Land Rover Defender Octa
Discussion
New car time for me. I picked this up this week after a 6 week delay thanks to the JLR cyber attack. I ordered it back in June so the overall wait hasn't been terrible. It replaces an M3 Touring that was great but felt a bit small at times. Since the Octa was announced I've loved the idea and all reviews of it are fantastic. The new Defender has grown on me since its introduction and the Octa really does seem to be a car that ticks most boxes for me.
They come pretty well loaded as standard. I chose the standard car over the Edition One as I'm not a fan of huge amounts of carbon fibre. Colour options are surprisingly limited and I went with Petra Copper. Land Rover offer factory PPF but only in satin finish. I have arranged aftermarket full PPF as I wanted to keep the gloss paint finish. There are two wheel and three tyre options for the Octa. Standard are 22" wheels with all season tyres. 20" off road wheels are available with either BFG or Goodyear all-terrains. The BFG tyres limit the top speed to 130mph and the more aggressive Goodyears limit it to 99mph. I went with BFGs as a compromise and personally think the 20" wheels suit the car much better. I've also optioned a deployable tow bar, electric side steps, integrated air compressor, expedition roof rack and ladder.
Initial impressions are positive. It feels big though after the M3. I'm looking forward to adding some miles and will be entering it in the Maroc Challenge next March.
They come pretty well loaded as standard. I chose the standard car over the Edition One as I'm not a fan of huge amounts of carbon fibre. Colour options are surprisingly limited and I went with Petra Copper. Land Rover offer factory PPF but only in satin finish. I have arranged aftermarket full PPF as I wanted to keep the gloss paint finish. There are two wheel and three tyre options for the Octa. Standard are 22" wheels with all season tyres. 20" off road wheels are available with either BFG or Goodyear all-terrains. The BFG tyres limit the top speed to 130mph and the more aggressive Goodyears limit it to 99mph. I went with BFGs as a compromise and personally think the 20" wheels suit the car much better. I've also optioned a deployable tow bar, electric side steps, integrated air compressor, expedition roof rack and ladder.
Initial impressions are positive. It feels big though after the M3. I'm looking forward to adding some miles and will be entering it in the Maroc Challenge next March.
anomaly said:
New car time for me.
I'm looking forward to adding some miles and will be entering it in the Maroc Challenge next March.
Congratulations on the new car, but taking on the Maroc Challenge sounds like a brave idea! I'm looking forward to adding some miles and will be entering it in the Maroc Challenge next March.
I hope you post about your progress like last year's two entrants did.
Thanks all.
Some impressions after a few days driving: It feels surprisingly relaxed and docile in "normal" mode, actually really comfortable and quiet. I'm still in the running in period so have been restrained so far. It certainly feels a lot less highly strung than the M3 did in normal driving. It feels big though, especially on country lanes and in car parks, I'm sure I'll get used to it!
I've removed the roof rack too and I think it looks a lot less full-on without it.
Some impressions after a few days driving: It feels surprisingly relaxed and docile in "normal" mode, actually really comfortable and quiet. I'm still in the running in period so have been restrained so far. It certainly feels a lot less highly strung than the M3 did in normal driving. It feels big though, especially on country lanes and in car parks, I'm sure I'll get used to it!
I've removed the roof rack too and I think it looks a lot less full-on without it.
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