Land Rover Defender Octa - A Brand That Successfully Does It Right & Proves Me Wrong

It’s not often I write two car reviews or have two cars for articles at the same time, and I prefer the way it’s been — because what I do differently is share my experience with a car, not tell you the very Google-able-or-ask-Chat information I don’t find relevant. That being said, I wasn’t too bothered, because I was happy to have one and let the other sit and be the reserve — and just like when I got to drive a Jaguar, I wasn’t really excited about this one. The Land Rover Defender is a staple on our roads; I see one every day on my street and it’s never been a car I say “that’s what I want”… that was until I drove it. I have this recurring experience with anything JLR — and I must just say, it’s the only brand I’m giving an all-round 10/10 in today’s day and age.

While electrifying the streets of the Cape, a very special car was delivered to Hazendal and I wasn’t too curious to know what it was, because while I love JLR, I am all about the biggest, blackest, boldest, and most obnoxious RR side of things — and if I wanted a Defender, I would buy a G… well, that’s what I was going to do. First impressions are important but they’re not everything, so when I saw the wheel choice I wasn’t too sure on the rest. Humbled? Yes. Back in my lane? Yes. Proven wrong? 10,000,000%. Thank you, JLR… you will show me flames in all the best ways and I’m not upset about it.

When you get into this enormous piece of perfection, there’s no defending yourself, because this car creates the respect you and I all crave — elegantly and with class and reason. The interior is probably the most excited I have felt in a car — and once again, I was left questioning what cars are and whether I will ever love them like I love mine. Read the previous article if you’re not sure about the two different eras we live in.

I sat in the car and didn’t do anything but sit. “Did you drive it?” was the first question I was asked and the answer was just “No.” Why? The moment of sitting in a big car with a screen that’s perfectly sized, a gear shift that didn’t look like it was sensible but makes perfect sense — all packaged together with buttons, not too many, just functional and perfect to the touch — and a car that is… a car! F-ing F-Types and Defending Defenders are what I live for at 32 years old as I figure out my life.

I eventually pushed START — and the rest is history. The car I expected to be a first was forgotten while charging like the iPad I once “needed.” The noise that released as this beast woke up like its cat-sibling is one that, if you don’t experience in this lifetime, means you will never have the best life you deserve. I got car sick in the one I loved. The one I didn’t think I’d like? I had the music off and the engine playing on my emotions like the brand does over and over again. The roar — elegant and sophisticated but demanding attention — defending your every move as this controlled beast roams the streets of the slow and calm. I smiled. I really smiled. Really smiled. And then I cried — a lot. Not because I was sad. Because I just felt feelings, and feelings are important. When I drive, I feel everything life was meant to be, and that’s why I buy the cars I do — because I could be in anything else, but why drive that if I’m not feeling the feels? A car does it for me. It’s not a materialistic piece of metal that makes me feel better than I am — it’s a space that finally lets me be who I am and feel without making me feel self-conscious. My car will always be a huge part of my life, and not for the car itself but for the life I live with my car. It’s the little blanket that offers protection and safety to a 32-year-old.

What does that mean, really? It means that when you are self-aware, you have the ability to tell your horrible truths with confidence and without worrying about the judgement that follows. My truth? One of my biggest fears is being left, or having a person taken away from me — we can call it a version of abandonment issues that I haven’t overcome. And when my car is around, it’s there to protect me and get me out of whatever I need to get out of. When my car goes in for a service, I follow up sixteen times, and the moment it’s ready I’m there — I have even run to fetch it, just to make sure I get it back. When I drive new cars, I get saddened by the fact that I have to accept that my world will eventually have to change when I one day decide to buy a newer car and live a life of spending more than I can on a car. I’ll keep avoiding that one for as long as I can. But realistically, I know that my Mercedes will not be with me forever, even if I say I’m keeping it forever. I say this because I don’t want this new-age car-for-sale crap. Why does this need to be said? Well, it’s simple. In 2026, I can walk into Jaguar Land Rover and spend money I don’t have yet on a brand new car and feel the feelings I need — because they continue to make a car. Well done.

“But wait, Max — would you really buy a Land Rover? They’re so unreliable.” Let’s unpack this.

When did our brains take in so much information and still leave us saying things like “I’ll never drive a Range Rover, they’re so unreliable”? Well, Koos, let’s take jealousy and a lack of understanding of what a classy, capable, and purposeful car and brand feels like — your Toyota might be reliable, but while you’re stressing at Hennie’s about what you’re going to do when you walk out to blank spaces, let’s leave the nonsense of reliability out of it. Every car is full of nonsense, and my hardest experience is seeing a brand like Mercedes give an issue. But where the importance lies is what happens after. When a Mercedes goes in for a service — or breaks down — you take it to your Mercedes-Benz dealership, have it serviced for more money than the car is worth, and then it breaks down again, and the next Mercedes-Benz dealership tells you they didn’t fix it — and then it’s an endless struggle of screaming, anxiety, and stress. Is that worth it? No. So when you research why people buy from JLR and continue buying vehicle after vehicle and still drive the brand, the answer is simple: they treat their customers the way they’re meant to be treated. I’ve never met someone who told me they hated their experience at a JLR dealership. Mercedes? BMW? The others I worked for? Laughable. Disgraceful. So if you “sadly” buy a Land Rover, Range Rover, or Jaguar and you’re faced with an issue, you’ll be smiling a lot more than those of us who’ve dealt with German arrogance. And that… that’s why I’m team JLR. One of them, at least.

After meeting some of the JLR team — which I was fortunate enough to experience — and prior to sitting at a table with them, my palms were sweating. My floor was covered in outfit options consisting of black jeans and white T-shirts, and I pulled my face back to hide any lines of ageing and car troubles as I tried to present myself as perfectly as I imagined them to be. I sat down tense and ended up calming like never before. The most lovely, genuine, and incredible personalities sat around a table, sharing love and respect for one another — an experience I was completely blown away by. I said that night, for the first time in a long time after promising myself I’d never say this again: “I want to work at Jaguar Land Rover.” Impressive? The brand lives and speaks and oozes respect, class, and maturity. Something I am very drawn to.

Now, this might not tell you much about the Defender — but I can’t tell you about it. Your phone will be able to tell you more than I ever could, and you don’t need to know any of the specs from me. Why would you want to read something about a car to find out how much it costs when there’s a beautiful website that houses all that information? I need to offer something more than the engine size and colour options to hold any relevance, and I won’t be competing for that. What I am sharing is my experience and my feelings — because you can find what you need elsewhere, but you will never know how it feels unless you try it yourself. I watch car content all the time and I find it as boring as half the inventory when you search “2026” on AutoTrader. But through reading this, you will see how a brand, a product, a place — or even burnout — made me feel, and what it did to me at that point in time. That’s all sharing this can do. And when I wrote this, I felt emotions, excitement, and motivation — which should ignite a spark within you and a desire to feel your feelings. How do you do that? Drive a Jaguar or Land Rover and tell me what you felt. Or buy the one from Temu and live in the now, and we’ll chat in five years — that’s good too. As long as you experience life the way it should be.

When life has made me question it and made me want to stop loving things — cars specifically — I’ve found my way back into loving the thing I loved first. I don’t know how it happens, but when I need to feel motivated, hopeful, excited, and like the future is going to be fine, I somehow end up in the hands of a brand that Defended the passion.

Jaguar Land Rover — I once again give you a piece of my heart, soul, and life. Thank you for being the brand you are, for creating a product that understands experience and how the world should be. You’ve done it again. You’ve made me love cars and you’ve made me feel what I need to feel. I will now need a Defender to park next to the F-Type in my imaginary garage of perfection.