LAND ROVER DEFENDER OCTA

It's the most powerful Defender yet powered by a 635PS, 800Nm twin turbocharged petrol engine. What's not to like?

- ABHAY VERMA

Getting behind the wheel of the Land Rover Defender Octa turned out to be a throwback to when we'd put the Defender 90 on our cover, in October 2021. Given my penchant for making eye-catching covers for TURBOCHARGED I wanted to do something wild. The timing coincided with the release of No Time To Die, Daniel Craig's last movie as James Bond. This coupled with the then-new Defender's hardcore image egged me to jump it off a ramp for our cover shot! Unlike the movie where heavily modified Defenders were being jumped, our test car was straight out of the showroom but had no trouble getting air and also landing safely. The Defender 90 thus left an indelible mark on my mind as a ridiculously capable SUV. Be it rock crawling, mud plugging or more, the Defender did it all effortlessly, while feeling supremely luxurious and comfortable. With the Octa, Land Rover has cranked it all up to 11.

In fact, Land Rover made jaws drop with the Defender Octa's spec sheet. A twin turbocharged V8 petrol engine dishing out 635PS and 750Nm (800Nm in Dynamic Launch mode) makes it the most powerful Defender, with a claimed 0-100kmph time of just 4 seconds. It also runs 6-piston Brembo brake calipers at the front, and has a water wading capacity of 1 metre! Outrageous? Or maybe, a result of Land Rover's desire to establish supremacy in the world of performance luxury SUVs, without stepping away from its roots? Or perhaps, they want to conquer the Dakar.