LAST week saw me road testing the most eagerly anticipated car I've had for a long time - and it didn't disappoint.
The vehicle in question was BMW's X5 3.0i and it's a beautiful machine in every respect.
There are a number of reasons why the prospect of my first X5 experience whetted the appetite so much.
For starters I was looking forward to being behind the wheel of a very good-looking 4x4, and being a poser I was also relishing driving a car which is a favourite with celebs and footy players.
Put all this together and you have a vehicle which even the most uncool, least sophisticated, plug-ugly motorist will impress in. And what's more, it doesn't perform half-bad either.
As no doubt you've already guessed, driving in the kind of luxury surroundings that my X5 provided doesn't come cheap. The 3.0i comes in at £33,140 and added to this was a further £8,000 of extras on the test car. These included leather upholstery, sports seats and a navigation system with TV.
To put the cost into context though, if you're looking at buying a Range Rover, the starting price is nearly £43,000.
From the exterior viewpoint, the X5 is both athletic and muscular, with short body overhangs, flared wheel arches and bulging bonnet giving it a distinctive appearance.
The rugged, go anywhere looks of the exterior weren't recreated in the spacious cream coloured interior of my test model. It was more like stepping into a show home than a potential mud-plugger! But by the time my week's road test was up, the spotless cream floor was covered in dirt - and I didn't do any off-roading.
The five-seater X5 is beautifully styled, boasting lots of leather and wood touches. Soothing and ultra-comfortable it is a great place to be, especially with a TV fitted into the dashboard.
The luggage compartment, accessed from a horizontally split tailgate, varies in capacity from 465 to 1550-litres depending on whether you fold the rear seats flat.
As for what it's like to drive, the X5 - which has 231bhp at its disposal and can reach 62mph from start in less than nine seconds - certainly gets my thumbs up.
The raised seating position offers a great view of the road and the automatic Steptronic gearbox is smooth. In self-shifting mode it rarely left me struggling for more power and if it did there was always the option of slipping into manual change.
The X5's road manners are confidence inspiring and and ride quality is high.
According to BMW's blurb it's supposed to be a very capable off-roader as well. I never got a chance to take it mud-plugging but there are numerous features for you to play with, including hill descent control.
FAST FACTS
BMW X5 3.0i
Price: £33,145
Mechanical: 231bhp, 2,979cc, 6cyl, 24V petrol engine, driving all four wheels via 5-spd auto with Steptronic
Max speed: 126mph
0-62mph: 8.8 secs
Combined mpg: 21.9
Insurance group: 17
CO2 emissions: 310g/km
BiK rating: 35%
Warranty: 3yrs/ unlimited mileage; 6yrs anti-rust