Over the weekend whilst hosting a small dinner party for number of old friends, the discussion eventually led to a short but heated debate around what car should the newly exhausted parent buy.

And of course the normal questions were asked, you know the ones, what’s your budget? What kind of car you are looking for? What you going to use it for? Etc etc…. You get the gist, basic questions any one would ask to gauge what kind of car they should offer as the best choice.

The top priority for the new parents were of course safety followed by it has to be SUV of some sort.

Number of cars were suggested , amongst them Mazda MX5 (which I do personally like), but of course number of cars were also put on the list of what not to buy.

Included in that list was the amazing Porsche Cayenne, which I found rather surprising; keeping in mind Cayenne has long been the most performance-oriented of the luxury SUVs, hosting a spacious, versatile interior and some off-road ruggedness for those insane people who think they will do any off roading with their Porsche.

So I asked that important question, why not? Putting aside affordability which is the main reason why most people of average income won’t be able to afford it.

The answers were predictable and some what shocking, and even included in this list of excuses was, it is absolutely rubbish.

That last one got me too. I have heard many reasons why you shouldn’t consider buying a Cayenne or there’re better alternatives , but being outright rubbish was never one of those excuses.

The issue here is that many people fall in the same trap and confuse affordability with rubbishness, if such word even exists.

The best way to understand if a car is better or worse than another car, is simply to compare it to its peers or even the same class of cars, as any other sort of comparison will simply be flawed or even biased.

The Competition

So what are the alternatives? I hear you ask. Here is my list, and I am sure many of you will be able to add to this list.

Range Rover Sport

The Sport mixes Cayenne strengths and versatility and the recent redesign has allowed it to shed few pounds, coupled with new on-board performance computer systems; the new SVR trim makes it the hottest sporty SUV on the market.

In the early days the cabin was a little too cozy for my liking, however that changed on the later models, when the Range Rover think tanks decided to adopt the architecture of the latest Range Rover. The magic worked and the result gave birth to a more attractive, more capable, and more efficient Range Rover while retaining and improving on that SUV-uncharacteristic on-road performance.

2015, sees Land Rover takes the Rover Sport to the next level with an all-out performance version dubbed SVR. The company says the SVR is the fastest Land Rover that has ever been sold.

Audi Q7

The Q7 is a natural alternative to the Porsche Cayenne. Compared to similar big crossovers, Q7 is a smart compromise, you do lose some off-road prowess in the name of on-the-road responsiveness and comfort. While it’s not a serious off-roader, it’s one of the most luxurious, family-friendly vehicles, so those school runs can be done in perfect comfort.

BMW’s X5

No comparison would be complete without a BMW thrown into the mix. X5 offers a third-row and the X5 M gives the Cayenne Turbo some good competition.

Infiniti

The QX70, continues to offer strong V-6 and V-8 powertrains in an attractive body but it doesn’t come close to the Porsche’s level of available performance.

Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT

Jeep performance rivals that of the Cayenne Turbo, at a much lower price.

Grand Cherokee Refinement and capability have always been its hallmarks. As the model has evolved over the years, it has grown even more luxurious , all the while retaining most of its off-road prowess.

Conclusion

Moral of story here is a rather simple one, you shouldn’t confuse affordability with performance. The only question you should really be asking yourself when buying a car is a simple one, what do I need it for? And if off roading is one of those must have conditions, then the above list of vehicles are likely to actually never leave pavement for long,