‘25 DEFENDER OCTA: HIGH-PERFORMANCE HERO

The toughest, most durable, and most powerful – ‘25 DEFENDER OCTA: HIGH-PERFORMANCE HERO – is also the most dynamically accomplished Defender ever created!

‘25 DEFENDER OCTA: HIGH-PERFORMANCE HERO

Powered by a 4.4-liter Twin Turbo mild-hybrid V8 engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission with high and low-range gears, the OCTA is the most powerful Defender ever – with 626 horsepower and up to 553 pound-feet of torque. The OCTA’s new powertrain enables 0-60 mph sprints in just 3.8 seconds. Its heavily revised chassis components with innovative technologies, including 6D Dynamics suspension, help ensure its dynamic capabilities. When fitted with 22-inch lightweight alloy wheels and all-season tires, it has a top speed of 155 mph!

The exterior of the ‘25 DEFENDER OCTA: HIGH-PERFORMANCE HERO is bolder and tougher than ever, with a distinct character. Ride height is raised, its stance widened, and wheel arches extended for incredible presence. Redesigned bumpers improve approach and departure angles, while tough underbody protection gives drivers the confidence to explore further over rough terrain. And, it will wade deeper than any production Defender vehicle before it – up to 3.3 feet of water.

The new Defender OCTA name is derived from one of the toughest and most desirable minerals on earth – a diamond – and the octahedral shape that gives their distinctive appearance and durability. This shape also inspired the new signature graphic, which denotes it as the flagship Defender vehicle – strong and resilient, yet striking, rare, and desirable. Every Defender OCTA wears a new encircled diamond graphic, including a gloss black diamond within a machined and sandblasted titanium disc on each Signature Graphic panel.

‘25 DEFENDER OCTA: HIGH-PERFORMANCE HEROThe tough luxury of the ‘25 DEFENDER OCTA: HIGH-PERFORMANCE HERO is epitomized by Defender OCTA Edition One, available in the first year of production. It features a curated specification, finished in an exclusive new Faroe Green paint color with a Khaki and Ebony UltrafabricsTM and seamless 3D Knit interior, new Chopped Carbon Fiber detailing, and 20-inch forged alloy wheels with a choice of all-terrain or optional specially developed Advanced All-Terrain Tires.

New Defender OCTA’s dynamic capabilities go beyond what any Defender vehicle has achieved before, with the introduction of hydraulically-interlinked 6D Dynamics suspension technology for the first time on a Defender vehicle, alongside extensive hardware and geometry changes. It debuted on the ‘24 Range Rover Sport SV. Uniquely, it’s designed to be as fun to drive on-road as off-road, with no compromises.

New ‘25 DEFENDER OCTA: HIGH-PERFORMANCE HERO sits 1.1 inches higher and has a stance widened by 2.7 inches for superior ground clearance and stability. To help ensure confidence and control on various terrain, with both maximum wheel articulation off-road and reduced roll on-road, revised suspension components include longer and tougher wishbones and unique active dampers with separate accumulators. It also features uprated 15.7-inch front brake discs with 6 Opposed Piston Brembo calipers, and the fastest steering ratio of any Defender vehicle to date.

The ‘25 Defender OCTA has a starting MSRP of $152,000. The Defender OCTA Edition One, available through the first year of production, has a starting MSRP of $167,800. For ordering details, contact a local Land Rover dealership. The new high-performance hero will debut publicly and dynamically at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed from 11–14 July.

For more information about interior and exterior options and specifications, please visit https://www.landroverusa.com/defender/defender-octa/index.html

LAND ROVER @ PEBBLE BEACH: QUEEN FOR A DAY!

LAND ROVER @ PEBBLE BEACH: QUEEN FOR A DAY! uniquely celebrates the vehicles of HM Queen Elizabeth II.

LAND ROVER @ PEBBLE BEACH: QUEEN FOR A DAY!

10 historic models will attend LAND ROVER @ PEBBLE BEACH: QUEEN FOR A DAY!, including two of the earliest Royal vehicles: the first Land Rover Series I State Review vehicle and a Land Rover Series I owned by the Royal family. A modern twist on the traditional British garden party will take place at an exclusive hospitality area adjacent to the vehicle display.

Vehicles on display include 1954 Land Rover Series I State Review vehicle, 1954 Land Rover Series I (NXN1), 1958 Land Rover Series II State Review vehicle, 1966 Land Rover Series IIa Station Wagon (JYV1D), 1974 Range Rover State Review vehicle, 1990 Range Rover State Review vehicle, 1983 Defender 110 V8 (A444RYV) and 2009 Range Rover (CK58 NPJ). 

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II dedicated her life to service and was the first female member of the Royal family to volunteer for military duty when she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in February 1945. Her specialty was driving and servicing military and rescue vehicles. It is said that this time sparked her love of driving and the mechanical aspects of vehicles, which lasted a lifetime.

For more information about Land Rover Classic, please visit https://www.landrover.com/explore-land-rover/land-rover-classic/index.html

Check out details about the Pebble Beach Concours @ https://pebblebeachconcours.net/

Olly Murs collects his modified Land Rover Defender 110

Gareth Herincx

23 hours ago
Auto News

Olly Murs collecting his revamped Land Rover Defender 110 from Urban Automotive

Singer-songwriter and TV personality Olly Murs has been handed the keys to his specially-commissioned Land Rover Defender 110.

He visited Urban Automotive’s Milton Keynes HQ to collect his reimagined Land Rover from company founder Simon Dearn.

Urban Automotive was entrusted with the transformation of Olly’s beloved Defender 110, managing a comprehensive refresh just in time for the birth of his first child with wife Amelia.

He plans to use the car for his new life as a parent with family-focused activities such “staycations, camping holidays and tents”.

Olly’s choice of modifications included a full ‘Best of British’ exterior design pack, 18-inch Urban Cruiser alloys, LED lighting and upgraded suspension, giving the iconic 4×4 an aggressive new look.

Urban Automotive’s team also carried out a light restoration and paintwork refresh, leaving the Defender 110 looking even better than when it originally left the factory.

The project presented an opportunity for the company to go back to its roots, because Urban Automotive was originally founded as a specialist for the original Land Rover Defender 90 and 110 models, building high-end vehicle conversions under the Urban Truck brand.

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ROVER TROPHY DEFENDER

Rover Trophy is building the best custom Land Rover Defenders – ROVER TROPHY DEFENDER – money can buy, blogs our road test editor Howard Walker at EQ Magazine.

ROVER TROPHY DEFENDERAs cool trucks go, Land Rover’s rugged, square-box Defender sits at the frosty pinnacle. Beloved by everyone from Ralph Lauren and the late Queen, to Lara Croft, 007 and Britain’s elite SAS special forces, the Defender remains a true British icon.

The only problem: Land Rover ceased Defender production in January 2016 to make way for an all-new Defender. Today, well-heeled “Landy” lovers, collectors and enthusiasts struggle to find examples that haven’t disintegrated into a pile of rust and rotted vinyl. That’s where Jeff Taylor at Connecticut-based Rover Trophy comes in. He’s building essentially brand-new Defenders from the ground up, with a single-minded focus on quality and craftsmanship.

And, because those original Defenders were less than stellar to drive – think wheezy, under-powered engines and wayward handling – Taylor is bringing them up to date power-wise. Continue reading about the ROVER TROPHY DEFENDER @ https://equicapmag.com/wheels/rover-trophy-revitalizing-land-rover-defenders/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=EQ Newsletter March04 2023&utm_id=eqnmarch042023

For more information about the ROVER TROPHY DEFENDER, please visit

https://www.rovertrophy.com/

Check out the full range of the latest Range Rover models @https://www.landrover.com/index.html

INEOS Grenadier review

INEOS Grenadier and Gareth Herincx

A new brand, a tough new 4×4. Here’s our take on the hotly anticipated INEOS Grenadier utility vehicle…

Are you sitting comfortably? Well, let’s start at the beginning because the INEOS Grenadier has a back story like no other new vehicle.

Without Sir Jim Ratcliffe – billionaire and chairman of the multinational chemicals company INEOS – there would be no Grenadier.

INEOS Grenadier

When the iconic Land Rover Defender finally ceased production at Solihull in 2016 after 67 years, Sir Jim offered to buy the tooling to continue production.

Jaguar Land Rover weren’t so keen, so, over a beer with friends at his favourite pub – The Grenadier in Belgravia, London – he decided to create his own old-school off-roader.

INEOS Automotive was created and hundreds of millions of pounds has been spent developing the 4×4 named after a pub.

INEOS Grenadier

The original plan was to build the Grenadier at a new factory in Wales, but then in 2020 INEOS Automotive bought a Mercedes-Benz/Smart plant at Hambach, France, which is where the first vehicle rolled off the production line in 2022.

The Grenadier has some seriously good DNA. Magna Steyr of Austria developed the chassis, the axles are from Italian tractor supplier Carraro and the were brakes developed with Brembo, plus the two engine options are care of BMW, and they are both mated to a ZF automatic transmission.

In other words, the Grenadier has come a long way since the project kicked off in 2017.

INEOS Grenadier and Gareth Herincx

So, what is the Grenadier, what’s it like to drive, and has Sir Jim achieved his goal?

It may look similar to the boxy old Land Rover Defender with a hint of Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, but the Grenadier is new from the ground up and there are some subtle differences.

As Toby Ecuyer, head of design at INEOS Automotive, said: “The brief was simple. We set out to design a modern, functional and highly capable 4×4 vehicle with utility at its core.”

INEOS Grenadier

Available as a five-door station wagon, two or five-seat utility wagon and a two-door double pick-up, its design isn’t overcomplicated.

Featuring distinctive round headlights and tail-lights, a vertically split 70/30 tailgate, a rear-mounted spare wheel, external door hinges and an (almost) flat windscreen, it ticks all the right boxes for a utility vehicle targeted at 4×4 buyers. They will range from farmers, emergency services, international charities and the military at the hardcore end of the market to cool people who want to stand out from the crowd.

There are some clever touches too, such as twin mini-sunroofs which can be hinged or popped out, plus a multitude of accessories which can be added from the word go, including a ladder, full-length roofrack, integrated side roof rails, roof-mounted LED light bar and an integrated all-weather side awning.

INEOS Grenadier and Gareth Herincx

Inside it’s a world away from the old Defender and the current minimalist trend. Up front there’s a large two-spoke steering wheel and a meaty centre console with air vents, a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration and a multitude of dials, switches and buttons.

Up above there’s another panel which is more off-road focused, with controls for diff locks, wade mode, hill descent and much more.

The rest of the cabin has a suitably rugged, functional feel. There are water-resistant, anti-stain Recaro seats, wipe-down materials throughout and even drain plugs under the rubber mats so the interior can be hosed out.

INEOS Grenadier

Drilling down to the hardcore spec, the Grenadier has full-time four-wheel drive with a centre differential lock (front and rear electronically actuated diff locks are optionally available), an eight-speed automatic gearbox with a two-speed transfer case and passive suspension using ZF dampers and Eibach coil springs.

There’s a choice of two 3.0-litre straight-six BMW engines – a 245bhp diesel with 550Nm of torque and a 281bhp petrol with 450Nm of torque. The latter is faster off the line (0-62mph in 8.6 seconds, compared to 9.9 seconds).

As I found out during an extensive two-day test (on and off road in the Scottish Highlands), the Grenadier is a hardcore go-anywhere adventurer.

INEOS Grenadier

The figures speak for themselves (a ground clearance of 264mm, a wading depth of 800mm and a maximum side angle limit 45 degrees), but nothing beats being able to put a 4×4 through its paces in tough, real-world conditions.

However, first we had to drive to our all-terrain locations, and unlike the old Land Rover Defender and some 4×4 pick-ups, the Grenadier is a well-mannered performer on the road.

The combination of a surprisingly smooth, refined ride, along with comfortable, supportive seats and ample space made the cabin a civilised place to be.

INEOS Grenadier

Visibility is generally good, but the split rear doors and spare wheel mean that the rear camera is vital for manoeuvring because the wiper-swept area is modest.

The driving position is good, except that the engine unit eats into the driver’s footwell on right-hand drive versions, so there’s limited space to rest your left foot. On the plus side, there’s plenty of room for back seat passengers, while boot capacity is a “class leading” 1,152 litres, expanding to 2,035 litres with the 60:40 split folding rear bench seat folded flat.

I couldn’t wholly adjust to the steering because I was constantly have to correct and over-correct. The recirculating ball steering layout with hydraulic assistance is nothing new in the 4×4 world, but it is known for its vagueness. Also, the 3.85 turns takes some getting used to.

INEOS Grenadier

There are always compromises when developing no-nonsense off-roaders that also have to perform on tarmac, and overall, the Grenadier manages well.

However, it’s off-road where the Grenadier excels. Whether it was wading through a lake, climbing snow-covered hills or tackling tracks covered in slippery rocks and mud, it took it all in its stride with almost no fuss.

Effortless though it was, my only reservation was that some of the overhead switches were on the fiddly side to operate. I understand the logic, but having to press some twice for safety reasons seemed fiddly, while the stubby and clunky mechanical lever for switching between high and low ratios seems archaic in this day and age.

INEOS Grenadier

No vehicle is perfect and the Grenadier is no exception. Let’s start with the folding stuff, because even a basic two-seat Station Wagon starts at £55,000, a five-seat Station Wagon will set you back £55,000, while the two Belstaff editions (the Trialimaster or Fieldmaster we tested) start at an eye-watering £69,000.

In other words, very capable though it is, the Grenadier isn’t quite the utilitarian vehicle off-road enthusiasts had hoped for. In fact, it’s pretty much in the same price bracket as the new upmarket Land Rover Defender.

And when you consider that you needed around £35,000 to buy a Defender 110 XS back in 2015, it’ll be a while before used Grenadiers will become affordable for the masses.

INEOS Grenadier

Then there’s economy. Official figures for the petrol engine are 18.9-19.6mpg, while the diesel fares a little better (23.1-26.9mpg). CO2 emissions are also challenging 325-336g/km (petrol) and 276-319g/km (diesel), though INEOS is looking into an electric, or even hydrogen fuel cell variants.

Next comes safety. These days it seems odd for new cars not to have a long of safety systems and driver assistance tech.

Yes, the Grenadier has airbags and ISOFIX points, automatic hazard warning, SOS Emergency Call and basics such as anti-lock brakes (ABS) and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and cruise control, but that’s as far as it goes for now.

INEOS Grenadier and Gareth Herincx

Apparently a more extensive safety suite is expected for 2024 when it will become mandatory in the EU, but for now, commonplace Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), land-keeping systems and adaptive cruise control are not available on the Grenadier.

Finally, a bit of housekeeping. The Grenadier has an excellent 3.5-tonne towing capacity and all models in the UK get a generous five-year unlimited mileage warranty as standard.

So, all in all, the Grenadier is a great first effort from INEOS. It turns heads for all the right reasons, and as we found out during the launch, generates huge amounts of interest.

Verdict: The Grenadier is an impressive debut model from INEOS Automotive. In school report parlance, there’s definitely “room for improvement”, but ultimately it’s a practical, very capable and serious off-roader with good road manners.

INEOS Grenadier