[AutoGuide.com]

Range Rover has long pushed the limits of what an SUV can do in the wilderness, but it’s latest model is setting new levels of performance on a different sort of off-road excursion.

The British manufacturer has announced its upcoming Range Rover Sport SVR has set a new lap record at the Nurburgring (for SUVs), with a time of just 8 minutes and 14 seconds.

To put that into perspective, that’s just 20 seconds off the fastest time for a sedan, set by the Porsche Panamera Turbo.

Along with other upgrades the SVR model also boasts a tuned 5.0-liter supercharged V8, which makes 39 hp more than the standard model for a total of 542 hp.

Better yet, Land Rover claims its Range Rover Sport SVR’s on-track performance doesn’t compromise it’s off-road capability.

“The Nürburgring is a benchmark for vehicle development and testing, and cars become stronger, more durable and faster over its 13 miles and 70-plus corners,” said Mike Cross, Chief Engineer Vehicle Integrity for Land Rover. “We wanted to see whether an SUV could behave like a performance car in this challenging environment. The results are spectacular and the Range Rover Sport SVR has demonstrated outstanding on-road performance capabilities.”

Read the complete story on the Range Rover Sport SVR at AutoGuide.com