Next year will be a big one for the Cayenne. While the SUV still resembles its lumbering predecessors on the outside, things have changed, big time, under the truck’s sheet metal. For starters, Porsche’s engineers have managed to do the unbelievable and trim nearly 400 pounds from the vehicle’s structure, while still adding interior room and more crash bracing. That’s impressive, but what does it mean for consumers? Simple: With each and every pound lost, the Cayenne has grown into a better all-around vehicle.

With 400 fewer pounds to lug around, the 300 horsepower 3.6-liter V6 engine is suddenly more than powerful enough to scoot the SUV from one place to another. Buyers can have the Cayenne with either a 6-speed manual transmission or an 8-speed automatic gearbox, both of which help to return, we're told, significantly better fuel economy than the outgoing models. What exactly does “significantly” mean in this case? Unfortunately, the Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t released final figures just yet, but we’re told to expect surprising numbers -- and given the SUV's significant weight loss, we do expect to be surprised.

All of this raises the question of whether you really need a burly V8 to get you, the family and the boat down the road in style. The V6-powered Cayenne can still clip off a sport-sedanlike 7.1-second zero-to-60 mph run and has a top speed of 142 mph, all for $46,700. Even more surprising, its steering wheel is more properly weighted and responsive than its sedan cousin, the Panamera. What more do you need?