SOME cars are all about the numbers.

In this case the latest incarnation of the range topping Porsche Cayenne Turbo S it is 4.8-litres, 550bhp, 750Nm of torque, V8 twin turbo, eight gears, and for the very few who can afford it, a £100,000 plus price tag. 

Having said that, it is packed with the latest technological wizardry in terms of performance, safety, comfort and entertainment. Oh yes, and blistering performance.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so make what you will of the Cayenne.  

SUVs, by their nature are hardly beautiful, but this one has real road presence.

It has a brooding, almost menacing look, which is perhaps why it is favoured by so many Premiership footballers.

But is is also much liked by the well-heeled country set who may occasionally go off-road on and around the country pile.

Since it first came onto the scene it has become the German firm's best seller.

It's easy to see why. A Cayenne means you can have your cake and eat it.

It has the kudos of the legendary brand, together with family-sized practicality and more than capable off-road performance.

The car demands attention with its powerful curves, muscular, sculpted profile dark tinted glass, 21-inch alloy wheels which display the huge ceramic brake discs and painted brake calipers and distinctive twin double tailpipes. And just in case you forget what it is, the logos and badging both inside and out are clear reminders.

The performance is immense. The turbocharged V8 petrol engine propels the car to 60mph from a standing start in just 4.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 175mph. The torque figure means it is more than capable of towing the horse box, the caravan, or a small tank.

The drive is transmitted to the road by the standard eight-speed Tiptronic S gearbox which adapts the gearshift points to your individual driving style. For sportier gearchanges, the steering wheel has two gearshift paddles.

Keeping a vehicle with this power safe and in a straight line needs sophisticated chassis and traction systems and the German giant delivers with air suspension, permanent all-wheel drive self-stabilising chassis control, and active suspension management which offers three setup modes to choose from including ‘Comfort', ‘Normal' and ‘Sport'. These adapt to the prevailing driving conditions.

In addition and fitted as standard, Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) which varies engine torque to the rear wheels and electronically controlled rear differential for better grip. All very high-tech but an integral part of the reason for buying a car like this. It all adds up to sport-car like handling when required, but  comfortable placid drive otherwise, well insulated from road and wind noise.

The plush leather interior looks more like a cockpit than a vehicle cabin with a dazzling array of buttons dials and screen controls and large transmisison tunnel.

It is dominated by a centre seven-inch screen which controls sat nav, Bluetooth and media functions, including a 40gb hard drive for the entertainment system.

Thick carpets and high-quality soft touch plastics add to the luxurious feel to the interior and the powered 18-way adjustable leather seats are multi adjustable as is the steering column.

The door-sill guards are in stainless steel and feature the ‘turbo S' model logo while head restraints on the front seats and outer rear seats feature an embossed Porsche crest. A real bonus is 14-speaker Bose surround sound system with AUX and USB inputs with SiriusXM satellite radio, surely a must on a car of this nature.

The latest model has a longer wheelbase means that rear-seat passengers now enjoy 6.3 inches of fore-and-aft sliding as well as an adjustable backrest.

Despite the bonkers performance, economy is pretty reasonable, with a claimed 24.6mpg. This is aided by what the firm Intelligent Performance which includes advanced technologies such as the auto start/stop function.

It is also adaptable and versatile with a 670-litre boot, which increases to 1,705 with the split/folding seats down, plus there are other larg cubby holes and pockets throughout the cabin. 

It is packed with other safety features including full size front airbags for driver and front passenger plus side impact protection which includes a side airbag in each front seat and curtain-type airbags on each side of the roof.

A large, practical people and cargo carrier when required, which performs like a sports car.

Massively expensive, but a winner for Porsche. Oh yes, and the 'entry level' Cayenne will only set you back around £47,000.