if they didn’t go crazy with prices i would consider. already have a v8. 50k price difference is not justified. the interior doesn’t reflect a 170k price tag

 

The difference in performance absolutely does.

 

i would disagree. i have been in several BMW M’s with the same engine and the price difference is 20k to get into M. there is no justification for the price increase. my wife has a 2024 RR Sport first edition. almost the same engine and her build quality, interior is far superior to the Octa for less money. the octa interior is a base defender with some new seats and carbon fiber. not sure how you would justify a 50k price increase from a v8 or 100k increase from p400

my local dealer always has one sitting, of course there is a mark up but nobody wants it.

 

So you havent driven an Octa then I'm guessing? It not just about the BMW engine. Its the 6D dynamics, its the way the car handles - its above and beyond an X5M by every metric. The concept and pricing of the Octa is not to provide a super luxurious interior like an RRS or RR - it remains a utilitarian vehicle with a utilitarian interior with slight upgrades to materials, finishes and feel. Its also not a price increase of 50K over a 110 V8 - its 30K and that money is well spent - ive driven the V8 and its a sweet engine and feel but it has nothing on the Octa. And what P400 is available for 55K exactly to state the Octa is 100K above it??

'My dealer has one and nobody wants it' - is that the best you've got? You've never driven one and yet youre convinced its not worth the money and is no better than an X5M. Pretty weak argument.

 

Depends on what you mean by perform.
If you're talking about agility the X5M is the clear winner.

If comfort on and off road then yes it goes to the Octa.

Personally, it's not worth the extra money to me but I know it's worth it to others.

 

you completely missed my point of comparing it to a BMW M and i never mentioned X5m. yes they share the same engine as well as other models from BMW. my point was that i could justify the bump in price for moving into a M. same idea, different engine, different suspension, upgraded interior for 20k.

the V8 was suppose to be the highest trim for the defender and we already had a 40k bump in price and then bumping another 40k for the Octa is just too much.

dont get me wrong, i enjoy my defender and have been through a p400 and immediately upgraded to a v8 when they were released. considered doing the same when the Octa came out and i just could not justify the price tag. i had trouble pulling the trigger on the v8 coming from the p400. they are literally identical cars and paying for more power

i haven’t driven one and pretty sure its an amazing vehicle, for my usage of a family car i would only enjoy the extra power and torque. the 6D suspension would never be used to its full capacity and not sure i would be taking a 160k seriously off roading

as we pick apart each others words your argument about the defenders Utilitarian interior is actually one of my biggest issues why i would not upgrade to a Defender. yes it was never meant to be luxurious but don’t believe the defender was ever suppose to have a 160k price tag. at those price points i would expect more especially knowing a very similar interior came in my p400 and lower trims


this is what happens when your source engines from other manufactures. paying a huge mark up

JLR in general has gone a bit crazy in their SV and limited production options. price tags over 200k. there is a lot options when you get to those prices

hey that’s my opinion and you can disagree. maybe if i haven’t been several defenders before i wouldn’t have anything to compare it would be a much different view point

 

Anyone try to install the oem or aftermarket kit yet? Is the aftermarket one fiberglass?

 

I've had a couple nicely spec BMW cars, even my old E61 535xi mt6 has a nicer interior in many ways than the OCTA and it's 18 years older.

However, the octa is not just a different engine, and still not even just the additon of the 6D suspension system, but it is also an entirely different undercarriage from the other Defenders. I studied both and found that there are almost no shared parts underneath. This is unlike when the LR3/4 could literally swap parts with a RRS.
The octa parts are different because they were created for a wider track as well as a longer range of wheel travel. The factory tires are an inch larger and 34" tires fit right on without modifications. Combined with the body sitting about 2" higher already, then the larger factory tire, then the ease of using a 34", you end up with a factory built "modified" Defender - more capable than what people spend $20-40k trying to get more out of the other Defenders.

Consider the sub-frame/body lifts, then literally cutting away metal and parts and moving coolers to make just a 33-34 tire fit, when a tiny mod allows a 35 on the octa. All that done on the other defenders and the wheel travel is not increased, etc.

To me, what you pay for in the octa, say 125k from the V8 to an octa at 165k, a $40k bump, you can easily spend on the standard ones but still not have as good of handling on the highway OR on dirt.
The 6D suspension is kind of like magic, it's hard to really drive home how incredible it is in ALL scenarios. Someone on another thread here I think went on and on about having switched from the V8 that he enjoyed but being blown away by the 6D system and how the V8 would "dive and roll". While this kind of reference is relative/subjective, I am used to an 8000 lb LR3 so to me, the P400 and V8 seem quite sporty by comparison ;- )

Now, to the person who wants a fun handling road going suv, none of the Defenders may truly suit them if things like an X5M are being considered, or a RRsport, etc.

Do I wish the Defenders had an interior option to be more like my 2017 RR SVAB? Absolutely! Multi-layered glass and all.

 

Reviving this thread, if you could get parts I believe it could be done. The rear is just arches that are attached to the rear fender and door. As well as a transition piece for the rear bumper. The fronts, if you really want to be sure, you could just get the full fender along with the flare, as well as the front bumper transition piece. Lower side trim panels would be easy as well. And the fender liners. You technically would not need to change out the front center bumper and grill (unless you are going for the octa look there as well). Obviously if you do the arches, you will need to solve the wheel spacing through custom wheels and offsets as it's not likely to swap every suspension piece over from the Octa for the additional track width.

Does anyone have access to a parts ETK to try to get part numbers (I know it may require an Octa Vin)

 

It would be probably cheaper to get the kit from China and I don’t think the type of people getting this done would mind missing out on quality.
Nevertheless, here’s a link to all the Defender parts: https://parts.jaguarlandroverclassic...nd/land-rover/