Driving the Cayenne was an experience I looked forward to. I'd had a quick ride as a passenger in a Black Cayenne S from the Porsche dealer and was quite impressed. Driving the car however was a different matter.

What struck me first about the city off-roader was the sheer size of the thing. You really had to step up to get in the car and it would tower over my Boxster not to mention most other cars, which gives an excellent commanding view of the  road. Sitting in the drivers seat it really is an occasion, you feel very much in control and all the main instruments are within easy view, switch-gear accessible too. On the move the car defies the laws of nature it appears and doesn't suffer from much body-roll (although this car didn’t have the optional air suspension) - a great feat given its size.

In terms of acceleration, it’s nothing short of reasonable, but I'm sure the S makes up ground a lot more briskly, not to mention the Turbo. Again, for a vehicle of its size, pretty good performance, though the 10-12 mpg I received in city driving was pretty poor given it was only a 3.2 V6, bulk again being the issue at 2160 kg.

Overall, the main impression I gained while driving this vehicle was scale. It really is a big car. As you drive down small side streets here in Scotland’s Capital, the small nature of the street means the parking sensors are constantly flashing warnings and it you become quite nervous when the red  lights come on, in fear of hitting parked cars! Speaking of parking, you wouldn't want to damage the 20" alloys fitted to this vehicle, although someone already had on this particular car so I presume that’s part of the reality of living with this vehicle.

As a lot of people have issues with the style of the Cayenne, it’s stunted nose and curves reminding some people of a chunky ballerina so I’ve been told. As a car to photograph, it looks good, especially in Seal Grey as you see here. So, I took some shots next to another controversial design - The Scottish Parliament and I’ll leave you to make your own mind up about it’s looks.