At a glance

Jaguar F-Pace SVR Price: $157,900.

Powertrain: 5.0-litre supercharged petrol, 404kW/680Nm, AWD, fuel economy 11.9 litres per 100km, CO 2 273g/km (source: RightCar), 0-100kmh 4.3 seconds.

Vital statistics: 4740mm long, 1670mm high, 2874mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 508 litres, 22-inch wheels. We like: Sledgehammer thrust, big boot, brazen attitude.

We don’t like: Dated infotainment, auto slower than a dual clutch.

Mercedes-AMG C63 S Estate

Price: $170,800.

Powertrain: 4.0-litre biturbo petrol, 375kW/700Nm, RWD, fuel economy 10.7 litres per 100km, CO 237g/km, 2 0-100kmh 4.1 seconds.

Vital statistics: 4771mm long, 1441mm high, 2840mm wheelbase, luggage capacity 490 litres, 19-inch wheels. We like: Drives as well as other variants, roominess, build quality. We don’t like: Axle tramp under hard acceleration, gear selector stalk.

Jaguar F-Pace SVR needs a lot of air. It also makes a lot of noise.

AMG is very modern but still old-school in some ways: Loud V8, rear-drive.