With the OCTA in rock crawl mode, its progress up steep and sharp climbs is inexorable.Courtesy of manufacturer
There are bones on a slab of rock near the start of a gravel trail that cuts through the scrub brush. The bones are picked absolutely clean and bleached white from the South African sun. We are assured that the bones are not of human origin; assured, but not exactly filled with confidence.
Our small group is venturing across a 7,486-hectare nature reserve in the foothills of the Cederberg Mountains, some 250 kilometres north of Cape Town. Leopards roam this area and, although they are endangered, we feel a little endangered, too. None of us resemble a zebra or antelope or baboon, the predator’s more likely targets, but we are clearly encroaching on its territory.
This is the kind of thing that can happen on a Land Rover drive event. You won’t always find yourself in Africa, but you will often end up in unfamiliar surroundings tackling uncomfortable challenges.
Launched in 1948, the Land Rover Series I was initially conceived as a utility vehicle, similar in concept to the Willys Jeep that was used to great effect in the Second World War. The intent was for Land Rovers to be built for only a few years (until the post-war recovery effort took hold) and used mainly for agricultural purposes.
The Series I featured a sturdy box frame, aluminum body, four-speed manual transmission and full-time four-wheel drive, although a selectable hi-lo transfer case was available on subsequent models. Over the years, the early Land Rovers moved off the farm and went around the world, eventually becoming known as a vehicle well-suited to adventure and exploration.
My guess? The engineers who conceived of the early Land Rovers would never have been able to predict a vehicle like the Defender OCTA, nor what it might be capable of.
The Land Rover Defender Octa makes quick work on deep sand in South Africa.Mark Hacking/The Globe and Mail
First things first: the numbers. This latest Defender, a product of the Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) team at Jaguar Land Rover which starts around $175,000, is the most powerful one ever. It features a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre mild-hybrid V8 with 626 horsepower and up to 553 lb-ft of torque.
Performance figures are similarly alarming. Although the Defender is an off-road warrior, its capabilities on tarmac are eye-opening: The sprint to 100 kilometres an hour takes four seconds flat and top speed rings in at a governed 250 kilometres an hour.
But this tells just part of the story. In fact, on the roughly 700-kilometre drive north from Cape Town, west toward the Atlantic Ocean, and then back down south, we have little chance to test these capabilities. All versions of the Defender OCTA we drive are fitted with 20-inch Goodyear Wrangler all-terrain tires with a theoretical 191-km/h limit.
These tires have been chosen for one main reason: In that 700 kilometres of driving over the course of three days, maybe 25 per cent was of the paved variety. So, while the all-terrain tires felt bouncy and sounded noisy on tarmac, they worked wonders in other scenarios.
To reach the wilderness reserve, we travel along gravel and dirt roads effortlessly, passing through a small handful of villages, where we’re greeted by schoolchildren on summer break. During this stretch, we switch the Terrain Response system on the OCTA to the grass/gravel/snow setting, which is calibrated to deliver increased control on loose surfaces.
The Octa has 626 horsepower and up to 553 lb-ft of torque.Courtesy of manufacturer
These roads represent no challenge for the vehicle; we likely could’ve passed over them unperturbed in any number of the nine drive modes. The only real obstacles were the clouds of dust being kicked up by the Defender OCTA immediately ahead. Even at relatively high speeds – the posted limit on these roads is 80 kilometres an hour – the vehicle showed supreme stability.
Once we arrive safely at Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve, the driving tasks become more extreme in nature. There are, of course, the off-road trails leading past those piles of bones – more of a psychological challenge than a physical one. There are also some sections of rock climbing, areas that further emphasize the vehicle’s amazing breadth of capability.
With the OCTA in rock crawl mode, its progress up steep and sharp climbs is inexorable. The tires slip here and there, attempting to gain purchase for a moment or two, but it’s a temporary thing. In these sections, the vehicle’s raised ride height (plus 28 millimetres over a regular Defender 110) and wider track (plus 68 millimetres) come into play. As do the hydraulically interlinked suspension system, extended wheel arches, aluminum underbody protection and revised front and rear bumpers, which create better approach and departure angles.
Under the hood is a twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre mild-hybrid V8.Courtesy of manufacturer
Later, in a different section of the massive property, co-drivers jump on-board and guide us around a closed course that skirts a small body of water. Here, we’re prompted to press and hold the diamond-shaped button at the bottom of the steering wheel to select the ominous OCTA drive mode.
This mode unleashes the full potential of the V-8 engine and triggers a special off-road launch control system that ensures maximum acceleration in tricky traction conditions. The mode also enables a traction control setting with the least amount of intervention and an off-road anti-lock braking program that allows for some wheel lock to shorten braking distances.
The course includes some fast bends, significant jumps and drop-offs, and deep sand that conspires to trap the Defender OCTA in its place. None of these characteristics prove insurmountable; they do serve to underline that this SUV is engineered for serious fun.
During the event, we learn that the Defender OCTA will be the basis for a vehicle that will enter the infamous Dakar Rally starting in 2026. The rally-ready OCTA will compete in Group T2, a class for production-based 4x4 vehicles, which already includes the likes of the Nissan Pathfinder and Toyota Land Cruiser.
To prove that there’s not much work left to prepare the Land Rover for the notoriously gruelling event, our final challenge sees us tackle a sea of sand. The location is the Dunes, a former lake some 10 kilometres from Lambert’s Bay on the Atlantic that’s run dry. It’s now a 250-hectare playground for off-road vehicles.
The deep sand on the drive was no match for the Octa.Courtesy of manufacturer
Our preparation for this challenge is relatively straightforward. First, the Land Rover technicians drop the tires pressures by 20 psi to ensure there’s better traction available in the loose sand. Second, we select the sand drive mode.
At various points along this closed course, it seems as if we’re certain to get stuck. With the OCTA sliding sideways around a tight corner, wheels spinning madly and kicking up great plumes of sand, it feels like we’re digging ourselves into some serious trouble. But no: The resolute unstoppability of the all-wheel-drive system keeps the OCTA moving forward.
The under-inflated tires scrabble for traction, the steering wheel goes light to the touch and the twin-turbocharged V8 howls like an animal on the hunt. But the Land Rover just keeps on going. It’s remorseless in the extreme – and this remorselessness is incredibly appealing.
If a luxury ride with a hard-earned reputation as a genuine utility vehicle and unsurpassed off-road capability sounds like your cup of tea, then the Land Rover Defender OCTA should be high on your wish list. You may not need it to scale rock walls, vault over sand dunes or evade speeding leopards, but it’s nice to know the OCTA can do the job if called upon.
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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