How when and why the combination of the three drive units work together is determined by an inverter, which also sees to it that whenever possible, a generator loads its battery pack while the car is freewheeling and more so when braking, where the generator adds significantly to the braking effort as it converts an otherwise spent force into electrical potential energy.

So when the engine and the motors are working at full power, this thing produces about 200kW and 500Nm, which on paper seems well, OK. But when we put it to the test, we were pretty well shocked at the results posted by this petrol-electric masterpiece…

The Lexus Performance Hybrid kills both its V8 petrol and high tech turbodiesel rivals here in every aspect of performance. It’s three-tenths of a second quicker than both to 100km/h and demolishes them over the quarter mile. And when it comes to elasticity, well it’s in another class altogether - you’ll need something with an M, AMG or RS badge to match this thing…

A bit of a shock from this electric car, hey…?

Then we get to fuel consumption and emissions and that’s where the hybrid really scores. It uses the same amount of petrol that the turbodiesel uses diesel, but remember that petrol is also the cheaper fuel right now. And because petrol produces less carbon per litre burned than diesel does, it’s a whole lot cleaner running, too… Driving the Performance Hybrid is another experience altogether, too. Any CVT car seems odd in the first place, but this one’s silence is eerie - if not dangerous. People just don’t hear it coming …

It's quite spooky to watch move about too - the diesel car clatters about, the V8’s beautiful rumble is ever present and the Performance Hybrid? Well all you hear are the twigs cracking and the gravel crunching under the tyres - that’s it! On the road in electric mode, it’s a ghost!

Performance Hybrid possesses quite a sensational feel - especially under electric power, but also when pushing that power gauge to 200kW it seems that a giant hand is shoving you along as that current comes in…

That dash energy display keeps you trying to drive it even more frugally, while its power meter - there is no rev counter, just a gauge showing the power it’s making - also has a blue band below that the needle dips into under braking to tell you how much you’re charging that battery, which takes up that charge surprisingly quickly. And as a statement of your eco status, man, nothing beats the latest Lexus hybrid…

The shocking truth

So here’s a thing.

We’ve been championing the cause of the latest diesel technology for a while and while we were quite interested to see how this newfangled Performance Hybrid stacked up, we never quite expected it to trounce that turbodiesel too.

Before we get into those two technologies though, let’s first spare a thought for the clear loser here - the petrol burning V8. How quickly has this configuration become a dinosaur?

Yes, we will likely see dirty great V8s in SUVs in future, but they will be few and far between and will probably only wear badges like M, AMG and RS and be reserved for oil sheiks, playboys and show offs.

Common garden V8 SUVs are destined to rapid extinction. After all, if the carmakers need to meet that 120 or 140 gram/km mark across their ranges, these will be the first models to be culled.

What’s the point of a V8 SUV anyway, when for less money (at Reef altitudes at least) you can get yourself a turbodiesel or a hybrid that kill it in any performance discipline…

The V8 SUV is all but dead - buy one of these new in a couple of years and you’ll be branded the villain, the carmaker criminal. It’s a pity really, but the world has caught up with this dirty specification of car - its days are numbered for sure…

The other two represent the other side of the coin - the solution for the driver who wants a big, strong SUV. Indeed both show that poor V8 a very clean pair of heels in every discipline and they offer the prospective owner a most interesting pair of solutions, but which wins this experiment of elimination?

Well each covers a different field and each offers a different answer to a different owner. For those who want to drive, there’s little doubt he or she will plump for the current acme of turbodiesels. It is the more ballsy car to drive and its maker’s inherent advantages come through brilliantly in every aspect of its performance.

Yet the turbodiesel, albeit that its fuel consumption is all but an identical match for the hybrid’s, burns a dirtier substance and is thus not quite as squeaky clean as its current-assisted rival. And that the petrol-electric car somehow conspires to drive away from the turbodiesel on top of it all is quite an astounding revelation. Shocking, actually!

But here we’re championing progress and performance in a world that frowns ever more on doing it dirty…

So, while the diesel car is a dynamic delight to drive; it may be the newer option and has all the kudos of its Bavarian maker, that the hybrid is faster in every respect, just as frugal and even cleaner, the hybrid wins this one by a nose.

That’s quite a revelation as we say. And so far the score is Hybrid 1, Diesel 0…