Ultimate V8 4WD will eat Toyota LandCruiser, Nissan Patrol for breakfast: 2026 Land Rover Defender Octa Black drops Down Under

Land Rover has turned to the dark side.

The British brand has released a blacked-out version of its V8-powered off-road monster, dubbed the Defender Octa Black.

It combines a potent 467kW/750Nm 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 and mild hybrid assistance with muscular off-road performance and primo luxury kit.

The man in charge of the Defender program, Mark Cameron, said the Defender Octa is the tallest and widest Defender, enabling it to tackle even more extreme terrain.

“The introduction of Defender Octa Black takes things up a notch,” said Cameron. 

“We know our clients love giving their Defenders all-black finishes, so our designers have applied this principle to every possible surface – inside and out – to create the ultimate tough luxury Defender Octa,” he said.

Gloss-black finishes cover nearly all surfaces, including the exhaust tips, Land Rover oval badge, 22-inch inch alloy wheels and even underbody elements.

Inside there is black leather upholstery and black seat backs, armrests and dashboard.

It also comes with a whopping big 700W 15-speaker Meridian stereo, 13.1-inch multimedia screen and what Land Rover calls Body and Soul Seats that pump the audio signals from the stereo through the seats so passengers can “feel the music".

There is advanced air suspension, which Land Rover claims responds to any driving style and gives the driver greater control over any terrain. 

The air suspension allows for a 323mm ground clearance and approach and departure angles of more than 40 degrees, along with a ramp angle of 29 degrees and a wading depth of 1000mm.

This is coupled with a special Octa driving mode for off-road, which has a special ABS calibration that is designed for driving on gravel roads.

Its beefy V8 can propel it to 100km/h from a standstill in 4.0 seconds on the way to a top speed of 250km/h. Fuel of 13.1 litres per 100km isn’t great.

The Octa Black is only available in the 110 body style and is priced from $313,800 (before on-road costs), or about the same as three Toyota LandCruiser 300s.