Rent a Porsche Cayenne GTS

Porsche has always been a car marque that screams performance. Then they brought out an off-roader then left many people scratching their heads. The original Cayenne - let's not have an argument about this - was a hideous piece of engineering. For all the design that went into it - it was a horrible looking automobile.

And then the pundits giggled - Porsche should not be involving themselves in off-road vehicles, serves them right. And the sales figures showed that. But then something interesting happened.

The Cayenne evolved. It became bigger and more capable. People started to sit up and take notice. This was not an off-roader that was to be laughed at. It was capable in the dirt - and was blistering on the tar. It became something a little bit special. Suddenly Porsche had a new magic wand that it could wave at other pretenders.

And that magic wand allowed owners to simply laugh as they left people at the lights. The cayenne had come of age. It was an absolute brute force when it came to power, acceleration, and handling.

And now there is the new kid on the block - the Porsche Cayenne GTS.

Porsche does not hand out that GTS badge with wild abandon. The cars that have that badging need to live up to an incredible reputation. And the new Cayenne owns that badge.

It does not have the get-up and go of the Cayenne's that have the turbo fitted - but it certainly is no slouch. A 3.6-litre twin-turbo V6 may not seem like a lot of engine to allow that huge body to dominate the tarmac - but put your foot down you will give other drivers a rather nasty surprise.

335bhp and 600Nm is not something that you want to be facing down at the stop street. This is an SUV that will eat performance cars for breakfast. 0 to 62mph in 6 seconds is blistering for a car of this size. Put your foot down on the pedal and those nM's kick in immediately.

This model does not shout like its older sister. It is more refined. Gone is the growl - but it is a Porsche through and through. It is like a cup of warm hot chocolate - with some tequila thrown in.

The engineers at Porsche have applied their mind to producing a big car with the handling of something that should be on a racetrack. It sits lower and the suspension setup means a far better ride when compared to the previous models.

However, it may be a Porsche as far as speed and power is concerned - but how does it cope with the dirt? The answer is surprisingly well. The 'Porsche Traction Management'system is almost perfect. So what you end up with is pure Porsche. Balanced and ferocious - but also a friendly puppy of a car. It will be your faithful companion - but it will also bite when required. It is pure Porsche.