With everything happening in the automotive world these days, it's easy to forget that the punchiest Land Rover Defender is right around the corner.
The British automaker already announced its world premiere on July 3, and more recently, it revealed that the mighty OCTA will celebrate its dynamic debut by tackling the famous hillclimb during the Goodwood Festival of Speed that runs July 11-14.
Unlike other V8-powered JLR products, which feature a 5.0-liter supercharged power unit, the new Land Rover Defender OCTA packs a BMW-sourced eight-banger. The motor has twin turbos and a 4.4-liter displacement. The magic numbers have yet to be confirmed, but it has been reported that it might develop 617 hp (626 ps/450 kW) and 553 pound-foot (750 Nm) of torque.
Assuming that these numbers are correct, then the Defender OCTA will have an almost 100 horsepower (101 ps/75 kW) and 92 pound-foot (125 Nm) advantage over the Defender V8. In case you forgot, the latter enjoys 518 hp (525 ps/386 kW) and 461 pound-feet (626 Nm) of torque from its supercharged 5.0L V8 engine, taking 5.2s to reach 62 mph (100 kph) and tapping out at 150 mph (240 kph).
Photo: Land Rover
Thus, the OCTA will probably drop the acceleration time to around 4.5 seconds. This will make it about as fast to sixty-two mph as the Mercedes-AMG G 63, which is one of its biggest rivals in the sporty 4x4 segment. Its top speed may also be bumped a bit, perhaps electronically limiting it to 155 mph or 250 kph.
Besides the punchy motor, the Defender OCTA has a tweaked chassis setup and uprated brakes. Additional highlights include the flared front and rear wheel arches, a modified grille, and likely exclusive wheels shod in sticky tires. We hope the disc-like alloys equipping various prototypes we've seen testing these past few months will make their way to the production model, as they look great.
Its cockpit has yet to be revealed, but we expect it to pack a pair of bucket seats. The British automaker has already previewed its steering wheel, with an illuminated diamond-shaped symbol on the lower section. Other novelties might revolve around the infotainment system and digital gauge cluster, and LR might wrap it up by giving it exclusive upholstery and trim, as well as special treadplates.
In addition to the Defender OCTA, Land Rover will have a whole bunch of other rides on display at the Goodwood Festival of Speed next month. These will include the Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Velar, Range Rover Evoque, Range Rover SV Burford Edition, Range Rover Sport SV, and an original Range Rover from the 1970s. Jaguar will also showcase various models and will demonstrate its Formula E racer on the hillclimb.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News