Escape Room

Just get out of here. That’s pretty much the basic idea when life is drowning in monotony. Well, escape rooms are there for exactly that sort of situation. And speaking of these games: ten years ago, they sprang up like mushrooms in the woods after a downpour. The idea is that people are locked in a room and have to find their way out of their prison within a set time limit, using hidden clues. It’s doable. But you can also use the OCTA as an escape room. You climb in, leave the beaten track behind – the rut of life – and break free. Off-road.

Land Rover developed the OCTA precisely for this rough terrain. The biggest leap forward in development is the 6D Dynamics suspension. This comprises a system of hydraulically interconnected dampers that replaces conventional anti-roll bars. The aim: to ensure the wheels maintain contact with the ground for as long as possible in order to transfer drive power. If one wheel has to compress or extend significantly, the other wheels maintain contact with the ground for longer. This ensures that traction is maintained for longer. Only when the mechanics reach their limits do traction control and braking interventions kick in.

However, a large part of the OCTA’s off-road capabilities lies in the software. Land Rover calls this ‘Terrain Response 2’. This is a driving programme that recognises the terrain or allows the driver to select it – such as sand, mud, rocks, gravel or snow. Depending on the programme, the power distribution between the wheels, the automatic gearbox, the accelerator pedal and the traction control system is adjusted. On sand, for example, the system allows for more wheel slip to prevent the vehicle from digging in. On rocky terrain, the throttle response is significantly more refined, allowing the Defender to manoeuvre over obstacles centimetre by centimetre. In the exclusive OCTA mode, a further set of settings is added. It optimises the suspension, steering, ABS and control systems for fast driving on gravel.

And that is precisely where the OCTA differs from many traditional off-road vehicles: naturally, you can go quite a long way in it, but that’s not the key point – it’s also quick in places where others would have long since slowed down. Well. Sometimes, the escape from the daily grind isn’t about fiddling around trying to work out how to open a door, but about closing a car door, starting the engine and simply putting your foot down.

→ You can read this and other stories in the new ramp #71 ‘Yabba Dabba Doo!’