Examine the front of the just released BMW X6 M and you may be surprised to see there are no foglights. The reason for this is simple; the big twin-turbo V8 petrol engine needs all the air it can get to pump up its power and to get sufficient air to the cooling system to keep the stunning powerplant at the correct operating temperature.

This is a serious high-performance machine, not just a pretty pretender in the automotive stakes. Indeed it's so serious that BMW Australian chose to hold the press launch at the ultra-fast Philip Island race track. There we journalists were free to have unrestrained use of the track under the guidance of BMW's chief driving instructor Geoff Brabham.

The launch of a 4WD on a racing circuit probably sound preposterous, indeed it would be in the case of the great majority of 4WDs/SUVs, but for the M (for Motorsport) version of the BMW X6 it made a lot of sense.

Let's get some numbers out on paper before we look at the performance of the latest BMW for 2010. The 4.4-litre V8 engine develops a neat 555 horsepower (408 kilowatts in metric terms) and 680 Newton metres (that's right 680!). Not only is that torque extremely high, it's even more amazing because the twin turbochargers mean the 680 Nm is there on demand all the way from 1500 to 5650 revs. Meaning that in real life driving all that grunt is on tap all the time.

This engine output means the big BMW X6 is faster to 100 km/h (a mere 4.7 seconds) than any other vehicle in its class. Yet it uses less petrol –being officially measured at 14.3 litres per hundred kilometres by Australian Design Rule 81/02 – than any other in the class.

More performance/less fuel usage really does indicate that BMW is travelling strongly in its quest for Efficient Dynamics (to use its own term). A quest that seems contradictory, yet the German giant is proving that it is possible.

On the track the big BMW holds on grimly in corners. For a two and a half tonne vehicle it has plenty of handling ability. Though it's not always keen to change direction in tight on-road running, the high-speed flowing nature of Philip Island suited it to perfection. It got close to its governed top speed of 250 km/h on the main straight, with us touching the brakes for the swooping right hander at just over 240 km/h.

The brakes hauled off speed for the two tight right handers that are almost like U-turns and never showed any signs of fade, even when slowing from 180 km/h to 80 km/h in just a few seconds.

Yet this big four-seater SUV/coupe has plenty of comfort for regular on-road use and makes an impressive sight in the cafe and other cruising circuits.

You can allow electronic aids to help you, or switch them off in various stages. We used the ‘M’ setting which allows a fair bit of vehicle action in the way of understeer or oversteer before taking control to try to get it on the straight and narrow again. This is the way most owners are likely to treat the X6 M.

The complete BMW X6 range, with prices (excluding government and dealer charges) is:
X6 xDrive 35i 3.0-litre petrol: $115,700 (automatic)
X6 xDrive 35d 3.0-litre turbo-diesel: $121,500 (automatic)
X6 xDrive 50i 4.4-litre petrol: $146,000 (automatic)
X6 xDrive M 4.4-litre petrol: $179,900 (automatic)