Defender 110 V8 to Octa
Discussion
Good afternoon fellow PHers,
After a lot of research and procrastination, I finally took to plunge and swapped my venerable V8 110 for an Octa. I have had it just over a week so thought I would share some thoughts on what the Octa brings over the V8 and if the additional cost to change is worth it.
I should be honest, when I collected my V8 from West London nearly three years ago, I wasn t enamoured with it. I had come from a Taycan with all its power and instant torque, and felt the V8 just didn t handle well enough for a 525hp SUV. As time passed I came to accept it was never meant to be a sports car and that when off roading it, it was in its element and able to excel. I lived in Greece with it for a few years (and had an original 90 too) and while I loved Greece, (amazing people and food), the roads are at best, unfinished . Having Land Rovers was a great choice, especially as there was also a dealer nearby. We used it to tow a small trailer of household goods out to Greece and back, and to move the dogs (there were two then), safety and comfortably across Europe. It did this without a fuss and over time really grew on me.
This is why I decided I wanted an Octa, as I had been so impressed with the car as a whole, the Octa felt like the perfect upgrade. I was interested in the Octa as soon as the news of its release was published. I received an invitation from Land Rover to view the car early at Goodwood in 2024, and was really impressed with the looks and the many, many tiny upgrades when I first saw it at the Kennels. However, after provisionally placing an order, I was immediately put off by the lack of colour choices. I wanted green but I couldn t have it with a brown leather interior. And the only green was the First Edition but that came with lots of carbon fibre. I didn t want carbon fibre on a Defender, so that left the non-First Edition but that was still £160k and only came in grey or brown. So after a lot of conversations with the dealer, I decided that at this price, if I couldn t get the exact spec I wanted, I would wait until a good used one became available.
And this is what has happened. Prices are finally softening, (and interestingly the prices of V8 has gone up), so when the deal made sense to me, I made the jump.
Unsurprisingly, I went for the std Octa without any carbon. I have already bought the 20 wheels to swap with the (mental) 22 wheels and am very much looking forward to them being fitted tomorrow. Sadly, the only one I saw come up with a brown interior sold in minutes, so I settled on a 6000 mile 6 month old version (with a massive discount) with a black leather interior. There are several additional bits of leather all over the car. The door cards and the seat bottoms are now leather and of course the roof is alcantara. Other additions include the body and soul seats, (which are absolutely amazing) and the the V8 twin turbo engine from the BMW M5.
The engine. I loved the V8 supercharged in the V8. It is has character and is easily tuneable to something like 650hp. Tuning aside, it s a great engine and if you are thinking of getting one, do it. I believe it s an old Ford design that has been around a long time and is extremely reliable.
Power delivery is linear and to be fair, sounds good when you push it. The only one thing I wished I had done was added an exhaust. I would have added a Quicksilver valved exhaust, but for whatever reason, I just never seemed to find the time.
The Octa sounds much deeper and is noticeably louder, (does it add sound via the speakers? I hope not, but I wonder if that is why it s louder)? It is also noticeable how much more torque you can feel. This engine is a powerhouse and makes the Octa much more than a fastish off road SUV. The back box exhaust looks significantly nicer on the Octa, far more serious, and probably adds the sound. Over all it is a genuine improvement over the V8, not that the V8 is lacking, more that the M5 engine is a bit unhinged. I love it!
The one thing I did not like about the V8 was the suspension. It is designed to be competent off road, and to be fair, it nails that brief. But drive it hard on road and to my mind the one big weakness is that it does wallow and dive. The Octa has the 6d suspension from the Range Rover SV. And It works, I mean it really works. It is now a stand out feature of the car. I read one reviewer say the Octa is the GT3 of the SUVB world. I think it s a bit of a stretch, the Aston Martin DBX is probably my favourite drivers SUV, (I very nearly went for one). But it s close, and the new engine and suspension really add an extra dimension to the car. Well done Land Rover.
It s still early days, but all in all for a car that is really significantly different car to the V8, the Octa is more than the sum of its parts. New, is it worth the £50k uplift from a V8? No, not at all. But now that prices are coming down and the used gap is closing, then yes, the upgrades and power are genuinely welcome and very much worth it to me.
After a lot of research and procrastination, I finally took to plunge and swapped my venerable V8 110 for an Octa. I have had it just over a week so thought I would share some thoughts on what the Octa brings over the V8 and if the additional cost to change is worth it.
I should be honest, when I collected my V8 from West London nearly three years ago, I wasn t enamoured with it. I had come from a Taycan with all its power and instant torque, and felt the V8 just didn t handle well enough for a 525hp SUV. As time passed I came to accept it was never meant to be a sports car and that when off roading it, it was in its element and able to excel. I lived in Greece with it for a few years (and had an original 90 too) and while I loved Greece, (amazing people and food), the roads are at best, unfinished . Having Land Rovers was a great choice, especially as there was also a dealer nearby. We used it to tow a small trailer of household goods out to Greece and back, and to move the dogs (there were two then), safety and comfortably across Europe. It did this without a fuss and over time really grew on me.
This is why I decided I wanted an Octa, as I had been so impressed with the car as a whole, the Octa felt like the perfect upgrade. I was interested in the Octa as soon as the news of its release was published. I received an invitation from Land Rover to view the car early at Goodwood in 2024, and was really impressed with the looks and the many, many tiny upgrades when I first saw it at the Kennels. However, after provisionally placing an order, I was immediately put off by the lack of colour choices. I wanted green but I couldn t have it with a brown leather interior. And the only green was the First Edition but that came with lots of carbon fibre. I didn t want carbon fibre on a Defender, so that left the non-First Edition but that was still £160k and only came in grey or brown. So after a lot of conversations with the dealer, I decided that at this price, if I couldn t get the exact spec I wanted, I would wait until a good used one became available.
And this is what has happened. Prices are finally softening, (and interestingly the prices of V8 has gone up), so when the deal made sense to me, I made the jump.
Unsurprisingly, I went for the std Octa without any carbon. I have already bought the 20 wheels to swap with the (mental) 22 wheels and am very much looking forward to them being fitted tomorrow. Sadly, the only one I saw come up with a brown interior sold in minutes, so I settled on a 6000 mile 6 month old version (with a massive discount) with a black leather interior. There are several additional bits of leather all over the car. The door cards and the seat bottoms are now leather and of course the roof is alcantara. Other additions include the body and soul seats, (which are absolutely amazing) and the the V8 twin turbo engine from the BMW M5.
The engine. I loved the V8 supercharged in the V8. It is has character and is easily tuneable to something like 650hp. Tuning aside, it s a great engine and if you are thinking of getting one, do it. I believe it s an old Ford design that has been around a long time and is extremely reliable.
Power delivery is linear and to be fair, sounds good when you push it. The only one thing I wished I had done was added an exhaust. I would have added a Quicksilver valved exhaust, but for whatever reason, I just never seemed to find the time.
The Octa sounds much deeper and is noticeably louder, (does it add sound via the speakers? I hope not, but I wonder if that is why it s louder)? It is also noticeable how much more torque you can feel. This engine is a powerhouse and makes the Octa much more than a fastish off road SUV. The back box exhaust looks significantly nicer on the Octa, far more serious, and probably adds the sound. Over all it is a genuine improvement over the V8, not that the V8 is lacking, more that the M5 engine is a bit unhinged. I love it!
The one thing I did not like about the V8 was the suspension. It is designed to be competent off road, and to be fair, it nails that brief. But drive it hard on road and to my mind the one big weakness is that it does wallow and dive. The Octa has the 6d suspension from the Range Rover SV. And It works, I mean it really works. It is now a stand out feature of the car. I read one reviewer say the Octa is the GT3 of the SUVB world. I think it s a bit of a stretch, the Aston Martin DBX is probably my favourite drivers SUV, (I very nearly went for one). But it s close, and the new engine and suspension really add an extra dimension to the car. Well done Land Rover.
It s still early days, but all in all for a car that is really significantly different car to the V8, the Octa is more than the sum of its parts. New, is it worth the £50k uplift from a V8? No, not at all. But now that prices are coming down and the used gap is closing, then yes, the upgrades and power are genuinely welcome and very much worth it to me.
Edited by findtomdotcom on Sunday 16th November 19:40
Thanks for taking the time to review this. I’ve a V8 90 and Octa upgrade crossed my mind but it would be a £70-£80k upgrade. I also like the 90.
I have the 22s and have been tempted by the Octa wheels. Can I ask your tyre setup, they don’t look like the Goodyears, more like BFG KO2/KO3 from the tread pattern?
What size tyres and how you finding the 20 vs 22.
I have the 22s and have been tempted by the Octa wheels. Can I ask your tyre setup, they don’t look like the Goodyears, more like BFG KO2/KO3 from the tread pattern?
What size tyres and how you finding the 20 vs 22.
Ed T said:
Thanks for taking the time to review this. I ve a V8 90 and Octa upgrade crossed my mind but it would be a £70-£80k upgrade. I also like the 90.
I have the 22s and have been tempted by the Octa wheels. Can I ask your tyre setup, they don t look like the Goodyears, more like BFG KO2/KO3 from the tread pattern?
What size tyres and how you finding the 20 vs 22.
Hey Ed,I have the 22s and have been tempted by the Octa wheels. Can I ask your tyre setup, they don t look like the Goodyears, more like BFG KO2/KO3 from the tread pattern?
What size tyres and how you finding the 20 vs 22.
I think if you want to upgrade you need to find a deal. V8s are really holding their money, I got an amazing trade in for mine which along with a discount on the Octa really narrowed that gap.
I recommend the Octa wheels, they are really high end and you can tell they spent some money on their manufacture. I went for BFG KO3s as I have had KO2 on a Defender before and knew they would work well. The draw back is that they are speed rated to 112mph and are quite chunky. I'm not sure if they would fit a normal V8? Also, they do add tyre noise, its not very much, but compared to how quiet the car is on normal road tyres you will notice the difference.
The 22s also have less movement (surprise) when cornering, there is less give and movement on the smaller tyre wall which is an Octa party trick. However, I am nitpicking as the smaller wheel with the larger side wall looks better and is still a great ride. I wonder if the OEM tyre (LR) is a better tyre as they probably reinforced the tyre wall for this reason, I will swap at some point. The grip and handling is fantastic in the current weather.
275/60/R20 - the Tyre calculator matched this as the best size to the 275/50/R22s
Hope that helps.
What a great thread!
I’m a Range Rover addict. On my 7th, a L460 D350 HSE.
There is something about the OCTA that makes me excited. I’m familiar with the BMW V8 having experienced it a M5 Comp. As you say it’s in a different league to the LR V8.
Would be interested to know if your experience of the softening of used OCTA prices is as per the prices shown in AT or lower?
Also, what MPG you’re getting overall.
Very interested in your updates.
I’m a Range Rover addict. On my 7th, a L460 D350 HSE.
There is something about the OCTA that makes me excited. I’m familiar with the BMW V8 having experienced it a M5 Comp. As you say it’s in a different league to the LR V8.
Would be interested to know if your experience of the softening of used OCTA prices is as per the prices shown in AT or lower?
Also, what MPG you’re getting overall.
Very interested in your updates.
findtomdotcom said:
Hey Ed,
I think if you want to upgrade you need to find a deal. V8s are really holding their money, I got an amazing trade in for mine which along with a discount on the Octa really narrowed that gap.
I recommend the Octa wheels, they are really high end and you can tell they spent some money on their manufacture. I went for BFG KO3s as I have had KO2 on a Defender before and knew they would work well. The draw back is that they are speed rated to 112mph and are quite chunky. I'm not sure if they would fit a normal V8? Also, they do add tyre noise, its not very much, but compared to how quiet the car is on normal road tyres you will notice the difference.
The 22s also have less movement (surprise) when cornering, there is less give and movement on the smaller tyre wall which is an Octa party trick. However, I am nitpicking as the smaller wheel with the larger side wall looks better and is still a great ride. I wonder if the OEM tyre (LR) is a better tyre as they probably reinforced the tyre wall for this reason, I will swap at some point. The grip and handling is fantastic in the current weather.
275/60/R20 - the Tyre calculator matched this as the best size to the 275/50/R22s
Hope that helps.
Super helpful. LR did reach out a few weeks ago asking to buy my V8 so that lines up with your experience. Interesting you’ve gone for the KO3s as of yesterday they were top of my list on some Khan wheels (low key ish Dakar / Octa look) , but I flip between a few tyre options. Great to hear you like them. The speed limit of 112mph is actually high compared to the Octa OEM Goodyears (100mph) and other AT/RT tyres. If you spec the 20inch wheels from new the Octa comes limited to 100mph (so the press brief outlined).I think if you want to upgrade you need to find a deal. V8s are really holding their money, I got an amazing trade in for mine which along with a discount on the Octa really narrowed that gap.
I recommend the Octa wheels, they are really high end and you can tell they spent some money on their manufacture. I went for BFG KO3s as I have had KO2 on a Defender before and knew they would work well. The draw back is that they are speed rated to 112mph and are quite chunky. I'm not sure if they would fit a normal V8? Also, they do add tyre noise, its not very much, but compared to how quiet the car is on normal road tyres you will notice the difference.
The 22s also have less movement (surprise) when cornering, there is less give and movement on the smaller tyre wall which is an Octa party trick. However, I am nitpicking as the smaller wheel with the larger side wall looks better and is still a great ride. I wonder if the OEM tyre (LR) is a better tyre as they probably reinforced the tyre wall for this reason, I will swap at some point. The grip and handling is fantastic in the current weather.
275/60/R20 - the Tyre calculator matched this as the best size to the 275/50/R22s
Hope that helps.
Phil. said:
What a great thread!
I m a Range Rover addict. On my 7th, a L460 D350 HSE.
There is something about the OCTA that makes me excited. I m familiar with the BMW V8 having experienced it a M5 Comp. As you say it s in a different league to the LR V8.
Would be interested to know if your experience of the softening of used OCTA prices is as per the prices shown in AT or lower?
Also, what MPG you re getting overall.
Very interested in your updates.
Me too, am now a convert to JLR...I m a Range Rover addict. On my 7th, a L460 D350 HSE.
There is something about the OCTA that makes me excited. I m familiar with the BMW V8 having experienced it a M5 Comp. As you say it s in a different league to the LR V8.
Would be interested to know if your experience of the softening of used OCTA prices is as per the prices shown in AT or lower?
Also, what MPG you re getting overall.
Very interested in your updates.
The one reason I have waited this long was the new price was just too high. I think the market is bearing that assumption out and the nearly new prices will continue to fall. I paid what I think was a trade price for mine and the trade-in against my V8 was frankly too good to turn down. Of note they sold my V8 in just a few days so again, the market seems the show that the V8 is now amazing value, espiacly compared to the Octa.
Ultimate the Octa is an actually a fantastic car, (stand fast the large gold version with carbon all over it). I think that once people try one and get the additional performance is actually quite a step up from the V8, they will remain around the £110,000 to £120,000 mark. That's my opinion but what do I know about used car prices, not a lot to be fair...
MPG, this was a nice surprise. On the way to trade the V8 I got 21MPG over the 120 miles, mostly motorway driving. On the way home, the Octa returned 28MPG on the same roads. Thats quite surprising!
Edited by findtomdotcom on Wednesday 26th November 16:20
Ed T said:
Super helpful. LR did reach out a few weeks ago asking to buy my V8 so that lines up with your experience. Interesting you ve gone for the KO3s as of yesterday they were top of my list on some Khan wheels (low key ish Dakar / Octa look) , but I flip between a few tyre options. Great to hear you like them. The speed limit of 112mph is actually high compared to the Octa OEM Goodyears (100mph) and other AT/RT tyres. If you spec the 20inch wheels from new the Octa comes limited to 100mph (so the press brief outlined).
Thanks mate, glad it helps. I am a bit geeky so I enjoyed solving the puzzle of which tyres to use etc. The KOs are S rated so whats where the speed of 112mph comes from. I would guess there is a safety margin, but I have no intention of going anywhere near that in a Defender. I do wonder if the Goodyears offer better on road handling, I guess we will wait and see.If you order the mega off-road tyres with the car from new a few things happen, JLR make sure the speed read out is correct, (as the circumference is larger) and (I have been told) hard wire the car to VMax at 100 MPH. Tyres this big will be hard to balance, (mine were), and are heavy. If you spec the less all out off-road tyres then the VMax is not electronically limited.
Again, I was expecting that to be an issue. It is very very wet in Lincolnshire right now. The roads are greasy and probably about a slippery as they can/will be. And the KO3s grip, like really grip. I took my GT3 for service yesterday and (unsurprisingly) slipped about all over the place, (cup2s)... The Octa just doesn't seem to notice at all. And yes, I have fully deployed the 600+ hp already. As I said before, if I was being really picky, the tyre walls probably flex a bit too much for my liking, (having also driven the car on the 275/50/R22s for a week). But from most driving and the added true off road grip they produce, (again already tested) they are great. I will try the Goodyears next time, if only to get a comparison.
Edited by findtomdotcom on Wednesday 26th November 10:54
Hi,
Had my Octa since September its an ex demo car came with 1500 miles and the snorkels which I wouldn't have optioned but the price was really good and everything else ticked the boxes.
I came from a Taycan 4S as well. Love the car mostly used on road and back lane tracks when taking my son fishing. You do get a niece induction sound from the snorkels with the windows down.
Had my Octa since September its an ex demo car came with 1500 miles and the snorkels which I wouldn't have optioned but the price was really good and everything else ticked the boxes.
I came from a Taycan 4S as well. Love the car mostly used on road and back lane tracks when taking my son fishing. You do get a niece induction sound from the snorkels with the windows down.
Sorry Phil, somehow I missed your question. Yes big discounts and my trade-in was the deal maker.
The ride in normal mode is really good and a massive step up from my previous V8. The 6D suspension is exceptional. Go try one, but honestly I’d be shocked if you don’t buy one.
The ride in normal mode is really good and a massive step up from my previous V8. The 6D suspension is exceptional. Go try one, but honestly I’d be shocked if you don’t buy one.
Edited by findtomdotcom on Saturday 6th December 19:12
So great week away in Europe with the Octa. 2000 miles in 5 days, quite the test. Long distance, poor weather handling, large amounts of Christmas shopping…
All joking aside, the car was flawless and drew lots of attention in Germany. It’s high speed long distance legs are impressive.
All joking aside, the car was flawless and drew lots of attention in Germany. It’s high speed long distance legs are impressive.
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