2014 Porsche Cayenne Turbo first drive

The new Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and a proper piece of work it is, too. Now in its 12th year of production and fourth model incarnation, the Cayenne has become Porsche's most lucrative vehicle by far in the decade-and-a-bit that it's been on sale.

The Turbo has long stood proudly at the top of the family tree, which is why Porsche tends not to skimp on anything whenever a new version appears.

This latest model is no exception. It has more power, more torque and more performance than ever before, plus a touch less weight to carry. Its twin-turbo V8 engine and eight-speed automatic gearbox are more efficient than ever and the car is therefore faster but more economical than any previous Turbo.

In most eyes it also looks better than ever, thanks to a raft of styling updates front and rear. These include new LED lights at the back, a more sloping roofline and a shallower but more potent looking grille at the front. Together these make the new Turbo look wider and more purposeful, says Porsche, even though at 2185kg it's actually a fraction less heavy than the previous model.

The suspension has been extensively modified to deliver yet more control on and off road, and at high and low speed thanks to software alterations and the fitment of new four-piece bushes front and rear.

Air suspension is standard and can be raised or lowered to aid off road flexibility, claims Porsche. More realistically, however, this enables a Turbo driver to lower the ride height of their leviathan by around half a metre to make loading the shopping that much easier.

Inside, the new Cayenne Turbo's mix of quality, technology, logistics and architecture is hard to fault. Same goes for its packaging, the rear seats having been redesigned to afford more comfort and a better view forwards, the boot being as good as it gets in terms of size and shape within this class.

Outrageously, hilariously impressive in pretty much everything it does, to be honest. Inevitably the Turbo version of any Cayenne is inevitably gong to be defined by its performance, and with 513bhp and 553lb ft, this one most certainly is. The acceleration on offer is vaguely surreal under full throttle, and there is almost no lag to speak off once 2000rpm is showing.

But there is also a new level of refinement to the latest Turbo's performance, and its chassis, that makes it feel even more grown up than before. The twin turbo motor is mated to a super smooth and achingly effective eight-speed automatic gearbox that gels beautifully with the V8's thunderous character.

Intriguingly, there is still no PDK transmission option offered for the Cayenne in any of its guises, unlike in the Porsche Macan Turbo, because PDK doesn't work so well when towing, says Porsche. And many more Cayenne owners like to tow, by all accounts, compared with their Macan driving equivalents.

On the road, the steering is almost spooky in its precision, the front end slicing into corners with the kind of speed and agility that would belittle many a sports car. So quick and composed and planted does the Turbo now feel, in fact, that it has become one of the great cross-country weapons.

The car we drove was fitted with the optional carbon ceramic discs, and it stopped just as well as it went as a result.