I have never been known to be a big fan of 4x4s, SUVs, SAVs, or whatever it is you want to call them. In my opinion, a car should not be 17 metres high 14 wide and have two hectares of interior space. Was Jon off his mind asking me to drive the Lexus LX570 and give an opinion on it with as many colourful adjectives in it as an NWA song?

I had to keep in mind from the outset that I was not driving an E-Class, 911 or even a Cayenne for that matter. I was driving a full sized premium SUV, which just happens to be one of the most popular in the Gulf. The LX570 was recently launched and drew just as much criticism for the lack of innovation in its styling as it did compliments for retaining a relatively simple design language. Getting into the car and driving off however, I was treated to a wholly different experience than what I was expecting. This car was quiet, velvety smooth, had enough high-tech options to make R2d2 happy and actually handled in-city driving wonderfully. What's more, it's got automatically folding third row seating, a pop down rear seat LCD display and oodles of leather everywhere. While it wasn't expected to attack corners with alacrity on road, the more important question was how well would it fare off road compared to the all-conquering Land Cruiser on which the LX570 is based? Just as well. Flick a switch, a few seconds later you're so high up that gravity's pull is actually weaker. The LX trundles over sand dunes and shrubbery with ease and poise making it a truly great highway driver, family hauler and weekend dune basher. Maybe SUV's aren't so bad afterall