It suits people who want a big, comfortable car but need neither seven seats nor a firm, sporty set-up. In the Masons fleet it sits between two other SUVs: the seven-seat X7 is longer and carries a large family, while the X5 M has stiff sports suspension. Of the three, the X6 is the most even-tempered over long distances. Its Emerald Green paint and low, sloping roof give it a polished look outside a hotel or a company's front entrance.

What the X6 is good for

A typical booking: two couples leave on Thursday afternoon for a long weekend in South Bohemia or Moravia and return on Sunday evening. Everyone has a travel bag and a backpack. Four adults sit in the X6 without feeling cramped, the panoramic roof brings light into the back, and when the autumn rain sets in, xDrive keeps the car steady on wet country roads.

The second common scenario is a business trip. You land in Prague, pick up the car at the airport and spend two days driving to meetings in Plzeň, Brno and Ostrava. The head-up display puts navigation in your line of sight, so you are not peering at a screen at unfamiliar motorway exits. A diesel means few fuel stops, and you finish the day less tired than after the same route in a low sports car.

The third option is the X6 as your car for a week in and around Prague: morning meetings in the centre, an afternoon visit to friends in Zbraslav, a trip out of town at the weekend. Automatic parking and the 360° camera help in tight garages and when parking along the kerb in Vinohrady.

In practice: seats, luggage and drive

The X6 has five seats. The front seats stay comfortable after several hours; in the back, two adults have plenty of legroom, while a third passenger in the middle is better off on short hops. The sloping tail is the main compromise: the boot is smaller than the X7's, and the space under the raked rear window is hard to use. For four people on a three- or four-day trip, soft bags and medium suitcases laid flat are fine; add a pushchair and skis and it gets tight.

xDrive all-wheel drive sends power to the wheels with the most grip, which you notice on wet cobblestones and on mountain roads in winter. Under the bonnet is the B57 six-cylinder diesel with 286 hp, and one tank lasts a long way. The X6 is large and wide, so in the lanes of the Old Town and Malá Strana expect to manoeuvre slowly. Prague's blue zones allow limited paid visitor parking; check the sign and time limit and pay online. For longer stays, choose a suitable garage or P+R car park.

Where to take the X6 from Prague

With three or four days to spare, head for the south of the Vysočina region and Czech Canada (Česká Kanada). Follow the D1 motorway to Jihlava, continue via Třešť to Telč, then take smaller roads to Slavonice, about 2 h 30 min in total. In Telč, have a coffee under the arcades of the UNESCO-listed main square, náměstí Zachariáše z Hradce. Beyond Telč the landscape turns to ponds, granite boulders and deep woods, where xDrive earns its keep on roads covered with wet leaves and pine needles. Spend the night in Slavonice, a Renaissance town with sgraffito façades and underground passages, and in the morning drive out to nearby Landštejn Castle. The diesel needs no fuel stop on the motorway stretch.

X6 or BMW X7 xDrive40d?

Both are large diesel SUVs with xDrive, but they solve different problems. Take the X6 when there are two to four of you, the luggage is ordinary, and you want a car that is easier to park in Prague. The X7 makes sense once there are six or seven of you, or when you carry child seats, a pushchair or big suitcases for a week: it has a third row and a much larger boot, but it is longer and harder to fit into older garages. For two couples on a long weekend or a business trip, the X6 is the sensible pick; for a family with grandparents or friends heading to the mountains, go for the X7.