| First UK Drive | Reading, England | Infiniti FX50S |

They say you should arrive in style and Infiniti's FX50S is certainly one way of doing that - so long as there are no width restrictors at your destination, as it's vast. There's nothing quite like it on the road though; as a means of letting the public know that there's a new brand out there this 5.0-litre V8-engined SUV is it, the FX50S now available in the UK officially.

In the Metal

We've driven the FX50S briefly before, yet our revisit here on UK roads has done nothing to soften the visual blow. We're not really sure where Infiniti got inspiration for this overblown SUV from, but trainers, overstuffed children's toys and Stay Puft marshmallow man from Ghostbusters all surely featured on the inspiration board at Infiniti design HQ. That it makes its standard 21-inch alloys look right underlines its outrageous proportions, the FX50S wide, low and tall all at the same time. It looks sporty too, not in the traditional huntin', shootin', fishin' way many Sports Utility Vehicles do, but more akin to a sports car. It'll shake up the marketplace, of that there's no doubt, the FX50S an oddity that while wrong in many ways is really very appealing indeed.

What you get for your Money

Infiniti is wading in heavily with a value package leaving its customers with little to tick on the options list. Really, choices will be largely the colour inside and out, the date you want it delivered and the type of coffee your ever-so-attentive Infiniti sales person will be only too happy to serve you. Those huge 21-inch wheels are the most obvious standard kit outside; next to them it's unlikely you'll notice the clever scratch-healing self-repairing paint.

All wheels are driven by a 385bhp 5.0-litre V8 via a paddle-shifted seven-speed auto, the suspension is continuously controlled and the rear wheels are steered. There's even a limited-slip differential, this big SUV's specification resembling a sports car's rather than an SUV's. Inside it's better stocked than Comet - with a brilliant all-round view camera among the more memorable bits of standard kit (you'll need it to park it) - and has more electric motors than a Scalextric club.

Driving it

The first thing that strikes you inside is just how tiny the steering wheel feels. It's not, but the scale of the bonnet - and specifically the view of what you're piloting out the windscreen - does make the steering wheel feel like a ten pence piece steering a supertanker. Dynamically the FX50S is a good bit better than a tanker though; indeed it's quite stupidly competent. Aluminium in its construction keeps the weight sensible, meaning it changes direction quickly, while the wide track and suspension control mean it does so without much in the way of roll, either.

With the car's size to contend with it's best to leave the automatic to its own devices, the FX50S needing some concentration - and the odd sharp intake of breath - to thread it past oncoming traffic in the UK. Take it down a winding road and you'll find yourself praying that nothing comes in the opposite direction. Nothing wider than a cyclist, at least. Find a broader road and the experience is a bit less fraught, though you'll need to get used to everyone looking at you. Riding better on its 21-inch alloys and rubber band tyres than it ought, to it's actually rather civilised - so long as you can resist the temptation to push your foot to the floor and allow the V8 to pin you to the seat as it flings the FX50S to 62mph in 5.8 seconds. We're told that Infiniti dealers are taking a lot of Porsche Cayennes as trade-ins for the FX. We're not at all surprised.

Worth Noting

Use all that power and you'll be hosing fuel into the FX50S's big 5.0-litre V8 engine. The official combined fuel consumption figure stands at 21.6mpg, but we say good luck achieving that. Mid to late teens is more likely in the real world. There'll be a diesel arriving in the next year or so, but we think if you're going to be a bear you might as well be a grizzly - so the 5.0-litre V8 it should be.

Summary

Overt - and to some obnoxious - looks and big V8 petrol power are likely to put the FX50S out of contention for the majority of SUV buyers. But there's honesty to it, the FX a big, brash machine for the sort of people who like big and brash. Expect it to usurp the BMW X5, X6, Range Rover Sport and Chrysler 300C as the darling of nightclub and gym owners up and down the country. It's remarkably able on the road too - so long as you're happy with its extreme width. At around £50,000 it's a huge amount of car for your money, too. Its appeal is limited, but Infiniti isn't anticipating big sales, meaning if you're confident enough to drive it you'll rarely see another. Or be short of people to talk to about it...