Land Rover has handed the Defender Octa the ‘Black’ treatment. Only a limited number of units will be available. Here’s how much it costs…
Land Rover recently revealed the Range Rover Sport SV Black. And it looks menacing. However, if you thought the British brand has reserved the ‘Black’ treatment only for the apex model in its Range Rover Sport portfolio — think again. The Coventry marque has extended this package to its off-road-performance-focused Defender, with the automaker unveiling the Defender Octa Black.
So, what does this Defender package include? Well, like the aforementioned Range Rover, it’s all in its name. As many as 30 exterior elements have received black finishes, the firm says. This includes Narvik Black paint for the bodywork; a black grille and badging; a satin black powder coat front under shield and rear scuff plates, replete with satin black recovery points; and gloss black trim for the tailpipes. Even several underbody elements, including the exhaust silencer cover, have been finished in a dark paint scheme, as is the optionally available electrically deployable towbar. The Defender Octa Black can be had with 20- or 22-inch alloy wheels, which houses gloss black brake callipers.
Among others, standard items include a 13.1-inch, touch-enabled infotainment system, which incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto screen mirroring, and a 700 W, 15-speaker Meridian surround sound system.
The Defender Octa is powered by a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8, which produces 467 kW and 750 N.m of torque, the latter available in a broad 1 800 r/min to 5 900 r/min swathe of the rev band. Twisting force is lifted to 800 N.m when activating Dynamic Launch mode. With the latter engaged, the company claims the performance-focused off-roader completes the obligatory 0-100 km/h sprint in only 4.0 seconds.
According to Mark Cameron, Managing Director of marque’s Defender product portfolio, there is no denying the Defender Octa’s presence and purpose. However, introducing the ‘Black’ treatment to this flagship Defender takes it up a notch, Cameron says.
Cameron explained why this package has been applied to the flagship Defender, saying that the brand is aware of that a vast number of Defender customers like to specify their examples with all-black finishes. And as such, the company’s designers have applied this principle to “every possible” surface of the range-topping Defender.”