4. Porsche Cayenne
You don’t expect a 4x4 to be good to drive, but the Porsche Cayenne is the exception to the rule. It delivers some of the fun of the company’s performance cars in a full-size luxury SUV package.
You don’t expect a 4x4 to be good to drive, but the Porsche Cayenne is the exception to the rule. It delivers some of the fun of the company’s performance cars in a full-size luxury SUV package.
The Cayenne doesn’t have the off road ability of a Range Rover, and feels more like a sports car from behind the wheel. But it’s easily the most practical Porsche, with a generous boot size: the 670-litre capacity can be expanded to 1,780 litres, which is one of the biggest boots of any five-seater SUV. It’s just a shame the rear seats aren’t quite so spacious, although they do slide back and forth.
All models get six airbags, Isofix child seat mountings and stability control, plus parking sensors make for easy manoeuvres, despite the large dimensions. Climate and cruise control and big alloy wheels also feature, although the price soon rises if you start adding options.
You don’t expect a Porsche to be cheap to run, but the diesel model promises 39.2mpg fuel consumption and 189g/km emissions, while the hybrid version brings similar road tax bills. Service intervals of 20,000 miles also impress.
5. Mercedes ML