When you're late to the party, you better bring a nice gift for the host.

By some counts, Porsche is late to the sport utility party. Real late. Lucky for it, the gift it brought is a doozy: the Porsche Cayenne.

	The Porsche Cayenne gets you where you want to go quickly. Click photo for larger image.

The Cayenne is nothing short of a full- blown, four-door sports car that just happens to have a back seat and some luggage space. It handles every bit as aggressively as anything else in Porsche's lineup. And the sound, pulsating energy and thunder from its engine, will send chills up your spine.

Even with the 340-horsepower, 4.5-liter engine in my entry level model, this is no timid SUV. And since you don't know whether you're looking at the base model or the 450-horsepower turbocharged one unless you look at the number of tailpipes, you'd be well advised not to mess with a Cayenne at the next stop light. The turbocharged model's top speed is 165, with a 0 to 60 time of about 5.6 seconds. Even the base engine is no slouch -- 7.2 seconds to 60 is not exactly slow in an SUV.

None of this comes cheap. The base price on my 2003 Cayenne S was $55,900, putting it in competition with such models as Lincoln's Navigator, Cadillac's Escalade and Lexus' LX470.

But add some options and the price zooms to the stratosphere. With metallic paint, air suspension, the Porsche Communication Management system that integrates navigation, audio and information functions, a wood decor package and other niceties, the bottom line comes to $68,760.

The Cayenne shared its development and its basics with Volkswagen's Touareg. They are somewhat similar in appearance, although the Touareg usually gets more nods of approvals from car experts.

In any case, the Cayenne is a big, brawny-looking SUV with unmistakable Porsche styling cues, particularly in front with its 911-like grille. One positive point about the styling: It's one of the few SUVs that lets me and my modest stature see over the hood.

The interior is sumptuous and Porsche-like, with design elements on doors and on the instrument panel that have a look in common with other company models. Round, no-nonsense gauges in the traditional five-dial layout await you, and the steering wheel controls for the Tiptronic S system are precisely where they need to be for easy operation.

Now, some driving impressions. One of my favorite features is the car's adjustable ride and height control system because the various settings provide distinctly different feels. I've driven cars that have similar systems, but they didn't seem to provide much variation. As sporty as the Cayenne is, dialing in the sport setting results in an even firmer, more taut ride.

By the way, the steering is spot-on, so to speak. Just the right amount of feeling, feedback and ruggedness built into the system. The brakes are firm and sure and will stop you on a pinhead. And they are operated by what I think is the biggest brake pedal I've ever seen.

The acceleration is memorable -- good old-fashioned, knock you back in your seat performance. The thrill begins when you turn on the key. Blipping the accelerator pedal results in all that raw power vibrating and crackling through the exhaust system.

Problems? Only a minor and another "something to think about." I kept getting an annoying purplish blue glare on the dash gauges that made them tougher to read from time to time. I also found the Cayenne to be a handful to park, and was deeply grateful for the front and rear parking assist.

As for "something to think about," the car is rugged, well-built and designed to last. But that doesn't mean it won't require considerable input and diligence from the owner.

I found it to be extremely sensitive to even the slightest variation in the car's internals, as I found out when the car lost only a pound or two of pressure in a tire. I continually got flashing messages, and other signs that something was wrong.

Considering the intricacies of owning the Cayenne, the huge owner's manual that has page after page of interpretations of various combinations and permutations of warning lights and signals, it's clear this is not the ride for those of you who are not inclined to careful and constant upkeep of cars.

If you're up to it -- in cash and care -- you will be rewarded with one of the finest pieces of machinery ever to leave the Porsche factory, never mind any auto factory around.