Porsche Cayenne

Given a suitably open area to have a play in, the tyres break away reassuringly progressively and manageably. There's also a switchable Porsche Stability Management device on hand to subtly intervene by applying the brakes and cutting the power, as a final pre-crash back up.

This relatively lowly Cayenne has much the same BMW X5-rivalling chassis as the quicker, middle-of-the-range V8-propelled Cayenne S. In addition, a set of under-sized 17-inch alloy wheels are standard, although our test car wore optional 18-inchers - or, should you desire them, wheels up to a 'gangsta'-sized 20-inches are on offer too.

Also on the options list is a self-levelling air suspension system which automatically adjusts the ride height on motorways and over rough surfaces. This is offered in combination with an active damping system to soften or firm up the ride quality, depending on conditions and how the car's being driven.

An Advanced Offroad Technology package is now available for all Cayennes too, including this V6. In a forest clearing an off-road course has been set up for us to try it out - looking only a little more daunting than the kerbs outside the posh schools that most Cayennes will find themselves challenged by. The course possesses two mid-sized humps and despite the addition of an unhealthy layer of ice, neither manages to trouble the AOT pack's combination of sill and radiator protection plates, a traction-enhancing rear differential lock, and front and rear anti-roll bars that can be hydraulically disconnected to increase wheel travel over rocks, etc.

This trip to the far north has revealed that the Cayenne V6 has an engine that makes a superbly Porsche-like noise in order to produce very un-Porsche-like levels of performance; that it's extremely practical and comfortable to cover a tricky journey in; that it rattles; and that it's accomplished in the snowiest of conditions. Given that its peculiar looks offer the ability to scare all manner of dozy local wildlife out of harm's way, I can quickly see it becoming Finland's best-selling vehicle - after the Skidoo. For now, oddly, that title belongs to the humble Toyota Corolla.

Peter Grunert