As the first vehicle to come out of Jaguar Land Rover's Special Operations division, the new SVR is a hugely important product for the company. Considering key rivals Mercedes, BMW and Audi have all had their own special development divisions for some time, JLR's SO unit has been a long time coming.

The most headline-grabbing fact about the SVR is that its 5.0-litre V8 engine has been uprated to 542bhp – from 503bhp.

This is the main reason the SVR can now hit 62mph from standstill half a second quicker than the previous Sport – in 4.7 seconds.

It can also reach a top speed of 162mph – which is very fast for a 2.3 tonne car, although not as fast as a Porsche Cayenne.

And in no way is this a 'cheaper little runner'. As well as offering fuel economy of just 15.4mpg/22.1mpg (EU Urban/Combined), this new Merseyside mean machine costs the best part of £100,000.

So far reviewers have praised the car's superb handling and thrilling speed, although it has been pointed out that a diesel SDV8 might be a better option in terms of fuel economy and space (the SVR has lost a row of seating in order to prevent rear-axle overload).

The SVR seeks to be as comfortable on the test track as it is surging through mud. And according to many in the UK's motoring press, it has been most successful.