Defender OCTA vs AMG G63: 626 hp vs 577, $37,000 Apart

The short answer: the Defender OCTA is quicker and about $37,000 cheaper. The Mercedes-AMG G63 has more torque, a longer pedigree and much stronger resale. If you want the faster and better-value machine, it is the OCTA. If you want the one that will still be worth serious money in five years, it is the G63.

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These two arrived at the same place from opposite directions. Land Rover took a Defender and made it absurd. Mercedes has been making the G-Class absurd for forty years and simply carried on.

	Defender OCTA	Mercedes-AMG G63
Engine	4.4L twin-turbo V8 (BMW S68)	4.0L twin-turbo V8, mild hybrid
Power	626 hp	577 hp
Torque	553 lb-ft (590 on overboost)	627 lb-ft
0–60 mph	3.8 seconds	about 4.2 seconds
Top speed	150 mph	137 mph
Gearbox	8-speed automatic	9-speed automatic
Starting price (US)	$158,300	about $195,550
Body	110 only	Five-door only

Defender figures from Land Rover; G63 figures from Mercedes and US EPA listings for the 2026 model year.

The OCTA wins the numbers, the G63 wins the feel

On paper this is not close. The OCTA makes 49 more horsepower, reaches 60 mph four tenths sooner and runs on to 150 mph against the G63’s 137. It also costs roughly $37,000 less before either car reaches the options list.

The G63 answers with torque: 627 lb-ft against 553, delivered lower down. That is why the G63 feels unburstable at low revs and why it tows 7,000 lb without drama, while the OCTA is the car that feels faster the harder you push it.

Both use a twin-turbo V8 with a mild hybrid system. Neither is quick in a way that makes any practical sense in a two-and-a-half tonne box.

Two completely different ideas about off-road

The OCTA’s party piece is 6D Dynamics: hydraulically interconnected dampers combined with dual-chamber air springs. It keeps the body flat and the wheels planted at speed, which is why Land Rover talks about the OCTA in the language of desert racing rather than rock crawling.

The G63 goes the other way. Three locking differentials and a live rear axle are old-fashioned, heavy and enormously effective when the surface runs out. It asks more of the driver and gives more back to one who knows what they are doing.

In practice: the OCTA is the one you would rather drive fast across broken ground. The G63 is the one you would rather be in when the ground stops being ground.

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Price, and the part nobody mentions until later

The OCTA starts at $158,300, or $168,700 for the OCTA Black. The G63 starts around $195,550. On day one the Defender is the obvious value.

Day one is not where this argument ends. The G-Class has one of the strongest depreciation records of any large SUV, and the AMG versions hold on hardest. The Defender depreciates at a more ordinary rate. Over five years the purchase-price advantage narrows considerably, and for some buyers it reverses.

If you keep cars for a decade, buy on the sticker price. If you change every three years, do the resale maths before you decide the OCTA is cheaper.

Running costs

The G63 is EPA-rated at 14 mpg city, 16 highway, 15 combined. The OCTA, with a larger and more powerful twin-turbo V8, is not going to make you feel better about fuel. Neither of these is a vehicle where economy is a deciding factor, and both sit in the highest insurance brackets.

Servicing favours the Defender, as it does across the whole range compared with the G-Class.

Which should you buy?

Buy the OCTA if you want the faster car, you value the way it deals with rough ground at speed, and you would rather spend the $37,000 difference on something other than a badge.

Buy the G63 if you want the torque, the resale, and the presence that comes from a shape everyone has recognised since 1979. Nobody has ever bought a G63 for rational reasons and nobody should start now.

If you are still deciding between the Defender’s own V8 and the OCTA, that is covered in Defender V8 vs OCTA. For the standard Defender against the standard G-Class, see Defender vs G-Wagon, and every Defender trim and price is in the price guide.

Common questions

Is the Defender OCTA faster than a G63?

Yes. The OCTA does 0–60 mph in 3.8 seconds against roughly 4.2 for the G63, and tops out at 150 mph against 137.

How much cheaper is the Defender OCTA?

About $37,000. The OCTA starts at $158,300 in the United States, the G63 at around $195,550.

Which is better off road, the OCTA or the G63?

It depends on the ground. The OCTA’s 6D Dynamics suspension makes it far better across rough terrain at speed. The G63’s three locking differentials and live rear axle make it better at slow, technical, traction-limited work.

Does the OCTA hold its value like a G-Wagon?

No. The G-Class is one of the strongest performers in the segment for resale, and the Defender is not in that company. It is the single strongest financial argument for the Mercedes.