The new Land Rover Defender Octa is the most powerful and capable Defender ever

The Land Rover Defender Octa debuts as the model’s most powerful variant ever. Under the hood is a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter mild-hybrid V-8 engine making 626 horsepower and up to 590 pound-feet of torque. But there's for more to this SUV than an increase in power. Land Rover also revised the suspension and tweaked the design to take full advantage of its improved off-road capabilities.

The Octa features Land Rover’s 6D Dynamics chassis that eliminates body pitch and roll while maximizing suspension articulation for the best off-road performance. It sits 1.1 inches higher than the standard Defender with a 2.7-inch wider stance, and has longer, stronger cross arms and unique active dampers. Braking power comes from 15.7-inch front brakes with six-piston Brembo calipers, and the SUV has the fastest steering ratio of any Defender so far.

An eight-speed automatic transmission is the only gearbox, with the engine typically delivering 553 lb-ft of twist in its standard mode. Bump it into "Octa" mode, and you unlock the full 590 lb-ft. Land Rover claims the Octa can hit 60 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 155 miles per hour while wearing 22-inch light-alloy wheels and all-season tires. It can ford 3.3 feet of water, too.

Thirty-three-inch Goodyear Advance All-Terrain tires, developed specifically for the Octa, sit underneath the extended wheel arches. Redesigned bumpers improve the Defender’s approach and departure angles, and a new grille design increases airflow under the hood. Quad tailpipes with an active exhaust system stick out back. It even has front and rear recovery points and underbody protection.

Inside, the Defender Octa features new Performance seats with more support and integrated headrests, with the company offering its Body and Soul Seat audio technology on the Defender for the first time. The standard interior is Burnt Sienna semi-aniline leather with ebony Kvadrat fabric, but customers can also get a Light Cloud and Lunar or ebony leather cabin. The Octa Edition One gets two-tone khaki and ebony seat upholstery.

Every Octa has a new diamond circled graphic and contrasting Narvik Black roof and tailgate, with customers having two new exterior colors—Petra Copper and Faroe Green. They’re options alongside Carpathian Grey and Charente Grey, but Land Rover only offers the green on the Edition One model.

The special trim, only available during the Octa’s first year of production, also comes with carbon fiber details for the hood lettering, the air intake surrounds, the front seat backs, and the center console trim. It also comes with 20-inch alloy wheels and the choice of an Advanced All-Terrain tire option.

The Defender Octa, which gets its name from the diamond’s octahedral shape, will make its public debut next week at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed from July 11-14. Land Rover retailers are taking orders now for the SUV, which will have a starting price of $152,000. The Defender Octa Edition One will cost $167,800.