As this week"s mag"s...

As this week"s mag"s exclusive photographs show, Porsche is giving its Cayenne off-roader a mid-life facelift in a bid to boost the model"s appeal. Our spies caught the new-look SUV testing near the firm"s home town of Weissach, Germany.

And the images clearly show that the biggest changes to the prestige 4x4 will be at the front, with reprofiled headlamp clusters, more angular bonnet lines and a sharper nose that will echo the appearance of the company"s trademark 911 flagship.

The huge front air intakes of the mildly disguised prototype are also destined for production, as are the foglamps mounted in the under-bumper spoiler. At the rear, bigger light pods and a flatter tailgate will give the Cayenne a less bulbous appearance.

Inside, the model is expected to get a less fussy dashboard layout, along with Porsche"s latest-style dials, which debuted in the current 911 and also appear in the new Boxster. The facelifted Cayenne could make its debut at the Paris Motor Show next year - exactly four years after it was first seen in the metal.

It is likely to reach showrooms late in 2006, and will initially be offered with the same engine and trim levels as the current car. That means the range will kick off with a 3.2-litre V6, while turbocharged and normally aspirated 4.6-litre V8s will also be available.

There is one further development that could reach production before an all-new Cayenne appears at the end of the decade. Initial reports that a diesel model would debut were quashed by Porsche on the grounds that an oil-burning engine would not fit in with the firm"s sporty image. However, this doesn"t mean bosses aren"t considering a more economical model.

There are rumours that engineers are working on a petrol-electric hybrid variant, similar to the Lexus RX400h. It is believed to use a V8 engine coupled to an electric motor, which is powered by a battery pack mounted under the floor.