It’s stupid o’clock on Cape Town’s Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, and it sounds like the entire population of South Africa’s songbirds have amassed outside my hotel window. While it’s an early wake-up call by anyone’s measure, it’s necessary considering the enormity of the task that lies before me. Alongside the birds lie a fleet of matching Faroe Green-colored Land Rover Defender OCTAs — the marque’s latest and greatest iteration of the mighty Defender — and I’m responsible for driving one more than 500 miles across some of South Africa’s most challenging terrain and delivering it back in one piece. Simple.
While the Defender OCTA’s name doesn’t necessarily scream speed, given its ambition is to be the world’s fastest off-roader, it does hint at the car’s hardiness. The OCTA abbreviation is taken from the octahedral shape of a diamond, which is “the hardest and most desirable mineral on Earth,” as Land Rover reinforces.
Packing a BMW-sourced 4.4-litre twin turbo V8, the Defender OCTA has a limited top speed of 155 mph and can hit 60 mph from standing in just 3.8 seconds, which is the same as a Ferrari F50, to put things in perspective. While there are sizeable changes under the hood, thankfully, Land Rover’s engineers have paid particular attention to the underpinnings to
ensure it puts all that power to good use.
Under the subtly revised bodywork sits the OCTA’s secret sauce — its trick 6D Dynamics air suspension system. While the name refers to the six degrees of axis a rigid body can move in a 3D space, it essentially all boils down to a suspension system that can miraculously wipe out any pitch and roll under cornering, accelerating and braking, keeping the OCTA level and, more important, its occupants emotionally stirred but not shaken. It’s something I’m particularly grateful for once we step off the beautifully laid road surface leading out of Cape Town and onto the corrugated dirt tracks that lead through the Cederberg Mountains and up through the red rock of the Matjiesrivier Nature Reserve.
The OCTA rides effortlessly over the rough roads, ruts and stray rocks, laying down its power without so much as a twitch. When provoked, however, there’s a reassuring wiggle from the rear on loose gravel surfaces, but it’s nearly impossible to dislodge the Defender OCTA completely. Unlike the boisterous 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine that went before it, the new BMW-derived unit is much more grown-up in the way it delivers power, despite there being 626 hp on offer.
Much of that is to do with the clever stability control software on board but also to the optional chunky Goodyear tires, which give the OCTA incredible levels of grip on all surfaces. Aside from performance, they contribute to the OCTA’s threatening stance, particularly when twinned with the 20‑inch forged alloy wheels. Except for the upgrades in each corner, Land Rover’s styling team resisted the urge to go too far on the exterior styling, but the chopped carbon fiber trim, 28mm raised ride height, 68mm stance (wider than previous iterations) and blistered wheel arches are just enough to signal to those in the know that you’re driving something pretty special. Which is just as well, given the Edition One (limited to the first production year only) weighs in at £160,800 (approx. $199,000), while the ‘regular,’ non limited edition OCTA retails for £145,300 (approx. $179,500).
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On approach to our overnight stay at the Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve, there’s a chance to test out the OCTA’s performance credentials on the rough, rutted roads. With the touch of the translucent button towards the bottom of the steering wheel, it’s possible to toggle through the driving modes, from Comfort to Dynamic and, ultimately, OCTA mode.
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In this, the car becomes a different beast altogether when pushed to its limits. In OCTA mode, the car’s hardware and software work together to read the road, identifying rough surfaces by monitoring suspension movements and responding accordingly, meaning the Defender OCTA is always ready for the next corner or crest. The system sets up the car beautifully, priming the 6D suspension system to take the strain and move on to the next challenge within a split second. In practice, it means the OCTA defies its 5,533-lbs weight and size on impossibly narrow tracks and corners. The beating this car can take is remarkable, particularly when it can switch back into Comfort mode seamlessly and pull away like nothing ever happened. Reassuringly, the OCTA lives up to its diamond-derived name.
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With an all-too-brief overnight stay at the stunningly remote Bushmans Kloof, I’m back on the road early the following morning, heading south for Cape Town once more. Beating down more rough, smoky-red colored, iron-rich roads, I’m reminded that there’s more to our trip than just a jaunt through some of South Africa’s greatest wilderness.
Kicking off 2025 with a bang, Land Rover announced the road-going OCTA would provide the foundations of the marque’s entry into the Dakar and FIA World Rally Raid Championship in 2026. Given the race claims the egos and even lives of entrants, our time in South Africa is pretty much preseason training for the car before its race-ready sibling takes on the challenge of a lifetime.
Before then, there’s still a chance for the non-racing drivers among us to claim their own OCTA, even if it’s a good $120,000 more than its more pedestrian diesel Defender sibling. With most OCTAs destined for a manicured life on the road, the hardest thing for any owner will be resisting the urge to take off at every possible occasion.
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