It's easy to forget, as you stand beside the Cayenne Diesel and - perhaps slightly nervously - cast your eyes over its imposing bulk, that this is the least powerful car Porsche currently produces. The three-litre engine's maximum output of 240bhp is 11bhp shy of what the humblest Boxster can manage, and needless to say this is also the company's slowest car by a considerable margin.That's one way of looking at it. Another, and I think more sensible, way is to put Porsche's largely sporting history to one side for a moment and think of the Cayenne Diesel as a contender in the large SUV market. In this context, it makes a lot more sense.What we're now talking about is not a weird Porsche but a practical 4x4 with very decent performance, reasonably respectable 38.2mpg fuel economy (according to the official EU test, at any rate), more off-road capability than most owners need and, if you fold down the rear seats, 1780 litres of luggage space.Virtually all of this is the responsibility not so much of Porsche but of Volkswagen, for the Cayenne is not much more than a restyled Touareg. You could also think of it as a short-wheelbase Audi Q7, since all three are essentially the same thing apart from the fact that the Q7 is considerably longer.The Cayenne is very pleasant in its own right, but not more so than its close relatives. The main reason for choosing it over the others is brand consciousness - it's most likely to appeal to people who think themselves above Audi, and who would like to pretend that the Volkswagen connection doesn't exist.If that seems an odd reason for buying it, bear in mind that right from the start the Cayenne has been very popular. Despite a feeling in some quarters a few years ago that Porsche had gone mad - or even betrayed its own heritage - by entering the SUV market, the car allowed Porsche to maintain its industry-leading profitability at a time when its sports car sales were sliding south.The word "profitability" in that sentence is significant. The Cayenne is more expensive than either the Touareg or the Q7, a state of affairs surely justifiable only by its more evocative badge. And although neither Volkswagen nor Audi shies away from offering a large number of expensive optional extras, Porsche is, of the three, possibly the most accomplished at doing so.Three of the extras fitted to our test car cost more than £2000, contributing to a total the £10,000-plus by which the car exceeded its normal list price. Two of them were the Porsche Communication Management system and full black leather upholstery. The third, to which I objected more strongly, was an upgrade to 20" RS Spyder Design alloy wheels and tyres of such low profile that you might think someone had taken a think stick of liquorice and stretched it round the rims.The inevitable result is that they make a not especially attractive car look much better, at least from the side, but spoil the ride. In fact this second effect isn't quite as severe as I thought it would be, but the Cayenne was still unnecessarily fidgety on anything other than a perfect road surface.Whether or not you choose this wheel/tyre package depends on whether you want to drive a comfortable or SUV or be seen behind the wheel of a Porsche. I know which of these appeals more to me, but I'm prepared to believe that most buyers will think otherwise. Engine 2967cc, 6 cylinders Power 240bhp Transmission 8-speed automatic Fuel/CO2 38.2mpg / 195g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 7.8 seconds Top speed 135mph Price £45,256 Details correct at publication date
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