The Car Aficionado

Best SUV: Porsche Cayenne GTS

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Call it great moments in bad timing. Two years ago, Porsche nearly became one of the five largest automotive conglomerates in the world. Instead, as the global economy entered the Great Recession of 2008, the sports car company was outflanked and became part of the ever-expanding, if proletariat-dubbed Volkswagen Group. At around the same time, Porsche introduced its first-ever four-door sedan, the Panamera, whose squat proportions were met with quizzical expressions by many brand loyalists. Could Zuffenhausen buy a break?

The answer is yes, so long as Porsche sticks to its sporting roots. Porsche's Panamera ferries four passengers (and not one toddler more) in style; but when you also need room for the dog, groceries, and a few Razor scooters, the Cayenne GTS is the wagon of choice. 

Critics have decried the Cayenne's less-than-functional lines when comparing it to its relatively clean VW cousin, the Touareg. Turns out, the Cayenne was just Porsche's warmup act. The GTS is the car the Cayenne was always meant to be, thanks to a subtle lowering, aggressive 21-inch wheels on low-profile tires, menacing front and rear spoilers and a six-speed manual gearbox. Toss in a throaty V-8 engine, the press car's optional GTS Red paint ($3,170),...