Photo: Land Rover
The British automaker, under Indian patronage, seeks to deliver the best of both worlds - extreme performance on and off the beaten path with the fresh Land Rover Defender OCTA. But what are its real targets? AMGs, RSs, or XMs?
Land Rover has gone berserk with the subdivision of its model series – and if you are to trust their marketing, every nameplate is its own sub-brand. So, in America, they have the Discovery and Discover Sport kicking off at $48,900 and $60,200, respectively; the Defender 90, 110, and 130 from $56,900 to $69,700; as well as the Range Rover family: $49,900 Evoque, $61,500 Velar, $83,700 Range Rover Sport, and the flagship Range Rover from $107,900.
Anyone can easily notice that the RRs are the fully fleshed-out series with four different installments, followed by the Defenders with three and the Discovery division with just two. As it turns out, Land Rover believes there's more space in the lineups but ultimately didn't bring out a third Discovery but rather a fourth Defender – OCTA.
After countless teasers, spies, and renderings, the 2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA is finally official with 626 horsepower on tap – it's the most powerful Land Rover Defender, and it even towers above the flagship Range Rover SV P615! Obviously, dynamics aren't going to be an issue thanks to the BMW-sourced V8, a 4,4-liter twin-turbo V8 that equals the current-generation F90 BMW M5 CS, which propels the big SUV to 62 mph (100 kph) in just four seconds.
The peak performance is 626 hp (635 ps/467 kW) and 553 pound-foot (750 Nm) of torque or 590 lb-ft/800 Nm with launch control and comes in wider and lifted compared to regular Defenders – even the previous Defender V8 flagship that now has to make do with the P525 variation and 'just' 518 horsepower. There's also a 6D Dynamics with pitch and roll control intelligent suspension, reworked chassis components, an all-new OCTA mode (a performance-focused off-road mode), new Performance Seats with something called Body and Soul Seat technology, signature styling with Chopped Carbon Fiber trim.
The vehicle will debut in front of the global audience at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 11-14) and then start hunting down its competition. But what are its foes? If you think about its blend of on- and off-road credentials, the most obvious choice for a rival is the iconic Mercedes-AMG G 63. Naturally, Land Rover studied its adversary and made sure its OCTA model trumps its best calling card – the handmade V8 from AMG, which gifts it 'just' 577 horsepower and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque, making it three-tenths of a second slower from zero to 62 mph.
Obviously, Land Rover will probably look at its price, too – the Mercedes-AMG G 63 retails in America from $183k. The Brits would be wise to bring the massive Defender OCTA to America and gift it with more power and a lower price than the G 63. If they start from around $170k, this Defender OCTA could soon become the darling of the aftermarket realm – just like the mighty AMG SUV. Speaking of America, we could also envision its on- and off-road credentials as something that could go down in a dune-bashing and rock-crawling session with the Ford Raptor series.
However, the $80,580 Ford Bronco Raptor might be just the right size for the mid-size Defender 110 but also way too cheap ($80,580) and severely underpowered as its Baja Mode makes the EcoBoost V6 churn out a maximum of 'just' 418 horsepower. Moving on, there is a number of road-oriented super-SUVs that could fight it – including the 657-hp Lamborghini Urus S or Performante if you want something edgy instead of blocky. The newly announced Audi RS Q8 Performance is an even better fitment – Audi's most powerful SUV ever boasts 632 horsepower and runs from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds.
Hands down, the 2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA would sanely beat any of them – either the Urus or RS Q8 – with its eyes closed and a hand tied around the back in terms of off-road credentials if it were a human and not a machine. But a machine it is, and so we move on to yet another unlikely contender – Aston Martin's DBX707. This one's more powerful, nimbler around the road course, and also quite a bit more luxurious – so it's not such a great fit after all. Well, that doesn't leave us with many options – a Lexus GX 550 may be just as capable out in the grassy or sandy field, but it's also way underpowered and much cheaper. Also, the BMW XM is an interesting proposal - plug-in hybrid like the new Urus SE but with a very odd design and 644 electrified ponies.
In the end, that settles it – the Mercedes-AMG G 63 will be Land Rover Defender OCTA's biggest rival. Unless you think that the all-electric sector has an answer for it. As it turns out, the Rivian R1S would be a perfect foe if customers don't mind that it needs to be plugged into an outlet rather than fed gasoline. The Rivian R1S Adventure Dual Max (dual motor with max battery pack) would be perfect for a direct brawl as it churns out a combined output of 665 horsepower and an estimated 3.4 seconds to 60 mph while the range is of no less than 410 miles on a single charge. In fact, you wouldn't even need the new Ascend Tri Max (850 hp) or Ascend Quad Max (1,025 hp); they're both overkill. Plus, the price is a killer – it starts from $89,900.
[YOTUBE=https://youtu.be/wsYVOY2pi0w]
Anyone can easily notice that the RRs are the fully fleshed-out series with four different installments, followed by the Defenders with three and the Discovery division with just two. As it turns out, Land Rover believes there's more space in the lineups but ultimately didn't bring out a third Discovery but rather a fourth Defender – OCTA.
After countless teasers, spies, and renderings, the 2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA is finally official with 626 horsepower on tap – it's the most powerful Land Rover Defender, and it even towers above the flagship Range Rover SV P615! Obviously, dynamics aren't going to be an issue thanks to the BMW-sourced V8, a 4,4-liter twin-turbo V8 that equals the current-generation F90 BMW M5 CS, which propels the big SUV to 62 mph (100 kph) in just four seconds.
The peak performance is 626 hp (635 ps/467 kW) and 553 pound-foot (750 Nm) of torque or 590 lb-ft/800 Nm with launch control and comes in wider and lifted compared to regular Defenders – even the previous Defender V8 flagship that now has to make do with the P525 variation and 'just' 518 horsepower. There's also a 6D Dynamics with pitch and roll control intelligent suspension, reworked chassis components, an all-new OCTA mode (a performance-focused off-road mode), new Performance Seats with something called Body and Soul Seat technology, signature styling with Chopped Carbon Fiber trim.
The vehicle will debut in front of the global audience at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (July 11-14) and then start hunting down its competition. But what are its foes? If you think about its blend of on- and off-road credentials, the most obvious choice for a rival is the iconic Mercedes-AMG G 63. Naturally, Land Rover studied its adversary and made sure its OCTA model trumps its best calling card – the handmade V8 from AMG, which gifts it 'just' 577 horsepower and 627 lb-ft (850 Nm) of torque, making it three-tenths of a second slower from zero to 62 mph.
Obviously, Land Rover will probably look at its price, too – the Mercedes-AMG G 63 retails in America from $183k. The Brits would be wise to bring the massive Defender OCTA to America and gift it with more power and a lower price than the G 63. If they start from around $170k, this Defender OCTA could soon become the darling of the aftermarket realm – just like the mighty AMG SUV. Speaking of America, we could also envision its on- and off-road credentials as something that could go down in a dune-bashing and rock-crawling session with the Ford Raptor series.
However, the $80,580 Ford Bronco Raptor might be just the right size for the mid-size Defender 110 but also way too cheap ($80,580) and severely underpowered as its Baja Mode makes the EcoBoost V6 churn out a maximum of 'just' 418 horsepower. Moving on, there is a number of road-oriented super-SUVs that could fight it – including the 657-hp Lamborghini Urus S or Performante if you want something edgy instead of blocky. The newly announced Audi RS Q8 Performance is an even better fitment – Audi's most powerful SUV ever boasts 632 horsepower and runs from 0 to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds.
Hands down, the 2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA would sanely beat any of them – either the Urus or RS Q8 – with its eyes closed and a hand tied around the back in terms of off-road credentials if it were a human and not a machine. But a machine it is, and so we move on to yet another unlikely contender – Aston Martin's DBX707. This one's more powerful, nimbler around the road course, and also quite a bit more luxurious – so it's not such a great fit after all. Well, that doesn't leave us with many options – a Lexus GX 550 may be just as capable out in the grassy or sandy field, but it's also way underpowered and much cheaper. Also, the BMW XM is an interesting proposal - plug-in hybrid like the new Urus SE but with a very odd design and 644 electrified ponies.
In the end, that settles it – the Mercedes-AMG G 63 will be Land Rover Defender OCTA's biggest rival. Unless you think that the all-electric sector has an answer for it. As it turns out, the Rivian R1S would be a perfect foe if customers don't mind that it needs to be plugged into an outlet rather than fed gasoline. The Rivian R1S Adventure Dual Max (dual motor with max battery pack) would be perfect for a direct brawl as it churns out a combined output of 665 horsepower and an estimated 3.4 seconds to 60 mph while the range is of no less than 410 miles on a single charge. In fact, you wouldn't even need the new Ascend Tri Max (850 hp) or Ascend Quad Max (1,025 hp); they're both overkill. Plus, the price is a killer – it starts from $89,900.
[YOTUBE=https://youtu.be/wsYVOY2pi0w]
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