Getting to grips with a plate full of bonkers in the Defender OCTA
While the team at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) were still in the designing stages of the “new” Defender they were already in the planning stages of what the ultimate Defender would look like.
And while the Defender is extremely capable in its own right as we discovered again in the muddy forests outside Goodwood while attending the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England, the OCTA takes it up more than just a few notches.
At the heart of it are two vital ingredients that sets it apart from the rest of its siblings.
While almost every manufacturer, including JLR, is heading towards electrification of some sorts and in the case of Jaguar, only electric, the OCTA is having none of that except for a bit of mild hybrid.
Its beating heart is a 4.4-litre mild-hybrid twin turbo V8 petrol engine producing 467kW and 750Nm (800Nm with Dynamic Launch Mode selected) connected to an eight-speed automatic transmission with high and low range gears sending power to all four corners.
It comes standard with 20-inch rims fitted with specially designed Goodyear Duratrac all terrain tyres but on 22-inch alloys with all-season tyres will get to 100km/h from a standing start in four seconds and even out at 250km/h.
The second and crucially the biggest defining feature of the OCTA is the hydraulically-interlinked 6D Dynamics suspension technology combined with extensive hardware and geometry changes.
“Our high-performance experts have achieved the impossible with Defender OCTA, working tirelessly over the past three years to create the most capable Defender ever made – regardless of which surface it is enjoyed on. They have re-engineered components throughout the vehicle to ensure Defender OCTA is the perfect companion for epic adventures anywhere on the planet,” said Jamal Hameedi, Director of SVO, JLR.
If his name sounds familiar it should, because he was also the man behind both the Ford raptor F150 and Ranger Raptor.
The Defender OCTA sits 28mm higher and 68mm wider providing upgraded ground clearance and stability including a wading depth of one metre. The revised suspension components include longer and tougher wishbones, and unique active dampers with separate accumulators. It also features uprated 400mm front brake discs with Brembo callipers and the fastest steering ratio of any Defender to date.
Throw in an advanced network of hydraulically-interlinked continuously variable semi-active dampers that almost eliminates pitch and body roll on-road, greater wheel articulation for more extreme obstacles and you can see why they say it’s their most capable Defender.
It automatically detects which surface it is being driven on and optimises its dynamic settings accordingly unlocked via its enhanced drive modes. In addition to the default Comfort Mode, Dynamic Mode provides a performance-focused on-road experience, tuning the vehicle’s steering, throttle and suspension settings by pressing the transparent signature logo button on the steering wheel.
A long press of the same button accesses OCTA Mode and lets the games begin by accessing a dedicated off-road driving mode with a performance focus including an Off-Road Launch mode which, when combined with the lowest traction control settings (TracDSC or DSC off) also engages a unique Off-Road ABS calibration for optimum braking performance on loose surfaces.
We managed to score a seat beside one of the engineers to see how it all comes together and when you’re handed a helmet before getting into a big 4x4 SUV you know things are likely to get serious. Check out the action below:
It had been a typical few days of English summer weather with sunshine, clouds and bursts of soaking rain which provided an ideal setting to put the OCTA through its paces.
With Rock Mode engaged it made short work of a pile of wet, well… rocks as well as some muddy climbs in Mud and Ruts Mode with a transparent bonnet via ClearSight Ground View providing fantastic insight into the driving line and where to avoid potential damage.
It was a pleasant entree to the main meal of a plate full of bonkers.
The course had obviously been designed to best showcase the OCTA’s ability and from the moment it shot forward on the muddy track with a smile-inducing exhaust note it proved to be exactly that.
It looked a little like a rally track with curves, hairpins, hilly sections and the obligatory jump to give the Defender “air” as it lifted off.
The new performance seats with more supportive bolsters and integrated headrests provided ample support as we completed each loop with little to no accelerator lift from the driver.
The only lift we did get was each time we went over the jumps with the engine picking up revs and landing slightly forward on the front suspension before careering into a hairpin at full tilt.
It’s not something you would do on a daily basis, I’m sure, and definitely not in a standard Defender but it does showcase the extraordinary ability by the group of engineers to design,test and install one of the best suspension set-ups of any SUV fitted with a brute of an engine.
Land Rover has done extensive testing of the Octa with more than 13 960 additional tests over and above the usual Defender programme including high speed driving around the Nürburgring Nordschleife circuit and offroad testing in Dubai, Sweden and Utah.
Speaking to one of the engineers he said that even the normal Defender testing was upped so if say, they drive into a 150mm curb 100 times for normal testing, when it came time for the OCTA it would be a 200mm curb more than 200 times.
The Defender OCTAs that we had a drive in were pre-production models with some more tweaks expected.
“To get the final signature from the engineers takes some time, they’re extremely focussed and obsessed when it comes to sending the car to be built,” said Hameedi with a smile, “and yes, we are constantly measuring and taking data no matter where the OCTA is in its timeline.”