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It wasn't that many years ago that Porsche was strictly about sportsters and roadsters. But no more! Today Porsche produces a product line for everyone and that includes the SUV Porsche Cayenne.

The SUV isn't that new. It was actually introduced back in 2002. The V8 was new to the Porsche line with the last V8 being produced in the 928 back in 1995. It instantly became Porsche's best seller in North America.

So what has made it such a great hit? It was co-designed with the VW team who were also planning to add a SUV to their line up. The cost sharing strategy was supposed to help both companies.

The chassis is actually shared by three companies. VW uses it in the Touareg sport utility, Porsche in their Cayenne, and Audi uses a modified version its Q7.

When it comes to the engines VW and Porsche share only a base engine. The Porsche engine has had substantial modifications. The Cayenne offers up four great engine choices.

The 247 HP 3.2 L engine, the 335 HP 4.5 L engine, the twin turbo charged 450 HP 4.5 L engine, the Tequipment twin turbocharged V8 500 HP 4.5 L engine, and finally the twin turbocharged V8 520 HP 4.5 L engine. That's a lot of power in an SUV.

You get 0 to 60 in about 5.2 seconds which is the same time as the Boxster S and the Tequipment engine is even quicker. Of course you realize there is no real good reason for that kind of speed in an SUV but it sure is fun having it anyway!

This is a true SUV and thus it is designed to take you where ever you need to go whether that is up the rocky mountain or across a deep river.

So what's it cost you ask? Well the turbocharged version can be purchased for around $90,000. It's priced competitively against the competition which includes the Land Rover, Mercedes Benz M Class, and Range Rover.

The Cayenne has a low profile tire that gives it a much sportier ride that you might expect to be not so good in serious off road conditions. But it's actually the opposite. These tires are very impressive in off road conditions.

4 wheel drive with manual lockable center differential are standard equipment. You also get a low range setting. There are some terrific off road options too which include air suspension, interior switching rear differential, and vehicle height adjustment.

In 2006 Porsche introduced the Turbo S which is a higher output model. It was designed to compete with the Mercedes Benz ML63. You get a whopping 520 HP making it the second most powerful Porsche ever built. O-60 in 4.8 seconds. So is that fast enough?

The Porsche die-hards that like the traditional reputation of the Porsche line which stands for sporty cars that are designed for speed, comfort, fun, and the race track, aren't happy with the introduction of the Cayenne.

Porsche however is in the business to make money and recognized that an SUV could provide them with a steady income and continuous sales that the fickle sports car market could not and thus they added the Cayenne to their product line.

If you are in the market for an SUV and want the quality and reliability that Porsche is known around the world for, you should consider the Porsche Cayenne. It's got a lot to offer for the price.