First Drive: The Defender Octa is like a hot hatch wrapped in an SUV body

What is it?

It’s fair to say that the Defender has been a runaway success for JLR. It’s hard to travel a stretch of road for any decent amount of time without seeing one of these high-riding models out and about, and recent success in the gruelling Dakar rally shows that it can still cut the mustard on challenging terrain, too.

This car – the formidably named Octa – currently sits at the top of the Defender tree, bringing maximum performance in a package that is designed to be practical to use. Is it the best pick, or should you go for a more ‘regular’ Defender? We’ve been finding out.

What’s new?

There’s a lot that distinguishes an Octa from a standard Defender, but much of it is going on underneath the skin. Crucially, it gets snazzy 6D suspension which is hydraulically interlinked. As well as a 28mm boost in ride height over a standard Defender, this system allows the car to control its pitch and roll better, making for a more stable car overall – particularly when you’re going quickly.

Currently, you can only get the Octa in 110 specification, missing out short-wheelbase 90 and longer 130 models. However, this does mean you get a good balance of practicality without the 130’s difficult-to-park length.

What’s under the bonnet?

It’s underneath the bonnet where there’s quite a lot going on, too. You’ll find no turbodiesel here, with a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine thumping away and producing a sizeable 626bhp and 750Nm of torque. It’s sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic gearbox and at the back, you’ll find an active exhaust system to help control and boost the sound of the engine.

Performance, as you might expect, is punchy; zero to 60mph comes in just 3.8 seconds and flat-out the Octa will manage 155mph. This isn’t the best car if you’re looking for efficiency, however. We did manage to meet JLR’s claimed consumption of 21.1mpg on the motorway, but around town and off-road, things slipped as low as 13mpg.

What’s it like to drive?

While the Defender Octa may be a very large car physically, it doesn’t feel that way to drive. With the suspension keeping things level and predictable, it’s a very easy car to whisk along quickly and with great control weights, it’s one of the most entertaining SUVs around. Obviously, performance is never in short supply and the Defender Octa will surge up to the speed limit in no time at all. It’s all accompanied by a fantastic exhaust sound, too.

It even rides well, despite our car sitting on very large alloy wheels. When things get a little sticky conditions-wise, the Octa has all of the standard Defender’s off-road tech to fall back on, though we’d recommend fitting off-road or all-terrain tyres if you’re planning on heading onto the slippery stuff.

How does it look?

The Octa is an imposing thing alright, with an even beefier stance on the road than the standard Defender. You won’t find any loud-and-proud Octa badges here, however, with just subtle logos on the pillars indicating that this is something a little different. Our test car did come with the ‘chopped carbon’ pack, which brought a slightly sportier flavour overall in key areas.

You can get the Octa in a range of colours, though we’d argue that the ‘Sargasso Blue’ colour of our test model looked particularly good.

What’s it like inside?

Inside is largely the same as the regular Defender. That is to say, practical, well-made and with all the features you could want. There are deep door pockets for bottles, large central cupholders and even a handy fridge under the armrest. As with the standard Defender, there are plenty of grab handles for passengers to cling onto when you’re heading off-road. We’re also big fans of the dedicated ‘Octa’ button at the base of the steering wheel which dials everything up to 11.

The Octa also loses none of the practicality that you’d get from a standard 110, so there’s loads of space for those people sitting in the back seats. Unlike the regular 110, however, you can’t get the Octa with an optional seven-seater configuration – it’s a five-seater car only.

What’s the spec like?

Given the £148,415 price tag of our test car, you’d hope that there would be plenty of standard equipment on board the Octa. Thankfully, there’s plenty on board, including a large central infotainment system utilising JLR’s latest software. It’s smooth, quick to respond and packed with functions. However, we appreciate having chunky physical controls for the heating and ventilation, which makes adjusting these settings much easier when you’re on the move, rather than if they were located within the screen itself.

Standard equipment is plentiful elsewhere, too. You get keyless entry, a high-quality Meridian sound system and three-zone climate control, as well as illuminated metal kickplates with the Defender logo emblazoned on them. You’re not going to be left wanting for kit, that’s for sure.

Verdict

The Defender Octa is an expensive proposition – there’s no way around that. However, as an example of what this off-roader can do when truly untethered, it’s impressive. The way it handles itself dynamically surpasses belief and pushes the Defender into an area of performance that you wouldn’t expect.

When you dial it all back, however, you’re still left with a very practical and usable SUV. Just be prepared to make friends with your local petrol station operator.