Land Rover Defender OCTA Goes After G-Wagen Buyers

Big Box Luxury does not refer to a high-end stereo bought at Best Buy. It refers to boxy luxury and super-luxury SUVs.

Up to now, the titleholder for buyers who like their right angles has long been the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. But Land Rover is going after the hedge-fund and oil-family G-Wagen customers with the 2025 Land Rover Defender OCTA, the model line’s new top-of-the-line trim that features a new engine, off-roading enhancements, slicker bits and baubles and a starting price of $153,475.

That’s quite a walk from the Defender’s starting price of $56,400 for the 2024 model.

The engine is a twin-turbo 4.4L V-8 sourced from BMW (BMW owned The Rover Group including Land Rover from 1994 to 2000) that produces 626 hp and 553 lb.-ft. (750 Nm) of torque. Range Rover already uses this engine in other models, and it is considered far superior to the supercharged 5.0L V-8 previously offered in the Defender. An 8-speed automatic transmission is standard, and Land Rover claims the 0-60 mph (97 km/h) time is 3.8 seconds.

There are several enhancements meant to beef up the Defender’s off-road bona fides to justify the higher sticker: 1.1 ins. (28 mm) of extra ground clearance and 2.7 ins. (69 mm) wider track; 20- to 22-in. tires/wheels; bigger front brakes. An “OCTA” drive mode is added, providing an additional level of off-road tuning.

The OCTA will debut at the U.K.’s Goodwood Festival of Speed this month.

Land Rover, which is paired with Jaguar brand and owned by Indian conglomerate Tata Motors, has low, but profitable, volume expectations at 300 units planned for the 2025 model year. Early buyers have the privilege of paying even more if they sign up in a hurry for a handful of Edition One trim units, which has an exclusive green (the color of money) interior upholstery, carbon trim and 20-in. wheels, all for $169,275.

The OCTA name, incidentally, refers to the octahedron shape of a diamond.