The twin-turbocharged off-roader is headed for Dakar and the FIA World Rally Raid Championship starting in 2026.

Land Rover has acknowledged it’ll be challenging to electrify the current model’s architecture. The current Defender is offered with petrol, diesel, and plug-in hybrid powertrains. An all-electric version of the Range Rover is just around the corner,

Although an electric Defender is definitely in the offing, it will happen by the end of the decade on a different platform from the D7x of the current Defender

Land Rover Defender 110 is positioned between the more compact Defender 90 (which offers urban agility thanks to a smaller wheelbase), and the more spacious Defender 130, designed for those who need more space for people and cargo.

The Defender is the best-selling member of the JLR family, and the one that has been steadily gaining in popularity for the past five years—a rare occurrence in the auto industry, where models normally lose ground as they age.

I knew that the new Land Rover Defender was pretty capable off-road, and now I have to recognize that it's also a lot more comfortable than most 4x4s.

This remains largely familiar from the core Defender, and that’s a very good thing. This is still a fantastic SUV interior; chunky and industrial in its design but rendered luxurious by the hushed refinement, strong fit and finish and high-quality materials.

The Octa is a phenomenally capable 4x4, and for Land Rover to have executed it by extending the already fathoms-wide breadth of the Defender’s capability, rather than narrowing or focusing it, is a very rare and singular tribute to the talents and determination of its engineers.