The Tesla Model X and the Porsche Cayenne are both incredible — but only one of these luxury SUV rivals has the edge

The Model X, of course, also comes with Tesla's Autopilot semi-self-driving system. It's much better than the driver-assist system in the Porsche Cayenne. But it has higher aspirations. In my testing, Autopilot has served as very advanced cruise control — and in some ways, its a challenge to use, because it requires a high level of driver attention.

I also enjoy driving the Model X so much that I ended up flipping Autopilot off quite often. Ditto the Cayenne — these are high-performance SUVs that are meant to deliver thrills behind the wheel. I don't want thee computers to have all the fun!

In Normal Mode, the Cayenne Coupé hustles up to seventh and eights gears, to enhance the MPGs. Auto-stop-start is also active in this mode, as well as Sport, which hold the shifts longer. Sport + give you the full Monty, and Individual allows from customization. Usually, I favor Sport with Porsches, but with the Cayenne Coupé and the least-power motor, I made the move to Sport + and enjoyed punching the Sport Response button, which serves up 20 seconds burst of all the boost the turbo six can muster.

The undergirdings of the Cayenne are intricate. There's both torque vectoring a rear-wheel steering, as well as Porsche's traction management and dynamic chassis control features, which do allow you to push this SUV rather hard without having to worry about that which might concern you with lesser utes.

The top speed is 151 mph, and the 0-60 mph dash passes in just under six seconds.

Off-roading? Check. The Cayenne has several modes: Gravel, Mud, Sand and Rock.

The Porsche Cayenne is the greatest SUV ever made by human hands on planet Earth. That verdict has only been reinforced for me the last two times I've driven the vehicle, in Cayenne Turbo and Coupé trims.

The Model X, meanwhile, is now the most offbeat vehicle that Tesla currently produces. But as an SUV, it's something special. Even though it's 100% electric, I concluded back in 2015 when it launched that it was the most consequential ute since the Cayenne, which made its own jaw-dropping debut over a decade earlier.

The X is endlessly fun, and it rarely fails to draw a crowd of admirers. And while the Model S sedan was an important vehicle for Tesla — its first clean-sheet design — the Model X was the company's successful attempt to combine a lot of technology with substantial luxury and impressive EV performance. I'm not sure the company could ever produce such a content-crammed machine again, although I'm eager to see what the Cybertruck offers.

Price-wise, the Model X has an advantage: the top trim level starts at about $105,000, while the most stonking Cayennes are over $150,000. You're gonna get all the Model X you can handle before you even climb halfway up the mountain that is the Cayenne Turbo. (Still, the Turbo delivers a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds, while the Model X Performance makes the run in 2.6.)

The Model X is also the way to go if you don't want to spend the college fund on gas: it consumes zero petrol and emits nothing from a tailpipe, which it doesn't have. The Cayenne, however, get only about 20 mpg combined (less, if you really enjoy the V8 versions) and makes a lot of noise as it spews fumes from its multiple exhaust ports. (There is a monumentally powerful hybrid version of the Cayenne, the Turbo S E-Hybrid, and there's a hybrid version of both the base Cayenne and the Cayenne Coupé.)

That said, the Cayenne remains the standard by which all other luxury utes are measured. The question is really whether you get what you pay for, and with the Porsche, there's no doubt. You might wince when the payments are due, but you won't ever live in disappointment.

You also won't have to wrangle with the Model X's neurotic complexity. This SUV has depths that even the most enthusiastic and dedicated owners haven't plumbed. The Cayenne has a slightly tricky infotainment system and some ornate driving-mode options, but otherwise you're dealing with a fast SUV that plies its asphalt sorcery behind the scenes. How can something this big and heavy handle so magnificently? Cue the confident chuckles of grinning German engineers.

So there you have it. The Model X is great. The Cayenne is slightly greater. But wow! A close race.