Fast 4x4 shootout - who's best?

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo has long been the king of the fast 4x4 club, but that position has come under threat recently.

To find out if it's still the best, autocar.co.uk pitted it against the 547bhp BMW X6 M, 503bhp Range Rover Sport Supercharged and 385bhp Infiniti FX50S.

Video - BMW v Porsche v Range Rover v Infiniti - 4x4 showdown

See the BMW v Porsche v Range Rover v Infiniti - 4x4 showdown pictures

On track

Tested at the Bruntingthorpe airfield circuit, its remarkable how little body lean there is as you commit the Porsche to a corner, and how much speed it can carry in the wet conditions. As grip runs out, so it gradually understeers.

But you have to drive incredibly quickly to encounter that dynamic safety net. Most of the time it just turns, grips and goes harder than a lot of so-called performance cars weighing a full tonne less.

In relative terms the Sport feels quite slow and out of its depth on a circuit. Its handling is perfectly predictable and very nicely resolved, but the car pitches and rolls much more than any of the other cars on test here.

The Infiniti is also bested by the Porsche, but by a much smaller margin. It feels at home on the circuit, with quick and feelsome steering, taut damping and a balanced chassis. If it weren't giving up so much power to the Cayenne, it'd probably be quicker than it.

But it's the BMW X6 M that comes out on top. After the other three, the X6 M might as well be an Audi R8. It's twice as agile and sufficiently composed to be driven quicker through corners even than the Porsche.

In the wet, on a circuit, there's no doubt that the X6 M handles like a proper M car.

On road

Out on the road the BMW's refinement impresses, too. Despite its dynamic focus on track, there's little harshness in the car's ride and, like all modern M cars, you can detune throttle response if you want to. All in all, it's a pleasant thing to stroke along at seven or eight-tenths - but it rarely takes your breath away.

The Cayenne suffers in comparison. In Normal and Comfort modes the same delayed reactions to steering and throttle inputs present themselves, as they did on track. And yet Sport mode makes the car's B-road performance worse.

By contrast, the Range Rover's chassis feels superbly judged; it reeks of extensive spring and damper tuning. The car feels just firm enough to be hustled along with a bit of verve, and its commanding driving position, incisive steering and newly refreshed cabin allow you to take a lot of pleasure in driving it.

Yet it is the FX50S that stuns you. It handles, rides and steers like a Nissan 370Z. It feels connected to the road, and more like a sports car, more of the time, than any of the other cars.