2026 is going to be a busy year for the Land Rover Defender OCTA because the British carmaker has just confirmed its entry into the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), beginning with the Dakar Rally in January. Talk about tough initiations.

I knew that the new Land Rover Defender was pretty capable off-road, and now I have to recognize that it's also a lot more comfortable than most 4x4s.

The competition vehicles will utilise the same 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 petrol engine as in the standard road car.

Defender OCTA – the performance version of the Defender family – will form the basis of Defender’s Dakar and FIA World Rally Raid Championship competition challenger from 2026, showcasing its extreme performance credentials in the world’s toughest off-road events.

Remember when Land Rover unleashed the Defender OCTA last year? Billed as the most powerful version of the Defender yet, this go-anywhere SUV comes with a 4.4L twin-turbo V8 that pushes 635 PS and 750 Nm of torque. It can go from 0 – 100 km/h in 4 seconds thanks to peak torque being readily available at 1,800 rpm.

Land Rover is proudly stating that the Defender Octa is “the fastest and most capable Defender ever made,” so it makes sense it will serve as the base for the racer. Not only

Defender Octa is now the official entry in worlds two most toughest rally sports and Land Rover has huge expectation to deliver at the event with its high performance 4X4 SUV.

This remains largely familiar from the core Defender, and that’s a very good thing. This is still a fantastic SUV interior; chunky and industrial in its design but rendered luxurious by the hushed refinement, strong fit and finish and high-quality materials.

What’s this? The Land Rover Defender Octa’s mission statement is simple: to be the world’s fastest off-roader. But how do you define that? A Nürburgring lap time is only going to tell part of the story,

The Land Rover Defender OCTA is transforming the world of off-road performance, setting a new standard for durability, power, and capability in the most

The twin-turbocharged off-roader is headed for Dakar and the FIA World Rally Raid Championship starting in 2026.