– Agios Nikolaos, Greece

It’s a 38-mile drive from my hotel on the north shore of Crete to the small airport to the east, in Sitia. There’s no freeway route – just a long stretch of winding roads, connecting the dots between tiny villages nestled in the Cretan hills. The 2019 Cayenne’s navigation system says it’ll take an hour and 15 minutes to complete the journey, but the reality is, I don’t have that kind of time. I’ve got to get there in 55 minutes, or I’ll miss the charter flight off the island. And while another night basking in the stunning scenery of this idyllic Greek island sounds blissful, the Porsche folks are all looking at me with the stern sincerity, their eyes silently telling me, you absolutely must make this flight.

Good thing I’m in the Cayenne Turbo.

Unrelenting in its power and ability, it’s on this route over a sun-drenched Greek island that the Cayenne reaffirms its place as, truly, the sports car of SUVs.

The 4.0-liter biturbo V8 offers up 550 horsepower and 568 pound-feet of torque, and I’m feeling every bit of that oomph as I fly past slow-moving work trucks and microcars on my race to beat the clock. Porsche reps are calling out upcoming turns like I’m on a rally stage – ”90-degree right-hander,” “sharp left up the hill” ...