A WORD of advice - if you want to be inconspicuous and go relatively unnoticed, it would be wise not to climb behind the wheel of the mighty BMW X6.

Big, bold and more than a tad aggressive looking, the five-door coupe crossover not only stands out from the crowd, but stands over it...even more so when the paintwork is brilliant white with contrasting huge black alloys.

So, the novel idea of a high performance coupe, with four wheel drive and the capacity to carry four people and huge amounts of luggage might not be to everyone's taste but it's a concept that is gaining ground.

The X6 spans a price range from around £46,000 to more than £80,000 for the beefy V8 M petrol.

I opted for the 4.0 Diesel xDrive which, at 301bhp, shoves out a useful 60bhp more than the 3.0d version.

Despite being tall - and almost 2.2 metres wide - the X6 tends to shrink around the driver with huge reserves of power and the sort of agile handling that never used to be available in four-wheel-drives.

The lofty driving position together with masses of torque - more than 440lb/ft - mean that safe overtaking can be carried out absurdly quickly.

An eight-speed automatic gearbox with manual over-ride and paddle change gives you a choice between hands-on sporty driving and a less involved approach.

Levels of refinement are generally good, although the big diesel becomes a bit vocal under full power.

In keeping with the driver-focused character of the X6, ride is tuned for handling and cornering rather than outright comfort. Roll angles are low and the suspension might be a shade firm if you are used to more conventional SUVs.

With its high ratio rack, steering is precise and intuitive which adds to the car's sporty nature. Outright acceleration is swift - 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds - but most impressive is the mid-range thrust which catapults you from 40mph to the legal limit.

Despite the abundant power, thirst is comparatively meagre at 33mpg (the official combined average is 37.7mpg) and the emissions level just scrapes below the 200g/km mark.

The cabin is typical BMW with quality leather and high grade, heavy duty plastic mouldings which are good to the touch.

It's all a bit sombre and traditional but there's an impression of longevity if not individuality.

The more rakish shape of the coupe styling obviously limits, to some degree, the height and overall carrying capacity, nevertheless, it absorbs 570 litres of cargo without folding the back seats and up to 1,450 litres when folded.

The X6 is a strict four-seater, unlike its less glamorous brother the X5, which has a bench rear seat and seatbelts for three.

Equipment levels on the £49,340 4.0d are pretty generous with parking sensors, metallic paint, climate control and automatic transmission all standard. But sat-nav will set buyers back almost £2,000.

Distinctive and great fun to drive, the X6 loses very little in terms of practicality over more mundane SUVs. It is a trendsetter which is currently being emulated by rival marques.