MotorMouths

Although we found the 2011 Porsche Cayenne S falls a little short of sports-car performance, it is far better than the majority of SUVs. It wins points for its exterior design, but electronic interface design could use some work.

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne S doesn’t quite pass my test. From most angles it’s too easily mistaken for an Audi or even a VW. It handles better than competing SUVs, but not dramatically so.

The Cayenne is quite pricey, and you can find other luxury SUVs that are less expensive yet also have a lot of performance potential. But for a luxurious SUV that’s performance-minded no matter what trim level you get, you won’t do better than the 2012 Porsche Cayenne.

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne V6 drives with a laid-back demeanor. You’d never describe it as sporting, but it’s impressive by SUV standards.

Any way you option your Cayenne S, the net result is a creation that earns the “sport” portion of the SUV label and the fabled crest on its hood.

As a brand that encompasses both luxury and performance, Porsche can overcome the drift toward more efficient vehicles — especially with this substantially improved Cayenne. For anyone who’s not tied to brand names, though, there are affordable sporty choices in the market, too.

Traditional Porschephiles may never respect the Cayenne, but the 2011 edition clearly deserves its Porsche badge. It looks more like a Porsche, feels more like a Porsche, and most importantly, drives more like a Porsche than ever.

While the Porsche Cayenne S is capable of carrying a mother, baby, stroller and a pack-n-play, there is simply too much performance to drive with the prudence that your wife expects. It is simply torture to drive this powerful beast and having to hold back.

Altogether, handling and road-holding are superb thanks to standard all-wheel drive, and the lighter structure and lower center of mass (while still keeping some trail ability) help give this latest generation of the Cayenne a more nimble feel.

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne S gets lighter, sleeker, more powerful and more fuel efficient without losing any of the performance and handling that distinguish the sporty SUV.

Inside the new Cayenne, the Porsche designers lifted heavily from the all-new Panamera, and the cabin is now drop-dead gorgeous as a result. Every nook and cranny was re-examined to drop the weight. The result: better performance and fuel economy. How sweet is that?

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne S, Hybrid, and Turbo are all noticeably more competent than their ancestors, and the claimed 23 percent improvement in efficiency is staggering. Expect to pay for those improvements, though.