It’s late in the seventh inning for SUVs. General Motors sees a downturn in ‘Ute sales, Ford rethinks its plans, and Chrysler… well, Chrysler has a few other things to worry about. But here comes Porsche.

The German sports car manufacturer bucked all the trends by introducing the 2003 Cayenne in the first place, and after a rough shakedown period a few years back, the Cayenne is now the leading seller in the Porsche family. A Panamera looms on the horizon, but let’s not go there, at least not right now.

What is it?

Arguably the sportiest of the sport SUVs currently being manufactured, the Porsche Cayenne GTS is an extremely capable, all-wheel-drive on and off-road contender that can take you from dry to sopping wet and back to dry again all while making it look so easy.

What’s It Up Against?

The GTS runs in a rarified crowd, which includes the Land Rover Range Rover, the Mercedes-Benz Galendawagen and M-Class, its cousin the Audi Q7 and the BMW X6. Of course there are others that would match this Cayenne in options, if not price, and they include the Range Rover Sport and Volkswagen Touareg 2.

Any Breakthroughs?

Of prime importance is the appearance of the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control. As close as you can get to a driver’s skill “get out of jail free card,” the PDCC computer can continuously adjust the drivetrain to prevent over and understeer (push or loose in NASCAR-speak) as well as join forces with the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system to make an average driver a much better one, whether they know it or not.

How Does It Look?

Similar to the original, the Cayenne was mildly refreshed for the 2006 model year (there was no 2007 version). Developed alongside its Volkswagen Touareg cousin, the Cayenne maintains much of the size and bulk of the original version. It is still a 5-passenger vehicle which rides fairly high, but at the same time, perhaps through the gaping hole in the front intake area, gives the aura of an ultra-performance vehicle.

Displaying the Porsche crest on your front flanks also goes a long way to help develop your street cred.

And Inside?

Strictly business in a performance sort of way, the Cayenne GTS coddles its occupants in leather and Alcantara seating surfaces throughout. Twelve-way adjustable front seats give relief from driver fatigue, although we would have welcomed cool seats for the more humid climates that the Cayenne will end up in.

We’ve complained in the past of vehicles that don’t have enough grab handles throughout the cabin to assist in entry, exit and general moving about inside when the fidgets set in. Apparently the interior designers at Porsche have taken heed of our bitching and placed a handle above each door as well as on either side of the center console.

A three-spoke leather-wrapped steering wheel with all the redundant controls you could imagine sits in front of the driver and transmits precise road feel. Between the speedo and tach is a secondary screen that tells info relating to the Cayenne’s warning lights alerting you to a flat tire, mileage until empty, radio frequency and so on.

The center stack has the typical placement of the navigational and climate control stack dead in the center. At the bottom is the shift lever, which is usable as a standard automatic shifter, or by sliding into a side gate, allows for Tiptronic activation. Redundant buttons (notice we did not say paddle shift levers) sit on either side of the steering wheel for thumb control, but their shape and design never made us really quite comfortable in using them.

On a down note, Porsche seems to share Volkswagen’s love of small buttons and has seen fit to outfit the center console’s audio/navigation/climate controls with as many buttons as space will allow. We are still waiting patiently for a great touchscreen navigational system.

Rear seat space is nicely designed for two or three occupants, and features secondary A/C vents for the second-seat passengers. A rear cargo area with cover finishes things off and the big hatch can be closed with the automatic controls of the key fob.

But Does It Go?

Like a brute, it does! Powered by the same 4.8-liter V8 as the regular Cayenne, the GTS engine sports a revised intake that pumps it up to 405 horsepower, and charged with moving around a curb weight of 4949 lbs., the Cayenne GTS’s powerplant supplies you with one horsepower for every 12.2 lbs of vehicle weight. Additionally, with 369 lb-ft of torque on hand and a pre-prepped tow bar package capable of hauling 7,716 pounds, the Cayenne GTS hauls a lot more than just ass!

Although our test car was equipped with the Tiptronic six-speed automatic transmission, Porsche’s Gary Fong tells Leftlane that it’s the first time in North America that an optional six-speed manual is also offered with a Porsche V8.

Stepping on the go pedal brings forth a surge of sound and power good enough for 0 to 60 times of 6.1 seconds, and a top speed of 156 mph. And unlike other German manufacturers, Porsche does not speed limit their cars to 155 mph—big brother Cayenne Turbo sees a top end of 171 mph. Performance like this carries a premium: the Tiptronic-equipped GTS checks in at 13 mpg city / 18 mpg hwy, for a combined average of 15 miles per gallon.

As well as moving fast, the Cayenne GTS shines when equipped with the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control ($3,510). An option that we would call well worth it, the PDCC firms and alternately loosens up the grip of the Cayenne’s stabilizer bars – both front and/or rear, as needed – to prevent a loss of control and grip in understeer or oversteer situations. During exercises on a Porsche test track, we were amazed by the system’s capability and lack of body roll, especially while running in wet mud on a rally course where, try as we might, we could not cause the rear end to break loose.

Why You Would Buy It

You appreciate the finer things in life and that includes your SUV. The Cayenne GTS is the mid-level SUV from Porsche with a more than mid-level price tag. Ours, as outfitted, carried a high-zoot price tag of $90,740.

Why You Wouldn’t

Your alimony payment might equal the monthly payments you’ll make on this baby. Then again, it may not matter!

Words and photos by Mark Elias.

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