Defender Rally has today officially unveiled the Defender Dakar D7X-R, the toughest competition ready SUV from the brand to date, finished in an all-new rally livery. This is the model that will represent Defender in the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship, starting with the legendary Dakar Rally in January.
The new model has been derived from the production Defender OCTA with its strong body architecture and V8 engine, adding a number of rally-specific upgrades for the car to survive such brutal desert stages. It stays within the FIA’s new Stock category rules, which means that the bodyshell, drivetrain, and powertrain remain very close to the road car.
A talented lineup will be racing it. Three driver-co-driver pairs will take on the Dakar: Stephane Peterhansel with Mika Metge, Rokas Baciuska with Oriol Vidal, and Sara Price with Sean Berriman. They will be supported by a full engineering crew led by Team Principal Ian James.
Just like the standard Defender, every D7X-R starts its life at the Nitra plant in Slovakia, from which it receives all its rally modifications.
What Stays From the Defender OCTA
- Tough D7x body structure
- 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine running on advanced sustainable fuel
- Transmission and driveline layout carried over from the original setup
- Original silhouette and iconic boxy structure maintained
- Large portion of onboard electronics retained from the full-size model
All of these remain unchanged to meet Stock category rules.
What’s New for Dakar
To survive the dunes and rocky stages, the D7X-R gets a long list of changes: it has a wider track, raised ride height, and large 35-inch tyres. A huge 550-litre fuel tank sits at the rear for the long 800 km+ stages. A full FIA roll cage is installed inside.
The bodywork has been trimmed and modified front and rear to enhance approach and departure angles. The OCTA wheel arches have been made even more prominent in order to accommodate the wider track, while door panels are trimmed and strong new sills, under-floor protection are added to handle heavy landings.
It features a fully reworked suspension, with a single coil-over at the front and two parallel dampers at the rear provided by BILSTEIN, Defender Rally’s official shock absorber partner, which helps the car confront extreme jumps and the extra weight of the fuel tank.
Cooling hardware is also upgraded. The three radiators of the road model are replaced with one large radiator. It features four electric fans to assist cooling at slow speeds, a revised bonnet, and a sand-filter to keep airflow clean. New roof-mounted air intakes and rally lights are also fitted.
It also keeps the eight-speed automatic transmission but has a lower final drive for better low-speed torque in sand. Brakes are rally-spec with vented discs and strong multi-piston calipers.
Electronics are controlled by a singular motorsport-grade control unit with in-house rally tuning. New for this generation is “Flight Mode” that modulates torque delivery while the car is airborne to ensure smoother landings and driveline protection.
Inside, the SUV gets FIA-approved seats, a motorsport dashboard, a rally navigation system and space for tools, three spare wheels, compressed air, hydraulic jacks and the mandatory eight litres of water.
Defender Rally has already completed over 6,000 km of off-road testing with the D7X-R.
A New Competition Livery
The SUV boasts a new, rough ‘Geopalette’ livery inspired by sand, stone, earth, and a hint of Aqua, standing for rare desert water sources.
Mark Cameron, Managing Director, Defender, says the D7X-R is “the toughest Defender ever built,” created to showcase brands’s capability in some of the world’s harshest conditions.
Conclusion
The Defender Dakar D7X-R brings together the strength of the Defender OCTA and the upgrades needed for Dakar-level punishment. With proven drivers, serious hardware, long-distance testing, and a new desert livery, it arrives ready for one of the toughest motorsport challenges on the planet.