2026 Land Rover Defender OCTA Review: Geländewagen Hunting

If you see a Land Rover Defender 110 wearing a badge that features a black diamond within a circle: do not race it. This is the 2026 Land Rover Defender OCTA and it is unlike any Defender that came before it.

For those unfamiliar with this trim level, OCTA is a new designation Land Rover is using to signify the ultimate versions of the brand’s SUVs. A little backstory on the name choice, OCTA is based off a diamond’s octahedron shape. Land Rover chose a diamond for representation as the manufacturer likens it to the brand’s products. Diamonds are considered the hardest naturally occurring substance on earth yet are still very elegant and luxurious. It’s an analogy that works well with the rugged, yet posh Defender.

The Defender 110 isn’t an overly large vehicle, measuring 196.9-inches (5,003 mm) in length including the attached spare tire. The width of the vehicle increases significantly as there is a 2.7-inch (68 mm) wider track that requires bulging fender flares to cover the wheels and tires. So wide has the Defender OCTA become, it requires three grille marker lights, much like a Ford F-150 Raptor.

Other exterior additions to the OCTA include bronze rear recovery hooks, one big bronze front recovery hook, graphite and phosphor bronze Defender badges, a satin black quad tip exhaust, a black rear door, and darkened taillights. Our tester came in Petra Copper Exterior Paint with a panoramic moonroof.

The heart of this beast is a BMW-sourced 4.4-liter turbocharged V8. It makes 626 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque and all the glorious, sophisticated V8 sounds one could ask for. It’s possible to change the volume of the valved exhaust, as it gets louder in Dynamic or OCTA mode, but more on that later.

Despite a hefty curb weight of 5,845-pound (2,695 kg), the Defender OCTA can still rocket from 0 to 60 mph in 3.8-seconds. The craziest part is, these numbers don’t do it justice. The sensation felt during launch control is violent and awesome. The Defender OCTA tries to lift the front tires off of the ground under launch and probably succeeds. With an off-road focused suspension and high ground clearance, the rear suspension of the SUV squats down as all 626 ponies are suddenly unleashed, pointing the front grille up to the sky.

With the standard 8-speed automatic transmission, the OCTA is limited to a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h). That transmission needs a minute to warm up on colder days, as changes for the first minute or two are slow and abrupt. Once up to temperature though, the 8-speed behaves well. It’s not the quickest or sportiest gearbox when it comes to manually induced downshifts via the illuminated paddle shifters, but this is a transmission that also needs to be robust enough for hard-core off-roading and/or towing.

Ground clearance has been brought up a few times already, which sits at 9.6-inches (250 mm) when the air suspension is in its regular mode. Lift it to the off-road setting, and clearance grows to 12.7-inches (323 mm). It has all the other goodies to tackle insane terrain as well, like a twin-speed transfer case, all-terrain progress control, terrain response 2 with dynamic programming, locking differentials, and more.

This gear is overkill on our tester though because we have the regular OCTA with the 275/45R22 all-season tires that are ill suited for even moderate off-roading. But this is the exact formula Mercedes has used for decades with the G-Class and it’s an icon of the rich and famous. Besides, Land Rover does offer a version of this vehicle, the OCTA Black, that includes rugged all-terrain tires ready to take full advantage of all that trick hardware.

What the all-season tires do is improve the SUV’s on-road behaviour. This is the best handling Defender on the market. It may not be a performance monster, but compared to other trims, it’s easily the most dynamic. The 6D Dynamics suspension, configurable drive modes (including the exclusive OCTA Mode), electronic active differential, and torque vectoring work in harmony to take a lot of the traditional SUV feel out of the Defender OCTA. We'd say it drives better than any current trim of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class as well.

Oh, and this Defender can still do heavy duty SUV things, like tow upwards of 8,200 pounds (3,500 kg), and keep it in control with advanced tow assist, and trailer stability assist.

The 6D Dynamics suspension and high ground clearance combined to give a refined, comfortable ride. It’s not the smoothest SUV on the market, but it’s well controlled considering all the off-road hardware. A downside to that high ground clearance is even when the air suspension is in its lowest setting, there’s still quite the step up to get in the vehicle.

Once inside, front and rear seat passengers have a ton of space. Those up front get 40.6 inches (1,035 mm) of headroom and 39.1-inches (993 mm) legroom. Rear seat occupants get a smidge less space, with 40.4-inches (1,025 mm) of headroom and 38.4-inches (975 mm) of legroom. Behind the seats, there’s a generous cargo hold thanks to the Defender’s boxy shape. It can hold 34.0 cubic feet (786 L) of cargo, which expands to 78.8 cubic feet (1,875 L) with rear seats folded.

Inside the Defender OCTA receives all the rich materials and quality touches one should expect at this price point. There are semi-aniline body and soul leather seats that are 14-way power adjustable up front. Leather, wood, and nicely textured trims give the cabin an upscale look. Although our tester did not feature it, there are carbon fibre upgrades available much like the Range Rover Sport SV offers.

The big question is though, does the interior of the OCTA set it apart from other higher trims of the Defender? Not overly. Granted, there are exclusive details in the OCTA that can’t be had in other versions of Land Rover’s rugged SUV, but visually, those not deeply familiar with the differences may not notice.

Keeping with the high-end persona of the OCTA, it comes equipped with all the best bits of the Defender family including a meridian sound system, digital rearview mirror, ambient lighting, 13.1-inch infotainment screen, digital driver information center, Pivi Pro, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a wireless phone charger, 3D surround camera, 360 degree parking aid, and a ton of active safety systems.

We quite like the technology inside the Defender OCTA. All the controls are laid out in an easy to find format, with plenty of hard buttons. The infotainment system is very clear, simple to use, and responsive. We had it customized and set up to our preferences in a short amount of time.

We’ve brought up the Mercedes-Benz G-Class a lot in this comparison because that really does seem to be what the OCTA is squarely aimed at, and in a lot of ways, the Land Rover bests its German competitor. But it also highlights the biggest problem with the Defender OCTA: does it look and feel special enough.

With a starting price of $155,150 for the entry level G 550, every distinct looking Mercedes-Benz G-Class is prohibitively expensive, which makes them rare and exclusive. The Land Rover Defender 110 on the other hand starts at a more attainable $66,050.

Someone shelling out over $160,000 for a road-going, off-road SUV wants it to feel special. Behind the wheel of the OCTA, mission accomplished. It truly does feel special. On the outside though, even with the changes, it looks too much like a regular Defender 110 from a distance. Nothing shouts THIS IS AN OCTA, not even the subtle badging or flared fenders.

In fact, during a dinner out, we parked the OCTA next to a brown Defender 110 with the inline-six engine and they looked too similar, considering one costs nearly the double the other. Car nerds like us can easily spot the difference, but casual observers won’t see much variance.