As I write this I’m actually sitting in a Tonga Green 2008 Land Rover LR3 HSE in my driveway. Odd? Yes, but it’s quite comfy here in the passenger seat, typing on the laptop, isolated from the phone and other distractions. This Rover’s interior is functional but classy, like one of those high-toned outfitter shops. I feel ready for what’s beyond the driveway, ready to venture out from base camp.The sport in your classic sport utility vehicle (SUV) derives largely from what you can do once you’ve arrived at your destination, not from any on-road antics on the way. But several years ago, automakers acted on what they’d long known — that SUVs spend nearly all their time on the pavement — and began to emphasize their vehicles’ street performance potential. Porsche joined this movement in 2003 with the introduction of its own SUV, the Cayenne, and the famed sports car manufacturer didn’t do it by half measures. The newest model in Porsche’s Cayenne lineup, the Cayenne GTS, may be the most sporting expression of a high-performance SUV yet.

I sampled its capabilities on the smooth, sinuous mountain roads and highways near the European resort town of Faro, Portugal, Porsche’s venue for the GTS’ launch. Of course, I wasn’t the only one. Porsche gathered journalists from around the globe to experience the GTS, giving rise to a multilingual caravan of Cayennes snaking its way across Portugal’s dry countryside. Though the Cayenne GTS has permanent all-wheel drive and thus a measure of off-road capability, Porsche’s drive route was entirely on blacktop, which speaks volumes about its SUV.

The Cayenne accounts for nearly one-third of all Porsche sales worldwide — a cash cow, as head of international PR Michael Baumann puts it — and is a big part of Porsche’s move into emerging markets. The Cayenne line ranges from the base Cayenne, with a V-6, to the progressively higher-performance and pricier V-8-powered Cayenne S, Cayenne GTS, and Cayenne Turbo. Minor styling changes show up across the line, but Porsche put most of its effort into the engines, all of which now feature direct fuel injection.  

Essentially, the GTS gets a bit more power than the Cayenne S and the styling of the Turbo at a price in between. Its 4.8-liter V-8 is the same as that in Cayenne S but produces 20 extra horsepower thanks to intake manifold modifications. Twenty extra ponies yield bragging rights over your Cayenne S–driving neighbor but little more in the way of performance. Yes, the GTS outpaces its brother to 60 mph (5.7 seconds with manual transmission and 6.1 seconds with automatic vs. 6.4 seconds on the Cayenne S) and betters its passing times, but given that the engine’s torque output (369 lb.-ft.) is identical to that of the S, the gains arise largely from a reduction of the GTS’ final drive ratio from 3.55:1 to 4.1:1.

So what do you get for the approximate $10K premium over the S model? You get to look like a Cayenne Turbo driver and, likely, out-handle him or her. The front and rear end of the GTS are the same as on the Turbo, but the GTS’ wheel arches flare an additional 14 millimeters, giving it the “most muscular look of all models in the series,” Porsche says. I agree. Those flares accommodate 21-inch wheels wrapped by 295/35 rubber, which in combination with Porsche’s excellent Active Suspension Management, Anti-Roll Stability System, and air suspension allows the near-5,000 pound SUV to corner flat and stick impressively. 

High-limit handling is accompanied by a six-speed ZF manual transmission unit. I found its shift-throws a little long, but Porsche’s Tiptronic S automatic transmission will be the choice for most buyers anyway. Inside, the Cayenne GTS features new 12-way electrically adjustable driver and passenger seats and recontoured rear seats, noteworthy for their relative comfort. Swaths of Alcantara leather bathe the seats and even the A-pillars.

The Cayenne’s ergonomics are quite good, save for the gear selection indicator for the Tiptronic S transmission, which is too small and hard to spot. Likewise, the steering wheel–mounted shifters are poorly placed and the center navigation/control is a bit button-happy.

My drive revealed that the GTS can fool you into thinking it’s a sports car. Its tight chassis, fine brakes, suspension wizardry, and sweet engine note can lull you into racer mode, until mid-corner when you feel its high center of gravity and weight and remember you’re in an SUV.

Porsche’s competitors (BMW X5 4.8, Land Rover Sport Supercharged, Jeep Cherokee SRT8) offer street performance too, but none so comprehensively puts the “sport” in SUV as the Cayenne GTS.