2025 Land Rover Defender Octa Aims to Be the Pinnacle of V8 Performance

The current-gen Land Rover Defender offers an outstanding balance between off-road capability and comfort. Until now, the highest-performance Defender was the Defender V8. Land Rover is now teasing a new top-of-the-line variant, the Defender Octa, due in the U.S. for the 2025 model year.

Beneath its camouflage wrap, it’s hard to tell what has changed from the Defender 110 V8. All Land Rover has revealed so far is that the Octa has been tested in extreme conditions and was developed to balance high performance and off-road agility, saying it “will offer an unparalleled breadth of capability, comfort, and composure, whether on-road or off-road.” Teaser photos on the Land Rover USA website also show a diamond-shaped Octa badge on its steering wheel and what appears to be a forged carbon fiber logo.

While Land Rover has yet to reveal its specs, they say it will have a V8 twin-turbo powertrain with a mild hybrid system. That electric motor is likely to provide some extra low-end torque. We know that the Defender 110 V8 had Land Rover’s beloved 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine and produced 518 horsepower and 461 lb-ft. of torque. The Octa is rumored to pack the same 4.4-liter V8 engine found in the Range Rover Sport SV. In that model, the engine produces 626 horses. It will also have Land Rover’s 6D Dynamics air suspension, which can also be found on the Sport SV.

Land Rover plants a public reveal of the Defender Octa on July 3, 2024. Before that, the automaker will show the Octa to prospective buyers during exclusive Defender Elements Preview events in the US, UK, Germany, Italy, Dubai, and Japan. Dates for the US events are May 17-19 in New York City and June 21-23 in Los Angeles. Fewer than 1000 Defender Octas will make their way to the U.S., so expect this to be a hard model to buy. If you’re interested in attending one of the preview events, Land Rover says to contact your local retailer.