Extreme twin-turbo v8 defender flagship to launch octa branding

Anew hardcore, V8-powered version of the Land Rover Defender is inbound as the first in a line of top-flight flagships branded Octa.

Previously thought to carry the long-dormant SVX tag, the new off-roader has been spotted testing several times but only now – a few months before its debut – has the firm given the first official details of the new model.

It will be the first car to wear the new Octa badge, which, says JLR, will be used for all future range-topping Defender models. The name is said to come from the octahedron shape of a diamond – the hardest naturally occurring mineral on Earth – a reflection, no doubt, of both the car’s rugged durability and its price.

Technical details remain largely under wraps, but JLR has confirmed the new variant will have a twin-turbocharged V8 in place of the supercharged AJ unit used by the existing eight-cylinder Defender models.

It is likely to be the 4.4-litre BMW-sourced unit that is also fitted to various Range Rover models, including the Sport SV. In that car, it puts out 626bhp and 590lb ft and propels the 2.5-tonne SUV to 62mph in just 3.8sec.

Using the BMW unit would suggest that the long-running AJ V8 is not long for this world. Autocar previously reported that AJ production ended last year and that JLR retained a stockpile of supercharged 5.0-litre units. How many of those remain is unclear, but the AJ is currently offered in just three cars: the Defender V8, the Jaguar F-Pace SVR and the final Jaguar F-Types. Production of the F-Type ends for good this June.

JLR has also revealed that the Octa will use the same 6D Dynamic suspension system as the Range Rover Sport SV. This set-up hydraulically links the dampers front to rear as well as side to side, providing active control over the car’s pitch and roll without a physical anti-roll bar. That should help to provide the level of wheel articulation required by a hardcore offroader like the Octa without compromising on-road drivability or comfort.

To that end, JLR said it is testing the car in the “most exhaustive” range of conditions of any of its cars to date – “from the snow and ice of Sweden to Dubai desert, Nürburgring Tarmac and Moab rock crawls”.

Images published by the firm reveal that the Octa receives a bespoke set of Brembo brakes, suggest