a similarly sized Defender V8. However, the beefiest Defender is also $34K below the $187,250 AMG G63. The Octa Edition One has some extra baubles and starts at $169,425, but it’s only offered for the first year of production and is already sold out. But even if you missed the Edition One boat, the standard Octa is still one of the most impressive adventure vehicles out there.

Source: Reviews - aranddriver.com