After A Week With The Land Rover Defender 110 OCTA, These Features Stayed With MeAutoblogChase BierenkovenMon, September 28, 2026 at 1:07 AM UTCAdd us on GoogleAutoblog and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article.The Land Rover Defender OCTA is the brand at its most excessive. This is Land Rover's fastest, nastiest gas-powered SUV brimming with more off-road capability than any other vehicle in its lineup. Ignore the mid-$100k price tag, and it's almost perfect. A lot goes into that, but after a week with the SUV, these features stayed with me.V8 Go BrrThe OCTA's V8 makes a whopping 626 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque.Chase BierenkovenLet's get this one out of the way now. That big V8 is the start of the OCTA experience. The name alludes to it, of course, and with good reason. This is by far the most entertaining Land Rover SUV I've ever driven, largely because it feels like it has about 200 too many horsepower for what the body can handle. That's fun, and the soundtrack is pretty excellent, too. Like the Defender itself, the 626 horsepower V8 is capable of being luxurious too. It's seriously quiet when you're not on it, which is great in an SUV with an interior this plush. Of course, just a tap of the throttle wakes the whole thing up, with intake noise nearly as loud as the V8 out back. It's glorious.A Dedicated Kill Mode Button RocksChase BierenkovenView the 2 images of this gallery on the original articleAdvertisementAdvertisementMounted on the wheel is the key to unlocking the OCTA's full potential. Rather than burying the most aggressive drive mode under a bunch of submenus, Land Rover puts it front and center. I like the quick access; it makes the whole thing more of an event. The drive mode in question changes a whole bunch of stuff, but the most important thing to note is that it also slackens the traction and stability control while making the transmission response more aggressive. Read as: big skid. It's a hilariously good time to slide an SUV that weighs as much as some people's entire garage.The OCTA Fixes One Of The Defender's Biggest ProblemsFinally, some real seats.Chase BierenkovenThe OCTA isn't all about the performance. Its seats are way better than the basic Defender ones. Those are flat, nearly rounded at the edges, and I never feel very secure in them when I off-road one of these. That's different in the OCTA, which gets these sweet bolstered seats with side adjustment and much deeper bolsters on the thigh. It's a huge game-changer, and the whole driving experience is so much more confidence-inspiring with these under you. Plus, they're super comfy, heated, and ventilated.This Teeny Little Air Vent Is GreatChase BierenkovenThe OCTA is maybe too nice to put pets in the passenger seats. You still should, but if you don't, I love that this little vent is here – no doubt a carryover from the three-row 130 model. It feeds air into the cargo area, and I used to keep my dog cool after a long day of hiking. I suppose you could also use it to maybe keep some other items cool? Regardless, it's a nice touch, and so is the dial sitting opposite the vent that lets you control the airflow separately from the rest of the car's climate systems.This story was originally published by Autoblog on Sep 28, 2026, where it first appeared in the Features section. Add Autoblog as a Preferred Source by clicking here.