What is being touted as the “toughest and most durable model in the Defender family,” the Defender OCTA, will be fully revealed to the public on July 3, and a select few a bit earlier. If the latest promo video indicates anything, the Defender OCTA will surely be an impressive machine. So far, we know it will have a gasoline V8 twin-turbo mild-hybrid engine and will include “6D Dynamics suspension technology.”
Land Rover promises exclusivity with the OCTA, with “under 1,000 units coming to North America in Model Year 2025.” However, that statement leaves the door open for many more in the future.
Tough Tests
Other than that, we know it has been tested around the globe in some of the world’s harshest environments over the past 3 years.
In addition to the standard Defender testing program, the company says it has put the OCTA through 13,960 additional tests. These tests included high-performance handling and durability at the Nürburgring Ring, wet asphalt at Ladoux, ice in Sweden, rally raid stages in France, sand deserts in Dubai, and Moab rock crawling. And, of course, the Defender OCTA easily conquered every trail at JLR’s Eastnor test facility in the U.K.
Defender Elements Preview Events
If you want one of these machines, you need to act very quickly, and honestly, you might already be too late. If you want one, you need to contact your local dealer and register for one of the global Defender Elements preview events.
These events are early first-person looks at the Defender OCTA, where buyers will also configure the vehicles to their tastes.
“Defender OCTA will be synonymous with mastering epic adventures in heightened luxury. That adventure starts with the Defender Elements events. Each venue and experience reflects the iconic Defender DNA in an authentic and original way and I can’t wait to welcome the first clients to begin their Defender OCTA journeys with us,” said Mark Cameron, Managing Director, Defender.
There are two Defender Elements Preview events scheduled for the U.S. The first is in NYC on May 17-19. The second is in L.A. from June 21 to 23. Other events will be held around the globe, including the U.K., Germany, Italy, Dubai, and Japan.
