One more thing, the driving position is great. Plenty of room to get comfortable and great visibility. I felt right at home as soon as I started driving except for a couple of electronic things I had to learn about. The seats and interior are great, particularly in the light grey full leather interior. We averageed about 9 hours of seat time each day and I never felt tired or uncomfortable. And, while I've never been bowled over by the way the Cayenne interior looks, after spending sometime in it, I really like its subdued, businesslike approach. High on quality, low on luxury, just the way I like it.

I grew up driving Land Rovers and owned a Range Rover for years, in which I did a lot of off-road driving, including down in Big Bend. A Range Rover would also have been a great ride for this trip, even if not nearly so fast or sporty. But the problem I have with the current Range Rover -- as opposed to the Cayenne -- is that the interior is so plush and refined that it feels out of place on a desert trail, no matter how effective it is. All that wood and Waterford crystal and Wilton carpets; it's so beautiful inside to feel you have to stop at every passing goatherder to see if he might have any Grey Poupon.

From a passenger's point of view I loved the leather handles low on the console, with one matching on the door. In other four wheel drive vehicles, you're reaching up overhead to hang on, with the result that you're swinging back and forth. In the Cayenne, when the driver points it down a gulch and floors it, you just hold on to those two low handles firmly and squeal like a pig on roller skates, wondering if the fun will ever stop.

Finally, the exterior is growing on me. I like that it's anonymous and the only people who know what it is are the people who know what it is. And that's just fine with me.

Although I do think it would be attractive in pink, given that I believe the Cayenne is the only vehicle ever designed to look like Porky Pig.

That's all, folks!