JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover) is no stranger to high-performance SUVs with beefy engines, and its next will be a hardcore Defender that will introduce the new performance sub-brand OCTA.
Previously thought to be called the Defender SVX, the Defender OCTA has already been spotted testing in prototype form and is due for a debut later this year. The timing points to the vehicle reaching the U.S. as a 2025 model, assuming it's offered here.
Teaser photos released by JLR on Tuesday hint at some of the upgrades planned for the Defender OCTA, and also indicate the origins of the OCTA name. The teasers show the vehicle will feature diamond graphics inside out, and certain diamond shapes in geometry are known as octahedrons. Presumably, JLR wants to signify that the Defender OCTA is tough like a diamond, the hardest naturally forming material on Earth.
JLR is short on details for the Defender OCTA but said the vehicle will come with a twin-turbocharged V-8 and its 6D Dynamics suspension. Both features are found in the related Range Rover Sport SV, which generates 626 hp from a BMW-sourced twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V-8.
2024 Range Rover Sport SV
The 6D Dynamics suspension is a combination of hydraulic interlinked dampers, height-adjustable air springs, and pitch control, which according to JLR can keep the vehicle's body at an almost level stance during hard cornering, or when traversing rough terrain at speed. That's impressive considering the system also eliminates the need for conventional anti-roll bars.
The teasers also show Brembo brake calipers will be used on the Defender OCTA.
Prototypes spotted in the wild were seen with a titanium exhaust with quad tips, along with widened wheel arches, a raised suspension, mud flaps, and BFGoodrich all-terrain tires. The tires were wrapped around 20-inch wheels and measured 275/60 front and rear.
JLR said the Defender OCTA will serve as the flagship for the latest Defender, and that the same diamond graphics will appear on “all future flagship Defender models,” perhaps hinting at an expanded Defender lineup.
