The Land Rover Defender 110 Octa Is a Diamond for Rough Customers

They get the coolest vehicles as company cars, but always end up destroying them in futile attempts to beat the heroes in chases.One of their favorite models in recent years has been the Land Rover Defender, which hit the big time with an appearance in the James Bond film “No Time to Die.”Suffice it to say that things didn’t end well for it in that outing, but there’s a new version of the Defender that could give the baddies the edge the next time around.The Defender 110 Octa has been designed to do it all. The Octa name is a reference to the octahedral shape of a raw diamond and signifies that it is meant to be a very tough truck.Aside from being a few inches wider than the other Defenders, it has a low-key style that hides its impressive upgrades. The Octa was developed by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations division, which certainly sounds like something from a spy movie.The Defender 110 Octa is rated to wade through more than three feet of water. Land RoverThe project was directed by longtime Ford engineer Jamal Hameedi, who was also responsible for the original Ford F-150 Raptor pickup that kicked off the high-performance off-road truck segment 15 years ago. It’s only a coincidence that Ford owned Land Rover from 2000 to 2008.SVO started by borrowing a 626 hp turbocharged V8 from BMW, which happens to be the company that owned it before Ford. For those of you trying to keep track of the brand’s lineage, it is now part of India’s Tata Motors, but is still run out of the U.K.The engine is specially tuned for Land Rover and paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It powers a four-wheel-drive system that features center and rear locking differentials plus a two-speed transfer case with a low range to maximize its grunt on the most challenging terrain.As much fun as all of that sounds, the Octa’s secret weapon is its fully independent 6D Dynamic Suspension. It features adjustable air springs and a complex anti-roll system that allows it to perform equally well on and off the pavement.Instead of using solid anti-roll bars like many vehicles do, the shocks are connected via a series of hydraulic lines. As the vehicle leans over in a turn or while braking, the pressure applied to one shock is transferred to another through the fluid to control their compression and rebound. This prevents the tall vehicle from tipping over too much on the street, but is deactivated on rough surfaces to allow the wheels to travel up and down with less impediment. The air springs can also be used to lift the body and increase the vehicle’s ground clearance to a towering 12.7 inches. Nevertheless, the Octa comes equipped with a series of steel skid plates to protect the underbody from the largest rocks it can’t avoid.The BASS front seats are equipped with speakers that vibrate them along with the beat of the music playing on the audio system. Land RoverThe result is a luxurious vehicle that is a pleasure to drive on the highway and winding roads. Perhaps too much of a pleasure. With all of the power and poise, it is easy to find yourself going too fast, as I learned on a recent test drive. Fortunately, along with its standard radar adaptive cruise control, there is a limiter that can be set to a maximum speed and activated with a steering wheel button to keep you on the right side of the law. (Oh, wait, this is supposed to be about vehicles for bad guys. Henchmen, you can forget I mentioned that.)The Octa’s most unexpected feature may be its BASS, which is an acronym for Body And Soul Seats. The highback front buckets, which are upholstered in a grippy material called Ultrafabrics, are equipped with embedded speakers that can vibrate them to the music. It is a bit too much when turned up to the maximum setting, but I did use them all the time on Low. There is also a Wellness routine that pumps new-age music into the cabin and good vibes through the seats.I prefer rock and roll, both for music and driving the Octa. You barely have to slow down when the pavement ends and it enters its favored environment. I took it to a sand pit where I often go in burly off-road trucks, and it performed as well as any of them, better in many ways. It does dramatic powerslides, takes bumps at high speeds and crawls over technical sections with equal aplomb.When set to its highest ride height, it is rated to wade through nearly 40 inches of water without stalling. It even has a sonar system with a display on the center screen that shows how deep the vehicle is. I didn’t go full submariner, but did ford through a two-foot deep puddle left behind by a storm. An 360-degree camera system is included to help on dry land.As you might imagine, none of this comes cheaply. The Octa’s starting price is $160,150, which isn’t unusual for an SUV from a premium brand these days, but the work put into this one makes it feel worth it for more than cachet. It can even fly. At least for short distances.The air suspension system can lift the vehicle’s body to increase ground clearance. Land RoverDespite my better judgment with that price tag in mind, when I spotted a dirt jump that I’ve been over more than a few times, I couldn’t resist the urge to give it the gas. The Octa lifted all four wheels off the ground, and the suspension placed them back down just as gently as if landing on a pillow, as it kept racing along.If only I could find a bank to rob to afford one, the good guys wouldn’t have a chance.

The Land Rover Defender 110 Octa Is a Diamond for Rough Customers

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