Confession time: we haven't actually driven the Range Rover Sport SV yet. But we have driven the standard version of the latest Range Rover Sport, and it's excellent. So the idea of adding a meaty V8 is absolutely fine with us, and we have high expectations.

The top-of-the-line version of the latest Sport has a whopping 635PS, and is the most powerful V8 option you can get. It's not the only one though, as the P530 model uses a detuned version of the same twin-turbo engine to develop "just" 530PS.

The SV follows on from another car that once graced this list, and is still recommended – the previous generation Range Rover Sport SVR. That used a supercharger on its 5.0 V8 to develop 567PS, which meant a 0-62mph time of 4.3 seconds and a barking soundtrack that was intoxicating. So this new one should be quite the excitement.

If you want a sporty V8 that can slot right into family life then they don’t come much sportier than the Porsche Panamera Turbo S.

It comes with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 that produces 630PS and will launch it from 0-62mph in just 3.1 seconds, accompanied by an exhaust note that sounds like a WW1 artillery barrage that preceded a charge over no man's land. With four-wheel drive and exemplary handling, the Panamera gives you the confidence to explore its sky-high limits and few cars will get close to it on a twisting country road.

However, the Panamera combines all these qualities with a tech-laden, very posh interior that has space for four people and a large boot.

Want to have your V8 cake and eat it? Then you might want to get behind the wheel of the Mercedes-AMG C 63 Estate. This is a luxurious family car with a posh interior that has loads of room for four and a boot that’ll make your pooch think all its Christmases have come at once. 

In fairness, you’ll probably be thinking the same. The C 63 S is fitted with a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 that produces 510PS and a sound that makes an '80s power ballad seem more like a manufactured love song from the 2000s. It can’t fail to put a massive grin on your face. Acceleration is brutal, the Mercedes gets from 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds and will keep on going until you hit a top speed of 180mph.

The C 63 might be a sensible estate car but it doesn’t feel like it when you hit the corners. It grips well, brakes hard and has a variety of driving modes that mean you can transform it back to a comfy cruiser at a twiddle of the car’s drive selector. 

If you’re looking for the ultimate performance estate then you won’t go far wrong with the Audi RS6. It takes a standard Audi A6 Avant adds aggressive styling inside and out and slots a 600PS twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 under the bonnet.

Performance is explosive. The RS6 gets from 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds and if you get the optional Dynamic Pack it won’t stop until it hits 174mph. The RS6 might roar like a lion but it's significantly easier to handle. It comes with quattro four-wheel drive as standard so power is delivered to the road with the minimum of fuss, all-wheel steering makes it feel surprisingly nimble and a set of massive brakes deal with stopping.

You won’t find any chinks in its armour on the inside, either. The pretty looking touchscreens get unique RS graphics and sports seats. You also get room for four and a massive boot.

The Ford Mustang is the kind of old-school, front-engined American muscle car that made the V8 engine famous in the first place.

Muscle cars are all about providing serious performance in a simple and affordable package and the Mustang fits the bill perfectly. Fittingly, you can pick up a 5.0-litre V8 Mustang for the same price as a mid-spec BMW 3 Series fitted with a puny 2.0-litre diesel. By contrast, Ford’s V8 produces a deep, menacing rumble and 449PS which is enough to get it from 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds. It’s charisma personified.

The current model is the first Mustang to be officially sold in the UK in right-hand drive form, so it won’t be a pain to live with like the old model. It’s also a lot more sophisticated. Independent rear suspension – a Mustang first – makes it feel significantly more tied down in corners, you can have adjustable dampers, an adjustable exhaust and a ten-speed automatic gearbox. A sophisticated Mustang? Now there’s a thing...

If you want your V8-engined car to be more luxurious than racy, then the Bentley Mulsanne might be the car for you. It can (loosely) trace the origins of its 6.75-litre V8 back to the Bentley S2 that went on sale in 1952.

Unlike most of the V8s here, which focus on raw horsepower, the Bentley is all about producing an overwhelming tsunami of torque – up to 1100Nm of it from just 1750rpm. What does that mean in the real world? Well, it means that the lightest dab on the accelerator pedal is enough for the Mulsanne to sweep past long queues of traffic with barely a burble to be heard from its cruise-liner sized exhaust pipes. 

On paper, it gets from 0-62mph in as little as 4.8 seconds, which is impressive even before you consider that the Bentley’s interior could rival a country manor for opulence (and weight). 

If you want to own one of the prettiest V8s on sale then you can’t go wrong with the Jaguar F-Type, which is the spiritual successor to the Jaguar E-type which went on sale in the 1960s.

While it’s inspired by a classic, it doesn’t have classic performance. Go for the F-Type R and you get a supercharged 575PS 5.0-litre V8 that can get from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds and on to a top speed of 186mph. Yet standard four-wheel drive means it never feels uncontrollably lairy. The F-Type might not be dialled into corners like a Porsche 911, but it still feels sportscar agile and is comfortable over long distances. 

Unfortunately, to get that classic long-bonnet, short-body look, Jaguar had to dispense with rear seats, although the hatchback-style boot is surprisingly practical. 

The Lexus LC500 has a mixture of curves and creases that make it look like it belongs on a motor show stand, not the road. 

At its heart is a 478PS 5.0-litre V8 which gives the Lexus the exotic noise and performance to match its looks – it gets from 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds and tops out at a 168mph. The Lexus is great to drive when in your mood, but also a very comfortable car when you want the miles to roll by as quickly as possible. It comes as standard with a ten-speed automatic gearbox which means the engine is barely ticking over at a cruise.

Inside, the LC500’s cocooned driving position, leather padded interior and sculpted metal door handles mean the interior feels just as glamorous as the exterior looks.

The Ferrari F8 is Europe’s interpretation of what the perfect V8 should look like. And it looks really rather good.

The Ferrari is powered by a twin-turbocharged V8 producing a mighty 720PS – enough to get it from 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds and on to a top speed of a mind-blowing 211mph. The cheeky beggars at Ferrari actually electronically limit torque at low revs to encourage you to make full use of the F8’s heady 8000rpm redline. What defines the F8’s V8 though – and what makes it such a high revving engine – is its flat-plane crank which makes it produce a high-pitched scream that’s a contrast to the rumble offered by most V8 alternatives.

Naturally, this being a Ferrari, every other part of the car is excellent. It looks stunning and a suite of F1 inspired electronics means you don’t have to be a driving god to explore its extremely high limits.

It would be impossible to have a list of the best cars that are V8 and not include an LS -engined Chevrolet Corvette. The latest model, the C8, comes with a 6.2-litre V8 that produces 495PS and a dollop of torque that gives it effortless in-gear acceleration. 

It emits the kind of off-beat rumble on startup that makes V8 engines so charismatic and it develops into a thunderous roar as you up the revs. Performance is impressive with 0-62mph coming up in less than three seconds and the car topping out at 194mph. 

The best part about LS V8 is that it now comes attached to a car that’s properly equipped for Europe. This US supercar is the first mid-engine Corvette, so has handling balance, cornering grip and traction that was out of reach to previous generations of the car. And like every Corvette before it you get this supercar performance at a bargain price.