The most powerful Land Rover Defender yet is heading for South Africa. After making its public debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England last month, the Defender Octa is set to the rolled out locally in the first quarter of next year. The name Octa is derived from the octahedron shape of a diamond and therefore every models features a new encircled diamond graphic, including a gloss black diamond within a machined and sandblasted titanium disc on each Signature Graphic panel.
The beastly Defender Octa swops out the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 that serves on the current Defender V8 in favour of the 48-volt mild-hybrid 4.4-litre twin turbo V8 petrol engine sourced from BMW that also serves on the Range Rover.
The engine, which is mated to eight-speed automatic transmission, produces a staggering 467kW of power and 750Nm of torque . That is an uptake of 81kW/125Nm from the Defender V8. Electrical assistance The mild-hybrid system adds another 25kW/175Nm in short bursts.
Launch control adds an 800Nm boost to propel the Defender Octa from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.8 seconds on its way to a top speed of 250km/h. The additional power has meant that the Defender Octa’s brakes has been updated from that of the standard version.
The Octa features a 400mm six-piston callipers in front, with the single-piston callipers at the rear measuring 365mm. While the Octa will no doubt be a menace on the tarmac, it is specifically designed to perform off the beaten track too, even featuring .