While Torontonians sweat through a scorching summer of their own, Gateway, Colorado — a small community of less than 30 residents in the state’s western edge — sweltered under a high desert sun. Rattlesnakes took the day off. Birds kept out of the sky. Only the new Defender OCTA pierced the stillness, ripping across the sun-baked landscape like it was on a mission because, well, it was. It still is.
The OCTA will form the foundation of Defender’s Dakar Rally contenders when the British firm enters the fearsome event in 2026.
I’d been itching for a crack at the Defender OCTA since its launch, but what was I getting myself into? As a moderately competent amateur off-roader, I wasn’t worried, not until they mentioned the river. On top of the hours upon hours of dust, ruts, boulders, and assorted wilderness hazards, we’d be testing the OCTA’s buoyancy as well. (The spec sheet indicates it can be submerged up to one metre before things risk going awry.)
A Baja-style off-road course provided an initial proving ground to see what makes OCTA a worthy Dakar contender. Sure, its brutish 626-horsepower twin-turbo V8 engine gave it a shocking amount of sand-kicking power, but there’s far more to it than that. As my co-pilot and driving instructor guided me through the course, one thing became clear: the faster you push, the more stable the SUV becomes, and the less roughness of the terrain transfers into the cabin. It’s deeply counterintuitive, but it’s all thanks to the brand’s slick new 6D Dynamics air suspension system with hydraulically interlinked dampers. The OCTA cruises over desert ruts and bumps at a pace I never expected from a vehicle so poised and polished on pavement.
This aggressive trial was only the beginning, setting the tone for our subsequent 10-hour adventure. Our herd of OCTAs scaled switchbacks and boulder-clad plateaus, and blasted down winding dusty tracks far beyond the reaches of civilization. Though still a million miles off Dakar pace, the OCTA proved its rally racing chops. By the time we reached the river, its challenge no longer registered in the slightest. Instead, my fixation turned to how I could get one of these beasts into my driveway.
