WHITEHORSE -- At $60,850, the entry-level Porsche Cayenne sport utility is about as inexpensive as a Porsche gets these days. The base Boxster two-seater sports car, by comparison, runs $200 cheaper.

For your money, you get a roomy SUV with the glory of the Porsche name as standard equipment, best-in-class handling and steering, superlative braking, but not exactly neck-snapping performance.

With its base Cayenne V6, Porsche is again sacrificing performance to shrink the price. It brings up an old, thorny question, familiar to Porsche-philes who know their history: Is a Porsche powered by a non-Porsche motor ever really acceptable as a Porsche?

The 914 sports car that was propelled by an egg-beater of a Volkswagen flat-four beginning in 1969 was disparaged as more standardbred than thoroughbred (save for the 914-6 that was upgraded by a Porsche six-cylinder). The 924 powered by the pedestrian Audi 100 four made its debut in 1977 to generally negative reviews. And now lifting the hood on Porsche's Cayenne base model reveals a motor that, although glamorously shrouded with a genuine Porsche intake system, is a Volkswagen VR-6.

Addressing another form of accessibility, Porsche's Cayenne marketing plan was founded on the realization that many drivers enamoured by the mystique of the company name and its racing legends simply do not fit the two-seaters, or at least find the sports cars do not fit their needs. They aspire to a Porsche, a genuine Porsche, but one that large people can climb into without looking like a circus act, one with room for teenagers in the back, one that holds a lot of stuff.

The ambience is characteristic of the breed. There are no exotic woods accenting the dash, there is no attempt at plushness. Rather, Porsche delivers its customary level of high quality, understated style and supreme comfort. The supportive seats are upholstered in leather, the air conditioning is automatic and the sound system is a 350-watt Bose system with 14 speakers.

The luggage space is competitive with other sport-utes; it has a capacity of 19 cubic feet or 540 litres with the rear seat in its upright position. If the 40/60 split in the seating is folded for maximum space, cargo capacity increases to 62.5 cubic feet or 1,770 litres.

So the Cayenne matches most other sport-utes in practicality. Whether the Volkswagen motor possesses the character to maintain the credibility of the coat of arms on the hood becomes crucial, because the Cayenne meets every other need.

Output is 247 hp and 228 lb-ft of torque, compared with corresponding figures of 220 and 224 from the same basic motor in the Volkswagen Touareg (which sells for $52,100). Porsche's intake system clearly has improved what already is an outstanding power plant, and the power figures compare favourably to those of the BMW X3/X5 3.0 with its 225 hp and 214 lb-ft, although not so favourably with the Cadillac SRX (260/252).

The complication is Cayenne's heft, for its 2,170 kg is a lot to haul for the willing, 3.2-litre six. Acceleration is this Porsche's shortcoming. Zero to 100 km/h takes 9.7 seconds, according to Porsche's own reckoning, rendering the Cayenne driver susceptible to embarrassment between stoplights. Some economy cars move out faster. Having said that, the Cayenne has adequate power for a top speed of 214 km/h and a towing rating of 3,500 kg., so the accessible Porsche isn't totally lacking for muscle in the way the 914 and 924 were. It just struggles somewhat overcoming its inertia.

Clear sections of the Alcan Highway offered an opportunity to cruise in the 120-150 km/h range. The base Cayenne can do this with ease and a pleasing bark from the Porsche-reworked exhaust system -- with the qualification that you need to be prepared to accept frequent shifting of the automatic/manual six-speed transmission.

The Tiptronic shift can be left in drive or controlled manually with thumb buttons on the steering wheel or by "tipping" the gearshift forward and back. Having opted for manual mode, we quickly discovered that acceleration from 120 km/h is frustratingly slow without a downshift to fifth or even fourth gear. It's understandable, given this Cayenne's power-to-weight ratio comes in at 19.4 pounds for every unit of horsepower, compared to 14.5 for the Cayenne S and 11.6 for the fast-flying Turbo.

It does share best-in-class handling and steering and superlative braking with its more expensive siblings. The premium price of any Porsche is justified by these qualities, along with superb build quality and durability.

The alloy wheels are smaller -- 17 inches in diameter, 7.5 inches wide, shod with 235/65 tires -- but in all the important details of suspension design this vehicle is identical to the Cayenne S. The maxi-bucks Turbo differs with air spring struts and variable dampers, although a case can be made for the steel coil springs of the base model and S serving up superior handling.

The Cayenne proved to be both safe and sound on the snow- and ice-covered roads around Whitehorse. It scoots around corners, and skids are easily caught. The full-time four-wheel-drive is set up to deliver 62 per cent of the engine power to the rear wheels, 38 per cent to the front wheels, with the intention of making the Cayenne feel somewhat like Porsche's sports cars with their rear engines and rear drive. A vehicle of this size and bulk cannot be nearly as agile as a traditional Porsche, but credit is due for making the Cayenne handle more like a sports sedan than a SUV.

A quarter-mile oval ploughed on a ice-covered lake showcased the ability of the standard Porsche stability management (PSM). Following former Porsche racer Rick Bye's orders to drive into a corner way too fast, you discover the PSM will bring the vehicle virtually to a halt to prevent it spinning by means of cutting power and selectively applying brakes among the four wheels. With the system turned off -- a button on the dash does the trick -- the tail of the vehicle would swing out and driving skill comes into play.

Steering during emergency braking was reassuringly responsive but not without crushed pylons. Later, on another lake, a 3.2-km "road course" on the ice provided more of the same. The Cayenne is easily controlled at all times and, on glare ice, even more tractable with its transmission switched to low range.

No, it's not a Porsche motor under the hood. But it's a Porsche in every other way and, to this driver at least, that makes it as acceptable as it is accessible.

Specifications

Porsche Cayenne

Price: $60,850

Size: Full-sized sport utility

Engine: 3.2L, DOHC, V6

Horsepower/Torque: 247 hp/228 lb-ft.

Transmission: Six-speed automatic/manual

Fuel consumption: City, 15.6L/100 km; Highway, 12.2L/100 km

Alternatives: BMW X3/X5, Cadillac SRX, Volkswagen Touareg, Land Rover Discovery, Infiniti FX45, Audi Allroad