Walking towards our ‘burnt’ orange test car I felt a little in awe of its aggressive styling and menacing car park-presence – and the thing wasn’t even moving! In any body colour the CR8 just looks so tough, and for me that’s a good thing. If you’re looking at our pictures right now and thinking ‘mmm, that’s nice’, then read on. If already you’re thinking the car is a little OTT for you, keep looking and keep reading, because this wild-child just might grow on you.

OK, this is a Chevy Lumina SS, so you will recognise the shape, but this is an SS with a bad attitude and a gymnasium addiction, and it’s these go-large, bad-boy traits that make this car look and go just great. It’s actually HSV or Holden Special Vehicles that builds this car; HSV being the in-house tuners at Holden, Australia; Holden builds the Luminas and Chevrolet. General Motors (GM) owns Holden. All of this is not of particular importance other than knowing that HSV have had years of road and race experience making RWD, V8-engine’d cars go fast and handle well – so we’re in safe hands here. And HSV have done a great job in pumping-up the CR8.

The front and rear bumpers are bigger, deeper and more purposeful, the smooth and tidy front grille is unique, as are the front wing cut and meshed side vents, space-age LED taillights, super-sized rear spoiler, quad-exit exhaust tips and 19-inch, double-five-spoke alloy wheels - the CR8 is in your face, and with this shouting and screaming styling package makes no bones about what it wants to get up to… all the mischief you can throw at it! And it’s the growl, rumble and roar of that truly visceral V8 engine that urges you to go in search of the fun stuff.

Nestle down into the ‘CSV’ embroidered leather seats and the firm and shapely, well-bolstered and supportive design already makes you feel like a racing driver, without so much as the key going near the ignition. These seats perform as well as they look, keeping you locked and loaded into your chosen seating position, even as the G-forces increase, and for me, in this kind of car, that’s the most important thing. OK, so the rest of the interior is nothing special over and above the donor Lumina SS, but it all works well enough and there’s nothing there to annoy you while you enjoy the drive from the extra-ergonomic world of those excellent seats.

Everything’s a bit, well, err black really and some of the plastics can look and feel a little on the cheap side, but the A/C gets a good blast going and the steering wheel fits the sporty bill, while the rest of the controls are easy to work out and use – it’s all pretty basic, but it’s all there. The stereo isn’t great, hitting distortion levels pretty early on in the volume range - nothing a set of up-rated speakers wouldn’t cure. But remember, this car comes with a very special soundtrack already, something that no CD tune can ever beat, and where Chevrolet may have skimped a little on some interior specs, they’ve spent the savings elsewhere – under the hood and under the wheel arches…

The ‘LS2’ engine comes straight out of the Corvette, dropping right into the CR8’s engine bay and taking up pretty much all the room there was on offer. Make no mistake, this is a big, thirsty engine, especially when you drive it vigorously – 6-litres is no joke, but where better than our cheap petrol, heavenly haven of the UAE to own something a little less politically correct – so you might see some fairly shocking fuel figures… so what… the CSV-enhanced mega-motor churns out 400hp at 6000rpm and 550Nm of torque at 4400rpm. And this engine, partnered with the 6-speed manual gearbox, serves up blistering acceleration and the biggest motoring grins that around AED 180,000 can buy, time and time again.

The gearbox isn’t exactly as slick as a knife through butter and it does take a little getting used to to get the shifts short and sweet. The slightly stiff clutch pedal also takes a little mastering, but all of this adds to the experience, rather than detracts from it, and once you’ve worked with the CR8 for a few days you really start to feel a part of the driving experience. And that’s exactly what this car is about.

The grip, firm but not too firm ride, and surefooted feel through the bends always inspires you with confidence and the safety net of the huge brakes bitten hard by large 4-piston calipers and perceptive traction control take away any worries you might initially have about manhandling this beast. Push hard through the turns and the back end will start to over-steer, rather than drifting the front end into under-steer, but only in a gentle, progressive way, whilst the stability aids will always gather you up if speed exceeds ability. Switch the traction control off, mind you, and you’ll be smoking and roasting the rear rubber like its silly season! The CR8 is as great as you can be and want it to be, delivering a huge package of fun to any driver, regardless of their level of skills - as long as they love some fun, they will love the CR8. Praise indeed.

But, will your head let you buy one? Well, if you have this sort of money for a new car and your Dubai-inspired instinct leads you towards yet another large SUV, think again before signing on the dotted line. The CR8 offers plenty of interior space and comfort for four adults, a large boot and plenty of ‘look at me’ style and aggression. And, more importantly, it offers the sort of driving thrills that pretty much no other car, and certainly no sluggish and heavy SUV, can offer for this sort of money. Regardless of what type of car you think you are in the market for the Chevrolet CRV CR8 is definitely a highly recommended test drive – just take it for a spin and you might just find yourself in a car that can satisfy your head’s and your heart’s desires.

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