Ultimate Land Rover Defender tested | 627bhp Defender Octa 4x4 takes on gravel, sand, rocks and ruts

There is a new range-topping, V8-powered Land Rover Defender in showrooms; but it isn't the average Porsche Cayenne rivalling fast SUV. The Defender Octa is Land Rover's modern idea of an ultimate Defender - and a car therefore intended to excel in terms of driver engagement both off the road and on it.

Using the BMW-sourced 4.4-litre turbo V8 powertrain also seen in the Range Rover Sport SV, the Octa takes road-terrain capability very seriously indeed. It has more ground clearance and wading depth, and better breakover and departure angles, than a regular Defender; active and interlinked hydraulic dampers; and is the first modern Land Rover to be available with all-terrain tyres as a factory option. But it also aspires to be more entertaining and dynamic than a standard Defender on the road, as well as considerably faster.

Matt Saunders travelled to the Cederberg mountains north of Cape Town, South Africa, to put this multi-faceted and extra-rugged 4x4 through its paces on every surface available to him.

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