Defender OCTA debuts offering a total of 626bhp

Land Rover has introduced a new flagship for the Defender lineup, and it comes with a total of 626bhp.

All this power comes from a 4.4-litre V8 paired with mild hybrid technology, the same as the one utilised on the Range Rover Sport SV. Alongside the ability to deliver a peak torque of 800Nm (with Dynamic Launch Mode selected) this means the new top-of-the-line Defender will sprint to 100km/h from a standstill in just 3.8 seconds. 

The Defender OCTA gets a redesigned front grille, new bumpers at the front and rear, and can be had with 33-inch diameter tyres

For some comparison, that's not too far off the century sprint time of the new BMW M5 (at 3.5 seconds), that was revealed just a few days ago, and a fair bit faster than the 5.4 second time of the Land Rover Defender 110 V8, equipped with Land Rover's 5.0-litre engine.

On the outside, this Defender OCTA has grown a new exterior to suit its newfound power as well.

This performance off-roader gets 33-inch tyres, the largest ever fitted to a production Defender, and comes with the extended wheel arches necessary to house them. These also contribute to the car's new total width, which has been raised by 68mm over other regular Defenders.

Edition One models will get special carbon detailing, while all Defender OCTA models will sport a new encircled diamond graphic - the one featured on the Signature Graphic panel comprising of a gloss black diamond within a machined and sandblasted titanium disc

Total ride height has also been raised, so the car now sits 28mm taller than other Defenders, for greater all-terrain ability, of course (more of which in a bit), while at the front, the car now gets a redesigned grille, for optimised cooling of the monstrous V8.

There's also new bumpers front and rear (note the four-exit active exhaust system here) for improved approach and departure angles, and Land Rover states that this new Defender will wade through up to one metre of water - also more than any production Defender to date.

And when you're roughing it through the tough stuff, there's also now new suspension technology to count on.

New for the cabin are Performance Seats which come with supportive bolsters and integrated headrests

Termed by Land Rover as 6D Dynamics suspension technology, the new hydraulically-interlinked system is said to offer greater wheel articulation, while setting up the car's steering, throttle and suspension settings in its performance-oriented 'Dynamic Mode' for a more focused on-road experience.

In the cabin, the Defender OCTA comes as standard with a new Burnt Sienna semi-aniline leather alongside Kvadrat textile trim in Ebony, although highly durable Ultrafabrics polyurethane options claimed to be 30% lighter than traditional leather are also available.

Also new here are Performance Seats. Available for the front row, these seats come with supportive bolsters and integrated headrests, and feature a new Body and Soul Seat audio technology developed with music industry experts SUBPAC and Coventry University. This new technology makes use of a total of four transducers, said to allow both driver and front passenger to feel on top of hearing music. The seats also offer a total of six wellness programmes.

Land Rover will be offering a Edition One Defender OCTA in the vehicle's first year of production which comes complete with an exclusive new Faroe Green paint colour with a Khaki and Ebony Ultrafabrics cabin, as well as chopped carbon fibre detailing and 20-inch forged alloy wheels.

The new Defender OCTA will make its public and dynamic debut at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed from 11 July 2024, and order books for the car are set to open soon after.