Land Rover Defender 110 Octa: The most powerful Defender ever breaks cover

Land Rover Defender 110 Octa: The most powerful Defender ever breaks cover

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‍Forget the Land Rover Defender 110 with its potent 5.0-litre supercharged V8 engine; what you are looking at here is the most powerful Defender ever, and it’s called the Octa.

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If you think the Defender V8 110 was brutal and capable off the beaten track, well, the Octa is poised to become an even more capable 4x4. And it’s not just a change in powertrain; a lot is going on here.

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First things first, it swaps the 5.0-litre V8 unit for a 4.4-litre twin-turbo mild-hybrid engine that gushes out 467kW and 750Nm of torque, and despite it weighing just over 2,500kg, it dashes from 0-100km/h in 4.0 seconds (1.4 seconds faster than the 110 supercharged V8 variant) before hitting the top speed at 250km/h while shifting through an 8-speed automatic transmission. 

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Underneath, Land Rover has heavily revised the chassis components with innovative technologies, including 6D Dynamics suspension, to ensure enhanced dynamic prowess. 

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While at first glance it may look like the regular Defender 110, it comes with beefed-up cosmetics such as heightened ride height, large 22-inch lightweight alloy wheels equipped with all-season tyres, a widened stance, extended wheel arches, redesigned bumpers, improved approach and departure angles, and enhanced wading depth. 

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To differentiate the Octa from other variants across the range, it features a new encircled diamond graphic, including a gloss black diamond within a machined and sandblasted titanium disc on each Signature Graphic panel.

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Land Rover says there is a Defender Octa Edition One, which is available in the first year of production and comes fitted with bespoke features including an exclusive new Faroe Green shade with a Khaki and Ebony Ultrafabrics PU and 3D Knit interior, new Chopped Carbon Fibre detailing, and 20-inch forged alloy wheels with optional all-terrain tyres.

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As for the regular Octa models, they come standard with a new Burnt Sienna semi-aniline leather and Kvadra textile trim in ebony; however, buyers can still choose Ultrafabrics PU in Light Cloud and Lunar or semi-aniline leather in ebony. These are further complemented by all-new performance seats with more supportive bolsters and integrated headrests, as well as Body and Soul Seat audio technology for the first time in the Defender. 

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The Land Rover Defender 110 has long been synonymous with robust off-road capability, and the V8 variant continues to uphold this legacy with its impressive performance. The introduction of the new Defender 110 Octa takes this to a new level, offering a luxurious and comfortable daily driving experience without compromising on power.

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Order books for the new Octa are earmarked to open soon with indicative pricing of R3,499,100. Just in case you are wondering, that is roughly R530,000 more than what Land Rover asks for its 110 V8 supercharged version.

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