Originally Posted by Jim 90

You mean you did not get a photo of Destiny??

Originally Posted by CincyRovers

Hey all, sorry I've been MIA - I fell ill on my last day in the UK and was stuck in bed for the past week with the worst flu of my life. Luckily I'm on the mend and able to update this thread. I spent several hours over two days at the JLR pavilion at Goodwood talking with various people from marketing and engineering. If you have any questions, please let me know and I will do my best to answer. While nobody other than a few press members were allowed on ride-alongs, it was impressive watching the OCTA go up the hill climb. I did speak to one of the test drivers and he said that Turn 1 on the hill climb was achieved at speeds pushing 85 mph, and there was almost zero body roll - I was shocked to see how that thing raced around without a hint of body roll. I have attached a google photos link filled with pictures of the OCTA, including engine bay, interior and undercarriage pictures. Also, if you look closely, you'll see Simon from Powerful UK in some of the pictures. I didn't care for the vegan material on the interior. While I wouldn't say it felt "cheap," leather is a much better alternative. The redesigned center console is interesting - the tray is no longer a tray, but it is now a drawer, which can bee seen in the link below. I also did not like the seat design - the lack of stitching is extremely noticeable in person. And since we're on the subject of seats, the Body and Soul Seats are pointless. The massage was weak (unlike every other JLR product) and the seat haptics for music just felt strange. Similar systems in MB and Bentley products feel natural, but in this case it felt unnatural. Seat adjustment was excellent, but they moved the side bolster and lumbar adjustments to the screen. Underneath, most of the components are shared with the standard car, but there are some big changes; most notably, check out the pictures of the front lower control arms. They are significantly beefed up compared to the already impressive control arms on the standard car, plus they have the SVO logo stamped on them instead of the Jaguar and LR emblems. Also, the OCTA comes with an extra front impact beam just below the grille for added strength. Bear in mind that this is a pre-production prototype, so there are things that could change. I was told that there are only six of these "finished" prototypes in existence - four Euro spec cars, and two being the US spec cars used at the LA and NY events last month. One of these will be kept by JLR's Classic Works, while the rest will be scrapped.

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1Q...VUV2MtNm5GRThB

Originally Posted by curb-optional

Thanks for all the info on Octa & good you're on the mend. The flu is bad news bears. I agree too, Simon is brilliant... For the Octa, it will have its market, but surely limited. I have zero opportunities to go 80 mph over dirt roads. It's more of a bad road/no road scenario, where going maybe 20 mph at most is all I need. I think the suspension and tires look like great improvements, and I wonder if the tire/rim on the Octa will finds it's way over time to become the standard on all Defender trims. What Defender owner doesn't want the best available tire/rim option? I also like the painted skid plate up front (blends more), along with the easy access recovery hook. If they added additional front impact protection, super. (hitting a deer while driving on the road at night is bad news for the car - I get the benefit to enhanced protection there and give JLR credit if it's functional). But the speaker in the car seats? If JLR wants to be a "House of Brands," stop putting RR perks in their off road SUV! Stick to off road perks for the off road Defender and put the on road perks to your RR line. Were there no other off road upgrades (like a tire pressure gauge and battery charge on the dash) that they could come up with? For Defenders by the ocean, the battle is salt: how about enhanced rust protections standard. A spot ready for third party comm/radio, a second battery, or rock sliders. I see lots of G Wagons out by me - they are mostly driven timidly - don't scratch the paint! I don't see those folks wanting a 600 hp Octa with intentions of driving 100 mph or wanting 0-60 in 3 seconds. If you want to impress your neighbor that has a G wagon, buy the $200k RR.

Originally Posted by nashvegas

These photos are great.

Underneath -- so are those skid plates fully covering the underside, replacing the black felt panels we all in our garden variety Deefers? (and if so are they plastic -- which is what they appear to be in pics, or metal, which is what I"d hope?)

Originally Posted by Jim 90

My D90X is limited to 99 mph due to the Duratracs; same as the OCTA; same roll over risk. PS I have never, nor do I intend to, approach 99 mph.
Same could be said for my E63S. I guess one could make a mess of a Skoda at low speed if not handled properly. The roll over warning sounds worthy. Where can I find one to study?