At a time when we are told we should be saving the planet by buying smaller, more frugal vehicles, the BMW X6 5.0i is a hard car to commend with a clear conscience.
Tipping the scales at 2.2 tonnes, dramatically styled for bullish effect and only able to accommodate four passengers, it will turn the green lobby red with rage.
That rage may well become apoplexy when inspection of the machine's vital statistics reveals it is powered by a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine, pumping out up to 300kW and 600Nm, and pumping in fuel at the rate of 13.8 litres per 100 kilometres on the standard cycle (and rather more if you drive it hard).
Yet while it may be an anachronism by modern motoring priorities, it still represents a substantial engineering achievement.
Its magnificent engine endows it with a keen accelerative punch and sublime sound track that is hard to reconcile with a car of such size and mass.
A 0-100kmh sprint time of just 5.4sec under full throttle is just the start, with the finish coming - according to official figures - when the car's factory-fitted speed limiter intervenes at 250kmh.
Even more impressively, the X6 rides and handles more like the grand-touring sports coupe its swooping roof line hints at than the SUV its tall stance and bulk suggest.
Assured rather than nimble, it muscles its way around twists and turns with supreme confidence, aided by the xDrive all-wheel-drive system constantly shifting the power balance between wheels.
If you are wanting a big Beemer with a modicum of off-road ability though, look to the X5; the X6 is not designed for the rough stuff. Had the weather turned sour, even a ski-field access road could have left the test car stranded; it was fitted with optional 20-inch rims and tyres to match, so had insufficient room for chains.
A stranding would be comfortable, mind, especially as the test car boasted extras that lifted the price to $184,550 from the standard $175,000 tag.
As optioned, it included superb leather-trimmed and heated sports front seats, satellite navigation (with the display doubling as a television and DVD screen), Bluetooth, a great factory sound system, dual-zone climate, and a host of other features.
Those in the back enjoy the same plush ambience as front-seat occupants, but while there is no shortage of leg or shoulder room, taller folk will find the swooping coupe line impacts adversely on headroom.
Safety credentials are up to the mark, with multiple airbags, active front head rests, and stability control all standard. Hill descent control, cruise control and a head-up display for speed and navigation information also feature.
Unfashionable as it may be in current times, the X6 5.0i is still an impressive machine, made memorable by the way it goes and looks rather than what it represents.
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