I have tow boxsters (track, street-AX) and a seriously sporty wagon (hot rodded V8, coil-overs, track alignment) with AWD, snow tires and every creature comfort know to man 15 years ago :-) Dogs love it.
Its great. Listen to stereo, sit in comfy seats, and chase down sports cars. I love it. Unfortunately, they really are not all so great if pushed hard - mostly due to weight. Mine is very low, but SUV's are not. But even low, if you drive hard n the track, the brakes get "stupid hot" ( that's a technical term).
Now, i doubt most buying "sporty" SUVs would even know. I suspect its mostly important to a) look sporty, b) have badges and c) have a firm ride. Oddly, all this fir ride stuff can hinder adhesion on rough surfaces. I have the talk with my Pirelli USCR engineer buddy regularly. he, BTW aligned the Audi ---- way beyond what they say is advisable. Experience says "they" are wrong.
rant off
Grant
Grant
gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com