Surprisingly enough, we don’t hate it. Maybe it’s our guilty affection for the Dodge Caliber’s unique styling, or maybe it’s the fact that BMW’s M Division can seem to do no evil, who knows? Whatever it is, it’s working for us.

Packing some signature M Division punch inside its hot little hatch (sounds much dirtier than it is), the BMW X6 M is equipped with the BMW’s M TwinPower Turbo V8 that cranks out an impressive 555-horsepower (408 kW) and 501 lb-ft (680 Newton-metres) of torque. As per M Division standards, the X6 M’s 4.4L Twin Scroll Turbo is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, electronically controlled via either the center stack gear select or the steering column-mounted paddle shifter. To further enhance what BMW refers to as the “road hugging” experience, the X6 M has also been outfitted with a precision handling control system, including both Servotronic steering and Adaptive Drive, as well as something ambiguously referred to as “launch control.”

Like the standard X6, the X6 M also features BMW’s xDrive system, thereby making it (and the BMW X5 M) the first M vehicle(s) to boast intelligent AWD. Propelling it light years away from any crossover yuppie stigma the standard model may have received, however, BMW claims the X6 M is capable of seriously throwing down on the tarmac, boasting a 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) track time of an amazing 4.7 seconds.

Scheduled to debut live at the 2009 New York Motor Show next week, the 2010 BMW X6 M will be sharing the spotlight with fellow M debutante, the 2010 BMW X5 M, about which we are noticeably less enthusiastic.