Context is everything.

In the big city, the audacious Hummer H2 draws both looks of awe and glares of self-righteous indignation. It wasn't until I was five hours north of Los Angeles that the behemoth was in its element, against the backdrop of the western Sierras and surrounded by oversized trucks, semis, and endless road. In that setting, there's nothing odd about the scale of this gargantuan 6,400 pound beast.

These are trying times in the battle between status, road presence, and environmental sensitivity. At $48,455, the Hummer is one of the more inexpensive luxury SUVs available, but also one of the highest-profile; it endows its driver with the sense of empowerment only sheer size can provide. As Hummer owners are taunted with questions like, "How many gallons to the mile does it get?" and "Does it have its own area code?" they'll probably be tempted to rev the low-pitched, 6.0 liter Vortec engine in rebellious, Neanderthal defiance.

Comfy leather seats akin to couches give a surprisingly homey feeling, reminding you that the H2 is based on a Chevy Suburban chassis. The sparkly plastic dash, on the other hand, makes it a place you wouldn't want to live in. Senses get re-inspired once the V8 starts up, the He-Man shifter clicks into gear, and the view out of the panoramic windshield letterboxes the outdoors like a majestic, cinemascope adventure flick. Optional air suspension gives occupants a float-on-clouds, Cadillacesque ride which belies GM's tougher-than-thou marketing angle; this is, after all, the civilian little brother to the industrial-strength H1. Nonetheless, the H2 elicits a celebrity-like buzz at the valet, and a strange thrill as you slash-and-burn through tight city streets, ducking left-wing suburbanites shooting you the evil eye for its single-digit fuel economy.

If you want a larger-than-life ride but the Hummer is not rarified enough, you may direct your attention to the Swiss Army-chic of the $76,870 Mercedes-Benz G500, commonly known as the G-Wagen. This is, for all intents and purposes, the German equivalent of the H1: a rock-solid, can-do offroader with military roots. After all, G-Wagens of the '70s were rugged, bare metal floorboarded, snorkel-equipped, and Serengeti-worthy.

Recently imported for the US market, the G Series has been a workhorse abroad for nearly twenty years. Somewhere in the Western translation, the car has become an icon for that elusive bling factor. You don't have to be a rap impresario to recognize that the unmistakable silhouette coupled with the triple-pointed star makes G-Wagen owners honorary members of the automotive cognoscenti. The laity, however, may just mistake it for a toaster on wheels. In spite of lackluster fuel economy and being almost the same size as the Hummer, the 5 liter G-Wagen curiously offends the eco-conscious far less. In addition to winks of approval while cruising to Whole Foods, I was strangely reassured by the knowledge that- if I was magically plucked from Sunset Boulevard- my G-Wagen could safely traverse 24" of water.

Interior appointments feel conflicted between the utilitarian boxiness of the exterior and the plush potential we know the Mercedes brand can possess. There is a dichotomy, after all, between the car's history and its newly christened role as a posh cruiser for the Cristal-sipping set. Somehow, the interior seems unwilling to deliver pure luxury, instead mixing plastic buttons with discreet bits of dark wood. The issue of luxury aside, its sternly upright ride gives you a regal view, and the tall windows give a refreshing take on the traditionally blind spot-laden SUV experience. Over 45 cavernous cubic feet of luggage space reminds you that this big Mercedes box uses its proportions quite practically. For thrills alongside utility, look no further than the bigger-engined, $93,420 AMG-built G55 version.

If you have no off-road pretensions, a BMW X5 may suit your on-road needs. Starting at $40,195, the X5 is available in incarnations varying from a humble 3 liter six-cylinder all the way to the monster 4.6is eight-cylinder model, which recalls the driving splendor of some of the great BMW sports sedans. The X5 subverts the SUV moniker and refers to itself as an SAV, short for Sport Activity Vehicle. Indeed, there's not a lot of utility here: storage space is sparse, and in the 4.6is model, huge low-profile, 20" tires offer extreme on-road performance, and practically zero offroad ability. Apart from the altitude of the seats, it's easy to forget you're in a four-wheel drive car: handling and straight-line performance feel like a slick sedan, and crisp steering beckons traffic-free stretches of windy roads.

In typical BMW fashion, the interior is replete with high quality leather and wood, oozing that familiar German combination of luxury and ergonomic comfort. While the exterior is relatively large (though not by Hummer or G-Wagen standards), this is a car that blends into the visual noise of traffic quite well, with an almost elegant anonymity. Whether this is good or bad depends on your perspective: the X5 looks more like a muscular version of a BMW than a steroid-enhanced tank. The elevated view of the road reconnects you to the pavement below with an amazingly responsive suspension. With a 0-60 time of 6.2 seconds, the 4.6is model gives superb performance in a well-engineered package; if $66,800 is out of your range, $16,000 less yields the in-between 4.4i V8 model, while nearly $27,000 less will get you the sufficiently capable, but far less neck-snapping six cylinder version. The X5 is every inch a BMW, most satisfyingly in its largest-engined form.

Breaking the century-old tradition of manufacturing only sports cars, Porsche has taken its road car philosophy and extended it to the offroad, five-passenger realm. With a 450 horsepower twin-turbocharged V8, the $88,900 Cayenne Turbo can reach 60 mph in a very Porsche-like 5.6 seconds. Sports car levels of performance are not limited to paved roads: it can also climb inclines of up to 45 degrees off-center. Performance nuts will also delight at the grin-inducing grip; this is a car that seems to bend the laws of physics with the light-footed maneuvering of its imposing mass. Standard air suspension in the Turbo model recalls references to a certain legendarily lithe boxer, ("Float like a butterfly.") but if your finances are more lightweight, you may go for the $55,428 non-turbo V8 Cayenne S, or the recently announced, even lower priced six-cylinder model, whose price is yet to be determined.

The Cayenne's interior is a supple but functional space in which leather, wood, and matte aluminum peacefully coexist. Faced with the philosophical conundrum of designing a rugged offroader to appease traditional Porschephiles, the seats successfully balance comfort and support. Outside, non-traditional Frank Gehry-like styling inspires passionate debate. However, the Cayenne is an iconoclastic design that offers respite from other SUVs, much like the 911's distinctiveness in the sports car arena. Though it remains to be seen whether its silhouette will become a timeless design standard like that of the 911, the dual-natured character of the Cayenne seems poised to protect the Porsche brand from accusations of dilettantism, equally embodying the attributes of both a sports car and a sport utility vehicle.

From the brash bigness of the H2 to the worldly modernism of the G-Wagen, from the sedan-like familiarity of the X5 to the uncompromising sportiness of the Cayenne, each of these brands offers SUVs with vastly different intentions and attitudes. Within the bounds of your temperament and budget, fitting one of these into your lifestyle will be a purely subjective decision, as flexible as your definition of utility.