IT'S already the quickest pick-up on Britain's roads but now the Vauxhall Maloo is pushing into supercar territory with a new engine.

Boosted to 536ps the 6.2-litre V8 in the latest Maloo gives the truck a 0 to 60 acceleration of 4.6 seconds - and that's in the same league as a Jaguar F-Type.

The supercharged engine has its roots in that fitted to the Chevrolet Camaro ZL 1 and makes the Maloo LSA the fastest ‘ute' to come out of Australia.

Compared to the previous version, power is up by more than 100ps and there's a 20 per cent hike in torque which has meant a stiffer suspension set up all round.

Top speed stays at 155mph but the downside is a fuel return of just 15.3mpg with emissions almost off the scale at 363g/km.

Manual Maloos now come with another supercar feature in the shape of launch control while all versions retain their load-lugging ability of carrying more than half a tonne.

Like the Vauxhall VXR8 muscle car on which the Maloo is based it is rear wheel drive and the latest models have some added body features with black air vents on the bonnet and wings, black mirror cappings and new-look 20-inch alloys.

The VXR8, which delivers even more power at 585ps, is also getting a minor facelift with a new grille and side skirts as well as changes to the dashboard.

The latest Maloo LSA is priced from £54,500 (and as a commercial vehicle the 20 per cent VAT charge can be reclaimed) while the VXR8 GTS costs from £55,500 for a manual or £57,200 for a six speed auto.