DRIVER'S SEAT
IF YOUR OBJECTIVE IS TO showcase the most dynamically capable Land Rover Defender in history, it’s critical to plan some earthshaking adventures. So, when word arrived that the new Defender OCTA would be launched in South Africa, it seemed as if an epic experience was on the horizon. In retrospect, after some 600 kilometres of driving, much of it off-road, it was a case of mission accomplished. The organizational team at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) managed to provide ample evidence of the capabilities of this super-SUV, giving attendees the chance to test out many of the vehicle’s drive modes. Here’s what the launch event consisted of. First of all, we set out on the drive north of Cape Town towards a place called Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve, a 7,486-hectare slice of heaven nestled in the foothills of the Cederberg Mountains. While the first part of this 250-odd kilometre drive is on pavement, the entire second half is on dirt-and-gravel roads. Now, a well-kept and unpaved road is no challenge whatsoever for any vehicle in the Land Rover line-up, let alone a Defender, let alone the most capable Defender in history. While the guide in the lead car instructed us to select the Grass/Gravel/ Snow drive mode for this stretch of the drive, I’ve no doubt at all that leaving the Terrain Response System in auto mode would’ve worked fine. We hammer along these roads at a decent clip. Speed limits are 80 km/h in most spots. There’s little traffic to contend with, but the ruts and loose dirt are significant every so often. The Defender OCTA is incredibly surefooted, so all of the drama is reserved for the occasional mini-slide that’s quickly corrected by the on-board computer. There are huge clouds of dust to contend with, especially as the speeds rise and the wind blows in an unfavourable direction; this is the only real challenge encountered during this first stage of the drive. The Defender OCTA is the fastest and most powerful Defender in the line-up. It’s
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