OCTA Defender: High-performance off-road vehicle arriving in Australia

British automaker JLR is set to unveil its high-performance Defender OCTA on July 3, revealing an off-road SUV that is sure to turn heads. The Defender, now upgraded with the OCTA package, will feature a twin-turbo V8 engine, advanced air suspension, knobbly off-road tires, and large Brembo brakes.

Australia will see fewer than 100 units of the Defender OCTA in the first year, making it a limited edition release. The exact production timeline for the SUV has not been confirmed yet.

Testing for the Defender OCTA has been intense, with trials at the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the Dubai desert, and Moab, Utah’s challenging off-road trails. The anticipated engine is a BMW-built 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8, similar to the Range Rover Sport SV’s, capable of producing up to 467kW of power and 800Nm of torque on overboost.

The price for the Defender OCTA is expected to be higher than the current Defender 110 P525 V8, which starts at 4,970 in Australia. Notably, the Mercedes-AMG G 63, a direct competitor to the OCTA, is priced at 3,561 before on-road costs.

With sleek design and powerful performance, the Defender OCTA is set to make a mark in the Australian market, offering a thrilling off-road driving experience for enthusiasts.