Launched five years ago as the world's first true performance SUV, the Porsche Cayenne was a resounding success. Big, brash and fully loaded, the Cayenne was the fastest 4x4 around, matching its angle-defying stability off-road with some G-force-inducing performance on tarmac.
Ever heard of a two-tonne SUV that could hit 100km/h in 5.5 seconds? The Cayenne Turbo was doing this back in 2002.
But it had its detractors. Some slated its cut-and-shut looks and others complained of its thirst and emissions. Porsche purists dismissed it sniffily and those able to afford the world's most expensive SUV had to contend with the Turbo's breakneck performance.
So, did Porsche take all this on board when developing the Cayenne's next generation? It certainly seems so.
For starters, the new Cayenne's exterior styling is a subtle improvement on the original, which was brutishly menacing, looking like a 911 grafted onto the body of an Abrams tank. The 2007 model is still imposing, but not so much of a jigsaw puzzle, with a more curvaceous, cohesive silhouette.
The minimalist leather interior is still slick, especially in black, and although the cabin isn't as spacious as you might expect, the boot is huge.