Why the Land Rover Defender Octa is Worth $152,000—And Every Expletive You’ll Utter

‘Octa’ is short for octahedron, or diamond, and represents both the pinnacle of the Defender line as well as the toughness that diamonds are known for. With a heavily modified chassis system called 6D Dynamics, the goal was to deliver more comfort on the road and less jostling on the trail, to feel less pitch and roll in the cabin, and yet, offer more more wheel articulation on the off-road trail for more contact with the ground.

Octa comes with standard 20” wheels and 33” all terrain tires, though buyers can opt for larger 22” wheels for even more comfort on paved roads. 

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The power shocked me. The engine in the Land Rover Defender Octa is powerful in its own right, producing 626 HP and 553 lb.-ft. of torque from the mild hybrid twin turbo V8; it’s the most powerful in the lineup.

But then, there’s Octa mode. On the steering wheel just at the bottom is an Octa icon, a black diamond that is also seen on exterior side panels, on the grille, on the air intake snorkel and a few other places. It signifies not just the power, but the engineering that sets this Defender apart from the rest. 

And it’s how Octa mode is launched. Push it and front loads all the system’s horsepower and torque. And it’ll make you giggle — or in my case, let out a ‘holy shit’ while the driver, who hopefully knows what he’s doing, laughs (I told you, Sean thinks he’s funny).

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On our ride we climbed some pretty hearty peaks framed in  narrow trails marked by steep hills on one side and sheer drop-offs on the other. Each turn became tighter and tighter, the trail narrowing as we reached the top. The rainy turned it muddy and revealed slick rocks along the way.  

So of course we drove in comfort mode. Sean didn’t dial in any of-road modes at all. With the 9.5” ground clearance, a full inch more than standard Defender models, we were able to clear rocks, roots and large divots. The new Octa suspension easily handled the climb and the uneven ground; there were other Defenders on the trail that moved more slowly than we did; we could see the difference. 

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At the top of the rise we came to a clearing and another narrow trail that scaled another higher peak. Sean paused at the bottom of the rise and explained that Octa mode is designed to give maximum traction, even on roads littered with small rocks and large gravel. 

And then he pushed the Octa button, floored the accelerator and we catapulted up the hill. That might have been when I let out an expletive or two. I was just glad he knew what he was doing and that the Defender held its grip on the trail. 

The mission of Octa’s suspension, large wheels and new seats is to deliver a comfortable experience no matter where you are— on paved roads or challenging trails, and it did. I can imagine how it will be even more comfortable on city streets and highways, even though we didn’t get to try it out. We were off-road only for this experience. 

Part of the comfort came from Land Rover’s new Body and Soul seats; in our case, they were leatherette covered but can also be ordered in leather. The idea behind these seats is that they cushion you from the road and anything it throws your way, further adding to the comfort no matter what road you’re on. 

The seats also have built in speakers for listening to music or phone calls, an idea I really like. 

I can imagine drivers taking the Octa on some of the most challenging trails, perhaps in places like Moab, where crawling across rock faces is the goal. Or driving through creeks and riverbeds to reach a remote camp. In those instances, comfort or dynamic, which is sport mode, will give way to Land Rover’s off road modes: sand, mud and ruts, grass and gravel, snow and rock crawl.

Water fording should be much more capable in the Land Rover Defender Octa, too; Land Rover says it can plow through 3’4” of water thanks to the higher clearance and extra underbody protection; the Octa carries more than the standard Land Rover Defender. 

Of course, every diamond deserves a special setting, and the Octa Edition One, priced at $167,800 doesn’t disappoint. While our test model carried an Octa-themed wrap, buyers will have a choice of paint colors. Unique to Edition One is the Faroe Green paint and interior trim made of chopped carbon fiber, which really looks more like a melange of carbon rather than a cut material.  

All buyers will find the unique front grille, the air intake snorkel and Octa icons throughout. 

I was sort of surprised at the rigor of our first drive in the Land Rover Defender Octa. It was far more challenging than I expected, and clearly, Octa mode was a surprise. 

Though Sean made it look easy, which is part of this car’s mystique; it’s quite capable and in experienced hands, can probably do anything. 

Learning to really drive the Octa and take advantage of all it can do without sending it careening down a ravine would be my first objective were this rolling into my driveway this month. And then I would relish the chance to put unsuspecting passengers in those Body and Soul seats and let them share a few expletives as they learn what the Octa can do, too.