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LEEDS, AL – Devotees of the Porsche brand, known for iconic sports cars, summarily dismissed the need for an SUV when the Cayenne first launched here in March 2003.

But after more than seven years in the market, the Cayenne continues to outsell every 2-door car in Porsche’s U.S. lineup and has created precisely what the wily German auto maker wanted all along: more devotees of the Porsche brand.

The ’11 model year brings a complete redesign for the Cayenne, classified as a midsize luxury cross/utility vehicle in Ward’s segmentation, and in every respect it is better, lighter (yet bigger), more powerful, more fuel efficient, more comfortable and better looking than the model it replaces.

Despite its size, the new Cayenne delivers laser-like handling, enhanced by a new active all-wheel-drive system that can be paired for the first time with the Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus option to make the 5-passenger CUV feel amazingly stable and confident through every twist and turn here at the Barber Motorsports Park.

While delivering on the brand’s trademark performance, the Cayenne also ushers Porsche with shocking ease into the era of electrified mobility.

The Cayenne S Hybrid, going on sale this fall, seems to answer a question few people were asking.

But fuel-economy mandates require Porsche to boost efficiency if it wants to continue selling vehicles in the U.S. beyond 2016 without threat of costly penalties.