Land Rover’s most powerful Defender has reportedly taken a serious hit in Europe, with the OCTA’s BMW-sourced V8 losing nearly 100hp. The Euro-spec Defender OCTA has been detuned to meet tougher emissions rules (via Motor1). The twin-turbocharged 4.4-litre V8 previously produced 626hp, but output has now reportedly dropped by 93hp to 533hp.
Land Rover still lists the Defender OCTA with up to 635PS, but output figures can vary depending on the market. In this case, the downgrade is said to affect European models and a few other markets, rather than the full global lineup.
Torque, however, is said to remain unchanged at 750Nm, or 553 lb-ft. That means the OCTA should still have plenty of pulling power, even if it no longer has quite the same top-end punch as before.
Performance has taken a small hit as a result. The 0-100km/h sprint now reportedly takes 4.4 seconds, making the European version 0.4 seconds slower than the higher-output model.
The change is being linked to the Euro 6e-bis emissions standard. It is not completely surprising either, as BMW has also had to detune versions of the same V8 in Europe, although the drop in the Defender OCTA appears to be much larger.
Land Rover originally introduced the Defender OCTA as the most powerful Defender ever, using a 4.4-litre twin-turbo mild-hybrid V8 with up to 750Nm of torque. It also added major chassis upgrades, including 6D Dynamics suspension, to make the SUV sharper on road without losing its off-road focus.
At least some of the V8’s character appears to remain despite the lower power figure. Land Rover engineers have reworked the exhaust, giving the mild-hybrid engine a deeper sound.
European buyers may still see this as a frustrating downgrade. The Defender OCTA remains a very quick and capable SUV, but emissions rules appear to have taken some of the edge off Land Rover’s wildest Defender.