LAND Rover is taking the performance SUV fight to Porsche as the off roadercum-luxury car maker has unveiled a 550 horsepower version of its Range Rover Sport.
It goes without saying, perhaps, that this is the fastest, most powerful Land Rover ever produced.
It is also the first to wear the SVR designation being adopted by future Land Rover and Jaguar high-performance models.
The Range Rover Sport SVR accelerates from 0-60mph in 4.5 seconds and boasts a top speed electronically limited to 162mph plus a Nurburgring Nordschleife lap time of 8 minutes 14 seconds - one of the fastest times ever recorded by a production SUV, and a frankly extraordinary achievement by the car's engineers given its size and weight.
John Edwards from Land Rover acknowledged the SVR will hold niche appeal. "The Range Rover Sport SVR is a natural progression beyond the core vehicle's outstanding on- and off-road capabilities and leading-edge design," he said. "Its exhilarating performance will satisfy a particularly demanding customer set. "A thorough range of revisions specially developed by Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations combine to make this premium derivative even more distinctive both inside and out, as well as taking its dynamic capabilities to the next level without impacting on comfort, refinement or all-terrain versatility. "The Range Rover Sport SVR is truly the world's most capable performance SUV."
If you think you have a gap in your life for a stupidly fast and undoubtedly thirsty SUV, mark October on your calendar now; that's when order books open, with deliveries expected to start early next year.
The price? A mere £93,450...