If there was a rumble to decide the baddest sport utility vehicle on the planet, the Infiniti QX56 4WD would be one of the last combatants standing.

The QX56 oozes with overindulgence, but as a full-size luxury SUV, it has few peers.

Base price, as in the minimum you can pay to drive one, is $58,150. That "low-end" model includes such basics as 8,900 pounds of towing capacity, 20-inch chrome-finished alloy wheels, satellite radio, Infiniti navigation system, XM Nav Traffic -- with real-time traffic information -- rear sonar system, 12-speaker Bose Premium Audio System, heated first- and second-row captain's chairs, dual front and rear climate control, driver's seat memory system, fold-flat second- and third-row seats and a Bluetooth Hands-free Phone System, among many others. Again, those are just base features.

The model as reviewed included a $1,150 technology package, with intelligent cruise control and a front sonar system. The $1,700 Infinity Mobile Entertainment system extra included a flip-down 8-inch color monitor and a front console-mounted DVD player with wireless remote and two headsets.

And, the QX56 is big enough to fit every one of those features, groceries and an army of a family. ... And probably a couple friends with pets, too.

With the back row of seats folded down -- and when I say folded, understand that they slowly fold themselves with the push of a button -- you'll have more cargo space than most SUVs. Fold down the second row of seats and flip the proper flaps, and the cargo area is as cavernous as the bed of a full-size pickup.

All of the space and size -- the QX56 rides higher than most everything you'll pass on the road with four wheels -- comes at a price in the gas mileage department. The company's published stats are 17 highway and 12 city, but you're going to have to work to meet those numbers.

The 5.6-liter DOHC V8 chugs gas, but produces 320 horsepower, so it never feels like the QX56's bulk puts strain on the motor.

It handles well, wheel base and girth considered, on winding country roads. No blindspots creeped up while trying to merge onto the highway. And despite it's imposing size, the QX56 was fun to drive and relatively easy to park.

The backup camera and front and rear sonar systems included on the tested model aid the driver in that last department. Obviously, you wouldn't want to rely on it solely for parking, but the sonar system impressively registered a half-inch thick rope suspended off a couple wooden posts in the parking lot of a local golf course. The system also provides directional feedback -- the warning originates from the quadrant of the car nearest to an obstacle, an extremely helpful feature.

The Infiniti QX56 as tested cost $61,865. For that much money you could buy a couple houses in some of the communities in the area.

However, if you're in the market for a car of this magnitude, you're going to have to search really hard to find a more fun and feature-packed, full-size SUV.