Ducati Panigale V4

1103cc | 195kg | 211bhp | 830mm

Cash price £19,390 Deposit £4689.32 Mileage 5000pa Rate 7.6% APR Optional final payment £9743

The new Panigale V4 changes everything. Or does it? It still looks like a Panigale, that red paint is familiar, and even the name rings a bell. But for all the familiarity, it’s what Ducati have done under the skin that makes the new V4 such a dramatic quantum leap forward.

If that familiarity is off-putting, how do the claims of 211bhp, 195kg and a modal shift in electronic rider aids grab you? Make no mistake, this will be the superbike to beat in 2018. This is the first mass-produced Ducati to have a four-cylinder engine (the Desmosedici was a limited edition), and it’s been born out of the current MotoGP engine, albeit with a boost in cubes to 1103cc. The 90° V4 uses the same 81mm bore as the GP bike with a longer stroke for improved low-to-mid rev torque, with a counter-rotating crank and twin-pulse ignition. But despite the racing roots, the service intervals are impressively spaced at 7500 miles, with a valve check every 15,000 miles.

There’s also an all-new frame which uses the engine as a stressed member – keeping the dry weight down at 175kg.

All the rider aids (Cornering ABS EVO, Traction Control EVO, Slide Control, Wheelie Control EVO, Power Launch, Quick Shift up/down EVO, Engine Brake Control EVO) are incorporated in the three new Riding Modes (Race, Sport and Street) and can be adjusted via the TFT dash. The Panigale V4 S (£23,895) adds electronic Öhlins suspension and Marchesini wheels for added appeal.