2026 Land Rover Defender First Drive Review: Happy to Catch Air, Eat Mud

• The Trophy Edition features special paint and expedition-inspired hardware.
• The Octa Black boasts 626 horsepower and black everything.
• The Defender still has one of the most impressive range of abilities of any car on sale. 

Don't call it a Camel

Without a doubt, the biggest and most significant update to the Defender lineup is the new Trophy Edition. Painted in Deep Sandglow Yellow, or in Keswick Green, and wrapped with a matte film, the Trophy Edition gives off the vibes of a Defender that's not too precious to be pressed into safari service. And if that yellow paint job looks familiar, it should. From 1980 to 2000, there was a legendary off-road competition sponsored by a company that, uh, specialized in a plant-based alternative to vaping. 

In addition to the unique color palette, the Trophy Edition also sports gloss black wheels (though we're sure the black paint will get ruined on your first expedition), serious all-terrain tires, and dark protective bits, like the skidplates and fender lips. The Trophy Edition is also peppered with special graphics and includes a heavy-duty roof rack, a ladder to reach said rack, a side-mounted storage box, mud flaps, and a raised air intake mounted to the windshield pillar. 

In most countries, the Trophy Edition will be offered with a diesel engine, but the U.S. will make do with one of the hybrid powertrains found in other Defenders. Having taken a quick trip through an obstacle course in the Trophy Edition, I can tell you that the diesel engine is the ideal choice for overlanding and low-speed off-roading. Its quiet yet torquey nature shines in situations where delicate, predictable throttle control is needed. 

Filthy refinement

The Defender's most aggressive offering is the twin-turbocharged 626-horsepower Octa model. While this model largely carries over from 2025, there is a new Octa Black that features, well, a lot of black. Like, everything is black. But an Octa in any color is still an absolute hoot off-road. 

The combination of its fire-breathing V8 and serious off-road suspension makes this Defender formidable in most off-road environments. Where the Trophy felt happy crawling along in a technical and challenging environment, the Octa wants to be launched into the air and drift into and out of silty, gravel-covered corners. 

On some of Southern England's most picturesque back roads, the Defender feels massive. It fills narrow lanes, and I felt like I was tempting fate driving it through quaint but narrow villages. But the Defender isn't any bigger than a Ford Bronco, so it's still relatively easy to maneuver, and visibility is pretty good in all directions. And despite being closer to a Bronco Raptor in performance, the Octa remains docile and understated. It's also exponentially more refined, as it should be for costing just a tick under $155,000.

The Octa utilizes what Land Rover calls 6D suspension, which is, in essence, similar in concept to McLaren's active hydraulic system, Proactive Chassis Control. In place of anti-roll (or stabilizer) bars, the system uses hydraulic lines to optimize damping rates for every wheel. This allows for good body control on the road but beneficial roll for impressive traction and wheel articulation when you're off-roading. The Octa can also handle some jumps.

In a disused quarry in the south of England, and under the somewhat relaxed guidance of Defender technical personnel, the Octa felt absolutely happy to drift through a 50 mph silty sweeper or with four wheels way off the ground after launching off one of the quarry's many perfect jumps. Of course, you'll need to press and hold the Octa button at the bottom of the steering wheel, but once you're there, this Defender would ditch most every other SUV, save for the Bronco Raptor, in a cloud of dust. Think the Mercedes G-wagen could keep up? Think again. 

Now that Defender has been spun off into its own brand (there's only one mention of Land Rover on the whole vehicle — every other badge says Defender), it's great to see it have such a diverse offering of SUVs. From the too cool two-door Defender 90 version to the stretched Defender 130 and now to the Octa and Trophy models, the Defender does an admirable job combining luxury and real capability. 

Remember, you can get a nicely specced Defender 110 (that's the four-door) for about the same amount of money we paid for our Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro in our One-Year Road Test fleet. While not exactly a bargain, the Defender still has some of the most duality in any modern SUV and talents that are hard to overstate.