Perched atop an undisclosed building in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with the Manhattan skyline standing tall in the distance, a select group of gathered journalists witnessed the unveiling of the new Land Rover Defender, the OCTA. Promising to be the toughest, most capable and most luxurious model in the 4×4 family, the new Defender OCTA is the brand’s new high-performance hero. Designed to look and feel good driving in the city while being more than capable off-road, the OCTA is the epitome of rugged luxury. It gets its name from this: the diamond, the hardest and yet most luxurious mineral on earth.
With the gentle breeze and growing ominous clouds in the distance of an oncoming storm, the Defender OCTA and the Defender OCTA Edition One stood tall before our eyes. With the OCTA’s new imposing stance and new design, it was hard not to be impressed. The new vehicle’s height has been raised, its stance widened, and the wheel arches extended. The bumpers have been redesigned to improve approach and departure angles, while the rugged underbody protection gives confidence when exploring rough terrain.
The interior has also been meticulously redesigned for comfort and functionality, with the brand’s new Performance Seats offering more supportive bolsters and integrated headrests for front-seat occupants. This is coupled with the Body and Soul Seat audio technology, which is available for the first time in a Defender vehicle. The Body and Soul Seat was developed with music industry experts SUBPAC and Coventry University, allowing the driver and front passenger to hear and feel the music. This combo of features is designed to immerse you in an all-encompassing sensory ride.
Under the hood, the Defender OCTA boasts a 4.4-litre Twin Turbo mild-hybrid V8 that produces 626 HP, up to 553 lb-ft of torque, and can launch from 0-100km/h in a heart-pounding 4.0 seconds. It’s power and aesthetics all wrapped up in a thrilling package. The Intelligent suspension has 6D Dynamics with pitch and roll control and a heavily reworked chassis designed to give the best performance on a wide range of surfaces and conditions. So, you can get to where you need to fast and then let loose on the backroads.
The final touch that rounds out this spectacular new offering from Defender is the two new exclusive premium metallic finishes, the Petra Copper and Faroe Green, or Carpathian Grey and Charente Grey. The Faroe Green finish and chopped carbon fibre detailing are exclusively available on Defender OCTA Edition One. All the Defender OCTA models feature a contrast roof and tailgate in gloss Narvik Black.
While this is only our first impression of the new Defender OCTA, offered to us high in the sky, you can be sure that we can’t wait to get behind the wheel and give it a thorough test drive
The post New Land Rover Defender OCTA Launches in Williamsburg: Look Inside appeared first on Sharp Magazine.
