Porsche Cayenne — Tankful Of Fun
It’s ironic that a month after Al Gore wins the Nobel Prize for his tireless work on the subject of global warming, I’m writing a review about a 500-horsepower, 5,200-pound SUV that carries five people. If more advanced forms of life exist in outer space and they put those two pieces of information together, we’re toast.

Don’t get me wrong; I like power as much as the next aging adolescent, but I prefer that power with balance. For me, a 217-horsepower John Cooper Works Mini or a 220-horsepower Lotus Exige S has plenty of authority since there’s little weight to push or pull. And that nimble weight, combined with tuned suspension and fat tires adds up to great fun.

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo is fast and even handles well, considering its girth. But it attempts to do too much as a sports wagon, off-road crawler, and tow rig. Case in point; our test Porsche was equipped with low range and locking axles, but have you ever encountered a Cayenne in the wilderness? It also had an optional trailer hitch, but I’ve never witnessed a Porsche Turbo towing anything.

Speaking of options, the pricy Porsche added $12,000 in extras to its $93,700 base price, yet did not have a backup camera with park assist. That handy SUV aid would have added another $1,680 to the MSRP. Want hands-free telephoning? That will be another $960 please. If you check every option box available on the Porsche Cayenne Web site, it’s possible to create a $131,755 Turbo model. Then you can have it all, right down to the $95 key pouch that matches the leather interior.

In the plus column, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo is the subject of adoration from people who place high value on premium luxury goods. After a quick sprint to a barbeque at a new Napa Valley winery, the Cayenne preened in the parking lot, basking in its imposing Teutonic splendor.

For 2008, the body has been reworked a bit while still retaining its sporting appearance. The new headlights seem to scowl over air intakes that look large enough to swallow a little Lotus whole before spitting the remains out the four fat pipes in the rear.

The interior is familiar to Porsche enthusiasts with an interface that’s busy enough to require a week of intense focus to operate the radio and navigation controls successfully. But I don’t want to complain, or they’ll replace the buttons with an iDrive device and make it a two-week learning process.

If you really feel the need for off-road speed, there are some entertaining options to choose from. Land Rover’s Range Rover Sport with a supercharged engine isn’t as fast as the Porsche on paved roads, but it’s a good bet in the rough. And Mercedes-Benz has its ML63 AMG in play for those who want to buy an oil company, one fill-up at a time. — Brian Douglas

Specifications
Type: Front engine, all-wheel drive

Engine: 4.8-liter, DOHC V8

Horsepower: 500 @ 6,000 rpm

Torque: 516 foot-pounds @ 2,250 rpm

Base Price: $93,700

As Tested: $106,595

Fuel Economy: 12-city/19-highway

Terranea
Although it most likely won’t be completed until 2009, Terranea, the real estate/resort development currently being built in Palos Verdes, CA, is already selling strong. The development will offer a $450 million Mediterranean-style resort complete with a 360-room luxury hotel with 34 suites, as well as 50 full-ownership three-bedroom oceanfront casitas and 32 full-ownership two-and three-bedroom villas beginning at $2.5 million. Exceptional amenities include a 25,000-square-foot oceanfront spa and fitness facility with 24 treatment rooms, and three salt-water swimming pools. Keeping in line with today’s green-minded society, Terranea will feature 14 acres of habitat, a landscaping program using noninvasive plants, and a sophisticated water management plan. (866/366-7474, www.terranea.com) — Jane Shiomi

Fairmont Tamarack
Tennis legends Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, through their company Agassi Graf Development LLC, have joined together with Echo Partners, LLC, to develop Fairmont Tamarack, a luxury hotel with residences at Tamarack Resort in Donnelly, Idaho. Nearby Lake Cascade’s waters warm to nearly 80 degrees in the summer, and the ski mountain receives over 300 inches of average snowfall annually. Also included are mountain biking trails, and Osprey Meadows, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. signature golf course. In the winter, the meadow is transformed to a Nordic skier’s paradise of 25 kilometers of rolling trails. Scheduled to break ground next fall, with completion anticipated in 2011, Fairmont Tamarack will feature the design of internationally-renowned interior architectural design firm Wilson & Associates, whose varied and global projects include The Palace of the Lost City in South Africa; Las Ventanas al Paraiso in Cabo San Lucas; Atlantis Resort at Paradise Island, Bahamas; and many properties in Las Vegas. (208/325-1500)
— Jane Shiomi