Actor Dulquer Salmaan Buys His Second Defender, A 635hp OCTA
Indian actor Dulquer Salmaan, fondly called DQ, is famous as an automotive enthusiast as well. He has a great taste in cars and owns several drool-worthy machines. His collection even has rare vintage and classic models. The actor is often seen driving these and spending quality time on the road. Dulquer has now bought his second Land Rover Defender. This time, he has brought home the range-topping Defender 110 OCTA, which has an ex-showroom price of 2.59 Crores in India.
Soon after the actor took delivery of his new V8-powered Defender, pictures and videos of it were shared online. Muthoot Motors, the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) dealer in Kochi, commenced this delivery.
Salmaan seems to have chosen ‘Petra Copper’ as the colour for his OCTA. It has a Matte finish and looks spectacular in videos shared online. The roof and tailgate are finished in Black.
In one of the videos, we see the actor driving the Octa through a mall parking, closely followed by his other Defender- a 110 finished in Tasman Blue and powered by a 3.0L diesel engine. We can see how different the OCTA is, in terms of styling and road presence.
The OCTA, as seen in this video here, doesn’t have number plates. Dulquer Salmaan and his father, veteran actor Mammootty are quite particular about the registration numbers of their vehicles. They always prefer to have ‘369’ on their plates. Even the Tasman Blue Defender has ‘369’ plates! The OCTA will likely join the 369 club as well.
Jaguar Land Rover launched the OCTA in India earlier this year. Think of it as the brutally powerful, performance-focused version of the Defender, an SUV that’s known for its ruggedness and go-anywhere nature. Its closest rival in the Indian market is the Mercedes G63 AMG. Dulquer, by the way, owns a G63 AMG as well.
The OCTA isn’t just about speed and on-road performance alone. Take it to the trails and you’ll be super-impressed! It is a capable off-roader, and the powerful petrol engine only makes things better!
Under its hood is a 4.4-litre BMW-sourced twin-turbo V8 petrol mild-hybrid that makes 635hp and 750Nm (Up to 800Nm in ‘launch mode’). This is, in fact, the same engine that’s found in the BMW M5. Despite its weight, the OCTA can do the 0-100 kph sprint in just 3.8 seconds. The top speed here is 250kph.
It comes with Four Wheel Drive (4WD) hardware, a new 6D Dynamics suspension (that uses hydraulically interlinked dampers to eliminate the need of having to use a physical anti-roll bar) for better wheel articulation and reduced pitch and roll, and longer and tougher wishbones, better underbody protection, and a massive 319mm of ground clearance!
The approach, departure and breakover angles are significantly better than the standard Defender, and the wading depth is now 1 metre (1000mm, which is 100 mm more than that of the standard Defender). The OCTA is indeed the most capable Defender on the planet right now!
Even on the design front, the OCTA has enough to distinguish itself from the regular Defender. It looks a lot meaner with the flared wheel arches, reworked front bumper, larger grille area and the exclusive 22-inch wheels shod with all-season tyres. Several ‘OCTA’ badges can also be found on the exterior.
The performance-spec Defender comes in four bespoke colour options- Carpathian Grey, Charente Grey, Faroe Green and Petra Copper- all available in matte and glossy avatars. The actor’s choice here is definitely unique, as shades of Grey are the favourites among OCTA customers.
Inside, the OCTA gets a larger 11.4-inch infotainment touchscreen, Burnt Sienna semi-aniline leather upholstery, performance seats with 3D-knit texture and integrated headrests, and even a mini-fridge inside the centre console. Land Rover has even given it the signature 'Body and Soul Seat' audio tech that vibrates the seats according to the music that’s playing inside.