Latest news with #Prodrive
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Perth Now
Expert Insights: Q&A with Premcar CEO Bernie Quinn
He may not be your typical automotive industry executive, but Bernie Quinn has assembled some formidable feathers in his cap during a near 30-year engineering career that has produced some of this country's most iconic vehicles. These days he's the CEO of Premcar, which most people recognise as the engineering company that helped transform the Nissan Navara ute and Patrol SUV into hardcore Warrior-branded off-roaders, more than 10,000 of which have now been produced. First established in 2019, Nissan's Warrior sub-brand has been so successful it's being replicated in other markets starting with South Africa, where Premcar has formed a joint venture to produce Navara Warriors in Nissan's Rosslyn factory. A Melbourne engineering firm born out of the death of Ford Performance Vehicles (FPV), Premcar can trace its roots back to the 1997 launch of the Tickford Vehicle Engineering-enhanced Ford EL Falcon GT, followed by the 1998 TS50, TE50 and TL50, and the 2001 Mustang converted locally to right-hand drive by Tickford. Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Supplied Credit: CarExpert FPV was then formed in a joint venture between Ford and Prodrive, which bought out Tickford, and the first fruit was the 2003 BA Falcon-based FPV GT. But Prodrive also helped develop Mazda Australia's MX-5 SP and Toyota Australia's TRD-badged HiLux and Aurion. After it developed the supercharged 5.0-litre 'Miami' V8 for FPV's Falcon-based range, Prodrive became Premcar in 2012 and it immediately produced the 335kW FG Falcon-based FPV GT, followed by the 351kW FPV GT-F in 2014, and then the 325kW FG-X Falcon XR6 Sprint and XR8 Sprint sports sedans based on the final and finest Falcons in 2016. A year earlier, Premcar also began its extensive defence industry work, and even co-developed its first helicopter for a major corporation, before teaming up with Nissan to become one of Australia's two largest automotive engineering companies alongside Walkinshaw Automotive. We sat down with Bernie to ask him about what's next for Premcar, the Warrior brand, and the Australian auto industry as it undergoes rapid change amid an influx of new brands and products. There are a couple of reasons why. First of all, many new-car buyers in Australia are very particular. I've said this a few times over the years. A lot of Australian car buyers grew up when we had local car manufacturing. You had Falcons and Commodores, for example, and you could effectively customise them to the spec you wanted when new. You could have almost any colour. There were utes, sedans and wagons; sports, executive and luxury; long-wheelbase and short-wheelbase; various engines such as V8, V6, I6, turbo, supercharged; pretty much every permutation and combination you could have. Australians became very used to customising their cars to their own specifications. Supplied Credit: CarExpert But when Ford and Holden and others, including Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi, left the local new-car manufacturing scene in Australia, the options became far more limited because we got generic global vehicles. But local customer tastes didn't go away. That money they were spending personalising their new cars started to be spent on accessories and in the aftermarket, and so companies like ARB and others thrived in that car-customising environment. So that's the first thing. Secondly, the Australian new-car market is relatively small at around 1.1 to 1.2 million [annually], but the number of brands on sale here is around 70. So in order to create a unique point of difference, carmakers have the ability to customise their vehicles using a local enhancement program. Offering new-car models that are better suited to Australia's driving conditions can give them a strong competitive advantage. They're the two big reasons. Well, some conditions we're exposed to in Australia can be quite different but they're not always vastly different to anywhere else in the world. But it's the variety of conditions which a driver might encounter in a single day that can be so vast. And we sometimes expect our vehicles to do too much. You can see this in the fact that the two best-selling cars in Australia are quite often the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux. Dual-cab utes are very popular here, partly because the bandwidth these vehicles have to cope with in terms of usage profile is huge. So you have to try and create a suspension tune that works well on a massive variety of surfaces with a very wide range of driving conditions, and this needs very special consideration. And this, to me, is a unique customer usage profile that you won't find in many other markets. The proof's in the pudding. When you drive a car with poor ADAS tuning, or a car that hasn't been tuned to specific Australian conditions, and it's a very frustrating experience. There's a temptation for a lot of carmakers to conclude, 'oh, Australia's just a relatively small market. Let's just use this ADAS tune from the US or Japan or China or wherever'. It's a mistake. It simply doesn't work because Australia's driving environment is unique. Cars parked on the side of the road, bike lanes, different architecture for traffic lights, speed-limit signs, warning signs, and other street furniture. Supplied Credit: CarExpert ADAS systems that have been developed and tuned somewhere else too often don't work correctly here. So it's extremely important to have locally tuned – and correctly tuned – ADAS systems, especially if you don't want to end up with a dissatisfied customer or a customer that just turns the system off. And keep in mind that locally tuning a car's ADAS systems isn't just a matter of plugging in a laptop and fiddling with some digital settings. There's quite a bit involved to achieve correct tuning, especially considering almost all of these systems are proprietary to the carmaker, even if the related hardware and some of the software is supplied by major technology brands. Lots of hard work. I've said a few times that when my partner Jim Jovanovski and I took over the business in 2012 it was a bit like jumping off a building while building the parachute on the way down. We had a strategic plan but, more importantly, we had great capabilities, lots of flexibility and a huge amount of resilience in our group. That's really the key to our success. We searched for a unique position in the market and we eventually found it, and that's the reason why we've thrived. It didn't come to us easily. It was a lot of hard work and we always put the customer first, which has been critical. I'm talking in terms of working out exactly what the customer needs and wants, and then working really hard to meet them and ensuring it helps to build their business. It's because we've got a market here in Australia that is desperate for products that are very well suited to buyers' needs, and these customers are often willing to spend a little more compared to buyers in other countries. Companies like Premcar and Walkinshaw prove that if you offer products that are developed in Australia for Australians, local customers will buy them, even if these products have a premium price. It's important to cater to these customers. We're doing it through secondary manufacturing at the moment, but this could be expanded to build cars in Australia for Australians. You have to remember that the decisions made about closing the local new-car manufacturing industry in Australia were made at a time when our currency was, let's say, artificially and temporarily high. Those decisions had their gestation in 2009. That was the time when key decisions about the possible next Commodore, next Falcon and next Territory were being cemented. The Australian currency didn't support the industry at the time because it was about A$1.05 to A$1.10 to the US dollar due to the global financial crisis, which happened mostly in other countries, and not to the same extent in Australia. Supplied Credit: CarExpert And that was really the beginning of the end. Now, when these big car companies closed their doors on local manufacturing, the currency was back around 70 cents US, and at the moment it's around 65 US cents. We would be very competitive if we had maintained all the capital equipment and knowledge and systems and processes. We had been able to capture that and leverage it in 2009 through to 2015. We'd have a thriving industry now, so it was really an aberration which led to its closing. That's the really frustrating and disappointing thing about it. Now, to get back into local car manufacturing, we'd have to invest a lot of money. We'd have to build all that capital equipment again and all that infrastructure again. It wouldn't be easy. But is it possible? A hundred per cent, yes. Would it be successful? 110 per cent. With the right attitude and the right amount of commitment it could be very, very successful. And keep in mind that many of the countries that dominate new-car manufacturing and assembly today didn't know how to make cars or their components 40 years ago. But with the right attitude, commitment and investment they've achieved remarkable results. Yes. One of the successes to come from our secondary manufacturing programs in Australia has been how various OEMs [automakers] around the world have responded. And as everyone knows – because it's in the news every day – the established OEM carmakers are very, very keen to look for extra revenue from their existing model lines. Supplied Credit: CarExpert We're trying to assist them to achieve this with secondary manufacturing programs, not just in Australia but in other markets as well. And then there are the new brands entering the market; they're keen to create a unique product offering as well. What we do with our new-vehicle enhancement programs and secondary manufacturing programs appeals to both the traditional legacy OEMs and the new OEM brands. So I think we're in a really good position to grow and expand in Australia, as well as globally. It's very competitive and it's very, very tough to be successful. I think the new brands to emerge from China are being very aggressive. It's widely reported China has an oversupply of new-car stock in their domestic market so Australia is clearly a very attractive market for revenue. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Many of the long-standing OEMs are trying to adjust and transform their companies in what is now an extremely competitive new-car market that's been changed mainly by new Chinese brands coming in at lower prices. It's important for them to create product-based differences or advantages and helping them achieve these is where we focus our business development energies. I touched on this in my last answer. I think the best way to achieve a point of difference is to create a product-based advantage, which means that you create a new car that your target customers can really enjoy because it accurately meets the needs of their lifestyle, and they can drive away in that car from the showroom. And it's not just offering the right new cars that's critical. Another big point of difference is offering the right aftersales backup. You can see a number of long-standing OEMs are actively marketing that they have authorised dealerships across the country, which implies lots of easy-to-access parts and service support, and very long new-car warranties. All of this is clearly about trust, and that can take time. Yes, it does, because we can help them behind the scenes with the technical refinements that consumers rarely ever see but can experience when they drive their new car. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Making new cars more suitable for local consumers is a great way to reach more new-car buyers. But it's not just the new brands that are offering great opportunities for Premcar. Many of the long-standing car brands are taking the same approach because this new level of market competition is driving brands to look for specific product-based advantages. Yes, we've done them in the past. We've done them from both an engineering design point of view and a manufacturing point of view. So yes, we can do them on a drive-in, drive-out basis. There's nothing I can talk about right now, but the simple answer is yes, we can do them, and it's quite likely at some stage you'll see something about this from Premcar. One hundred per cent. Absolutely. The majority of my career was spent doing high-performance sports sedans and a lot of the Premcar team have the same career history. All of those capabilities still remain and they can easily be applied to make some awesome new vehicles. We've spoken. What can I tell you about it? Well, not much at the moment. However, I think that vehicle is ideally suited to the Warrior treatment and I can't wait to get my hands on one. I think the biggest opportunity that has taken my time of late is the expansion of the Warrior brand and the expansion of Premcar into other markets outside Australia. I'm expecting big growth in the Australian part of our business, but also the same growth, if not bigger, on some international projects. It's a thrill to take our Aussie-owned and Aussie-based company out into the wide world. This is where my job gets really exciting. MORE: Australian automotive powerhouse expands overseas
NZ Autocar
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- NZ Autocar
Xiaomi SU7 Ultra breaks Taycan GT's electric Nurburgring record
China's Xiaomi has shattered the Nürburgring lap record for electric production cars, as it promised to do. It has sent its hyper-powered SU7 Ultra saloon around the Green Hell almost three seconds quicker than the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. The car produced by the smartphone giant features a combined output of 1139kW from its tri-motor set-up. Equipped with an optional track package, it looped the German track in 7min 4.957sec. That eclipses the Taycan GT's 7min 7.55sec time. The road-legal version of the SU7 Ultra is only 20sec shy of the time posted by the track-only prototype that Xiaomi created last year. British engineering firm Prodrive helped with its development. With four-wheel drive, it can run 0-100 in just under 2.0sec, en route to a top of 331km/h, making it one of the fastest EVs available today. It's on sale in China and exports to the West are being considered. Special motor The SU7 Ultra uses Xiaomi's HyperEngine V8S electric motor. It takes that name because it delivers power on a level similar to a petrol V8. Evidently, it spins to 27,200rpm. Each of the rear-mounted V8S motors creates 425kW, while the front-mounted V6S motor is good for 289kW. This gives the SU7 Ultra 1139kW in total, a 644kW increase over the standard four-wheel drive SU7. In contrast, the tri-motor Taycan Turbo GT delivers a combined 814kW. The SU7 Ultra evidently gets to 200km/h in 5.86sec to the Taycan Turbo GT's 6.4sec. The latter's top speed is 275km/h and its 0-100 time is 2.3sec. CATL supplies the SU7 Ultra with a Qilin 2.0 battery which has capacity of 94kWh. That gives it a claimed range of just over 600km. Chassis updates SU7 Ultra uses Bilstein Evo T1 dampers alongside other chassis updates which include an AP Racing brake system. Rotors up front are 430mm and 410mm on the back. They are carbon ceramic units. Six-pot calipers for the leading wheels are aided by single floating rear calipers. Despite its pace, this isn't the quickest SU7 Ultra around the Nurburgring. One with a carbon fibre body holds the lap record for a four-door saloon. It completed the circuit in 6min 46.874sec with British racer David Pittard at the wheel. Xiaomi claims wet weight of under 2400kg for the SU7 Ultra.
Telegraph
07-04-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Land Rover Defender Octa review: This V8-engined off-road racer has to be experienced to be believed
I wasn't looking forward to driving the Land Rover Defender Octa for many of the reasons you're probably thinking of right now. Add bellowing torque to a clumpy 4x4, throw in wide tyres and figure-hugging seats then watch as the filthy rich form a disorderly queue. What might be the point of this £160,800, 626bhp, 155mph, 2.5-tonne car? Yet all of the Edition One models have been sold, so you'll have to slum it with the £145,300 standard Octa, or choose rivals such as the Ferrari Purosangue, Lamborghini Urus or Mercedes-Benz G63. There's also any number of scarily rapid (and reassuringly expensive) Range Rover conversions to separate you from your cash. But having just climbed out slightly reeling and with my back joints creaking a little more than usual, I'm wondering if I haven't just witnessed water turned into wine. Such is the transformation from standard mud-plugging Defender into outrageously competent and yes, terrifically fun, sports 4x4 Octa. Destined to race This monster is destined to race in next year's new 'production' category of the Saudi Arabian version of the infamous Dakar Rally, which used to traverse the Sahara Desert. In such events, speed, skill and bravery must be matched with off-road ability and brute power to take on the precipitous sand dunes. As rally specialist Prodrive prepares the racers, there's some road-going tin to shift. Of the 379,130 Defenders sold since the current version's launch in 2020, about 30 per cent have been the short-wheelbase 90 and 70 per cent the longer 110. Of those sales, 80 per cent have been powered by diesel, 12 per cent by petrol and 8 per cent plug-in hybrid. Being based on the 110, the Octa is in Defender heartland, but with a petrol engine it's in a minority. The specification consists of much more than merely fitting of a set of swollen arches to cover the 20-inch wheels and a choice of three increasingly professional off-road tyres. On the most extreme off-road rubber, the top speed is limited to just over 100mph, on more road-biased tyres it's 155mph. Air suspension and variable damping have been joined by an interlinked hydraulic system used on the fine-riding Citroën 2CV, but also on the firm's famed DS, as well as by McLaren. The system has the effect of maintaining body control and restricting roll, but without the loss of traction and restricted wheel movement associated with stiff anti-roll bars. The suspension geometry is also heavily revised from the standard car with longer front wishbones, a new lower knuckle for the front strut and longer hubs at the rear, which provide a useful increase in the track of 68mm. The car rides 28mm taller than a standard 110 Defender. The steering rack is more responsive, too. Under the bonnet sits a BMW-sourced 4.4-litre V8 engine, which is used by the German manufacturer's M-Sport performance division in various models. It gives peak power of 626bhp and 553lb ft of torque, with a 48-volt mild hybrid system. The brakes are uprated to a set-up from Italian specialist Brembo, with weeks and weeks of calibration to get the whole to work as one. Climb in Inside, you'll be pleased (or disappointed) to know there's not a huge amount of difference between the standard and Octa versions. You can specify black leather on standard models and that's what you get here, although I'd prefer the military-green woven nylon panels used on base Defenders as they are one of the most pleasing and appropriate finishes for a car such as this, as well as giving a nod to the original 1949 Land Rover. There's a fair bit going on in the fascia although most switches have a couple of functions. A new steering wheel with multiple switches improves things a little, but there are simply too many functions and you find yourself staring down at the switches and instrument binnacle trying to get the information you require, rather than looking ahead. The seats are comfortable and supportive even over long distances. Yet the rear seat leg room is relatively limited; while five adults can be carried, everyone ends up quite cosy with each other. The load space of the Defender 110 is only just about adequate (small wonder that you see examples on the road bulging with roof boxes, racks and even towing a trailer). On the road The M-sport engine fires with a lot less drama than the previous JLR supercharged V8, which now exists only in the V8 90 model. The gearbox engages smoothly and such is the torque level that quite brisk road speeds can be accomplished with few revs. In fact, cavorting round the roads of the Cheviots in lowland Scotland, I achieved a fuel consumption of 17mpg against a 21mpg WLTP figure. Progress is smooth, yet also refined and uncannily stable. The engine produces enough pulling power that you seldom need to use more than a fraction of the accelerator pedal's travel. The suspension is remarkably accommodating of the broken-edged roads that seem to be the norm these days. Body roll is well controlled and there's a distinct lack of side-to-side wobbling, which is often a trait of high-performance SUVs. The long wheelbase and front-biased weight balance means that you need to curate the front end into a corner, applying the power nearing the apex. Swift and velvety progress is a bit of an art, but quite possible, while the supremely powerful brakes are also progressive. Like its bellowing rivals, the Octa is far too easy to overdrive, flapping away at the gearchange paddles, stabbing at the accelerator and upsetting the balance. But drive smoothly and with anticipation and it's remarkable what average speeds can be achieved without frightening either the horses or passengers. The main hindrance to that mellifluous progress is the kickdown performance of the ZF gearbox, which is slow to react and then abrupt when it catches up. Selecting the Dynamic driving mode prompts it to change down earlier, but then it always seems to hold a gear below what you want when cruising, which is vexatious. Off the road Having clambered gently up to the top of the Cheviots, I lined up the nose to travel the same roads a great deal faster. Pressing the Octa button raises the damping rate for better body control, but allows more roll to augment the traction. The anti-lock braking system changes to allow the wheels to lock and slow against the mud they build up in front, while 80 per cent of the torque is directed to the rear axle. There's even an airborne sensor, so the damping is firmed prior to landing. With the traction control switched off, floor it and the Octa spears along the tracks, controllable (although you need to be quick with the steering) – and at simply unbelievable speeds. The body control is astonishing, as is the ability to smooth out all but the worst gullies and ditches. Again, you must get the nose into the bend before fully activating the bellowing V8, but the stability and speed are simply stupendous. The Telegraph verdict I've never travelled as fast on tracks as rough as this without a sense of fear and jeopardy. That the Octa can do it is extraordinary and hats off to the engineers who make it possible. I didn't think there was anywhere we travelled that a standard diesel Defender wouldn't reach, it just wouldn't be as fast or as comfortable. Which brings us to the point, which is, well, what is the point? Clearly victory in the Dakar would be nice for Land Rover, but for the moment all I can think of is a misquote of Samuel Johnson's observation about a dog walking on its hind legs; it is done well, but I'm surprised to find it done at all. The facts On test: Land Rover Defender Octa Body style: Five-door high-performance 4x4 On sale: Now How much? From £160,800 for First Edition (£145,300 for standard Octa) How fast? Top speed 155mph (restricted to 100mph on extreme off-road tyres), 0-62mph in 4.0sec How economical: 21-21.7mpg (WLTP Combined), 17mpg on test Engine and gearbox: 4,395cc V8 twin-turbocharged petrol engine, eight-speed automatic gearbox, four-wheel drive Maximum power/torque: 626bhp @ 6,000rpm/553lb ft @ 1,800rpm CO2 emissions: 294-304g/km Warranty: Three years/unlimited mileage The rivals Lamborghini Urus SE, from £208,000 More road-going monster than off-road king of the hill, the Urus has twin-turbo V8 power augmented with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system to give 789bhp and 701lb ft, a top speed of 194mph, 0-62mph in 3.4sec and 135.8mpg (although take that figure with a massive pinch of salt). Fast, stylish, noisy – and did I mention fast? Mercedes-Benz G63, from £184,595 With 424bhp and 627lb ft of torque from the bellowing 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, there's a top speed of 137mph, 0-62mph in 4.4sec and 18mpg if you take it easy. Of course it's a Premier League footballer's SUV, but it's nicely executed even if you have to park it a long way down the drive to avoid waking everyone in the morning.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Land Rover Defender Octa review: This V8-engined off-road racer has to be experienced to be believed
I wasn't looking forward to driving the Land Rover Defender Octa for many of the reasons you're probably thinking of right now. Add bellowing torque to a clumpy 4x4, throw in wide tyres and figure-hugging seats then watch as the filthy rich form a disorderly queue. What might be the point of this £160,800, 626bhp, 155mph, 2.5-tonne car? Yet all of the Edition One models have been sold, so you'll have to slum it with the £145,300 standard Octa, or choose rivals such as the Ferrari Purosangue, Lamborghini Urus or Mercedes-Benz G63. There's also any number of scarily rapid (and reassuringly expensive) Range Rover conversions to separate you from your cash. But having just climbed out slightly reeling and with my back joints creaking a little more than usual, I'm wondering if I haven't just witnessed water turned into wine. Such is the transformation from standard mud-plugging Defender into outrageously competent and yes, terrifically fun, sports 4x4 Octa. This monster is destined to race in next year's new 'production' category of the Saudi Arabian version of the infamous Dakar Rally, which used to traverse the Sahara Desert. In such events, speed, skill and bravery must be matched with off-road ability and brute power to take on the precipitous sand dunes. As rally specialist Prodrive prepares the racers, there's some road-going tin to shift. Of the 379,130 Defenders sold since the current version's launch in 2020, about 30 per cent have been the short-wheelbase 90 and 70 per cent the longer 110. Of those sales, 80 per cent have been powered by diesel, 12 per cent by petrol and 8 per cent plug-in hybrid. Being based on the 110, the Octa is in Defender heartland, but with a petrol engine it's in a minority. The specification consists of much more than merely fitting of a set of swollen arches to cover the 20-inch wheels and a choice of three increasingly professional off-road tyres. On the most extreme off-road rubber, the top speed is limited to just over 100mph, on more road-biased tyres it's 155mph. Air suspension and variable damping have been joined by an interlinked hydraulic system used on the fine-riding Citroën 2CV, but also on the firm's famed DS, as well as by McLaren. The system has the effect of maintaining body control and restricting roll, but without the loss of traction and restricted wheel movement associated with stiff anti-roll bars. The suspension geometry is also heavily revised from the standard car with longer front wishbones, a new lower knuckle for the front strut and longer hubs at the rear, which provide a useful increase in the track of 68mm. The car rides 28mm taller than a standard 110 Defender. The steering rack is more responsive, too. Under the bonnet sits a BMW-sourced 4.4-litre V8 engine, which is used by the German manufacturer's M-Sport performance division in various models. It gives peak power of 626bhp and 553lb ft of torque, with a 48-volt mild hybrid system. The brakes are uprated to a set-up from Italian specialist Brembo, with weeks and weeks of calibration to get the whole to work as one. Inside, you'll be pleased (or disappointed) to know there's not a huge amount of difference between the standard and Octa versions. You can specify black leather on standard models and that's what you get here, although I'd prefer the military-green woven nylon panels used on base Defenders as they are one of the most pleasing and appropriate finishes for a car such as this, as well as giving a nod to the original 1949 Land Rover. There's a fair bit going on in the fascia although most switches have a couple of functions. A new steering wheel with multiple switches improves things a little, but there are simply too many functions and you find yourself staring down at the switches and instrument binnacle trying to get the information you require, rather than looking ahead. The seats are comfortable and supportive even over long distances. Yet the rear seat leg room is relatively limited; while five adults can be carried, everyone ends up quite cosy with each other. The load space of the Defender 110 is only just about adequate (small wonder that you see examples on the road bulging with roof boxes, racks and even towing a trailer). The M-sport engine fires with a lot less drama than the previous JLR supercharged V8, which now exists only in the V8 90 model. The gearbox engages smoothly and such is the torque level that quite brisk road speeds can be accomplished with few revs. In fact, cavorting round the roads of the Cheviots in lowland Scotland, I achieved a fuel consumption of 17mpg against a 21mpg WLTP figure. Progress is smooth, yet also refined and uncannily stable. The engine produces enough pulling power that you seldom need to use more than a fraction of the accelerator pedal's travel. The suspension is remarkably accommodating of the broken-edged roads that seem to be the norm these days. Body roll is well controlled and there's a distinct lack of side-to-side wobbling, which is often a trait of high-performance SUVs. The long wheelbase and front-biased weight balance means that you need to curate the front end into a corner, applying the power nearing the apex. Swift and velvety progress is a bit of an art, but quite possible, while the supremely powerful brakes are also progressive. Like its bellowing rivals, the Octa is far too easy to overdrive, flapping away at the gearchange paddles, stabbing at the accelerator and upsetting the balance. But drive smoothly and with anticipation and it's remarkable what average speeds can be achieved without frightening either the horses or passengers. The main hindrance to that mellifluous progress is the kickdown performance of the ZF gearbox, which is slow to react and then abrupt when it catches up. Selecting the Dynamic driving mode prompts it to change down earlier, but then it always seems to hold a gear below what you want when cruising, which is vexatious. Having clambered gently up to the top of the Cheviots, I lined up the nose to travel the same roads a great deal faster. Pressing the Octa button raises the damping rate for better body control, but allows more roll to augment the traction. The anti-lock braking system changes to allow the wheels to lock and slow against the mud they build up in front, while 80 per cent of the torque is directed to the rear axle. There's even an airborne sensor, so the damping is firmed prior to landing. With the traction control switched off, floor it and the Octa spears along the tracks, controllable (although you need to be quick with the steering) – and at simply unbelievable speeds. The body control is astonishing, as is the ability to smooth out all but the worst gullies and ditches. Again, you must get the nose into the bend before fully activating the bellowing V8, but the stability and speed are simply stupendous. I've never travelled as fast on tracks as rough as this without a sense of fear and jeopardy. That the Octa can do it is extraordinary and hats off to the engineers who make it possible. I didn't think there was anywhere we travelled that a standard diesel Defender wouldn't reach, it just wouldn't be as fast or as comfortable. Which brings us to the point, which is, well, what is the point? Clearly victory in the Dakar would be nice for Land Rover, but for the moment all I can think of is a misquote of Samuel Johnson's observation about a dog walking on its hind legs; it is done well, but I'm surprised to find it done at all. On test: Land Rover Defender Octa Body style: Five-door high-performance 4x4 On sale: Now How much? From £160,800 for First Edition (£145,300 for standard Octa) How fast? Top speed 155mph (restricted to 100mph on extreme off-road tyres), 0-62mph in 4.0sec How economical: 21-21.7mpg (WLTP Combined), 17mpg on test Engine and gearbox: 4,395cc V8 twin-turbocharged petrol engine, eight-speed automatic gearbox, four-wheel drive Maximum power/torque: 626bhp @ 6,000rpm/553lb ft @ 1,800rpm CO2 emissions: 294-304g/km VED: £5,490 first year, £620 next five years, then £195 Warranty: Three years/unlimited mileage More road-going monster than off-road king of the hill, the Urus has twin-turbo V8 power augmented with a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) system to give 789bhp and 701lb ft, a top speed of 194mph, 0-62mph in 3.4sec and 135.8mpg (although take that figure with a massive pinch of salt). Fast, stylish, noisy – and did I mention fast? With 424bhp and 627lb ft of torque from the bellowing 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, there's a top speed of 137mph, 0-62mph in 4.4sec and 18mpg if you take it easy. Of course it's a Premier League footballer's SUV, but it's nicely executed even if you have to park it a long way down the drive to avoid waking everyone in the morning. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
