Porsche’s international best-seller for the past seven years is neither the basic Boxster nor a spartan 911.
It’s the Porsche Cayenne, the company’s controversial first five-door model. Mocked by purists but bought by enough regular folk to become an unqualified success, the Cayenne raked in money, providing the “fuel” for the engineering and marketing departments to keep Porsche’s sports cars ahead of their rivals. In other words, the Cayenne was a necessary evil.
It appears to be all good, this second-generation model. Its styling is less ponderous than before, albeit still more hefty than sexy, and that roof-edge spoiler inspired by the Carrera GT wing is a nice touch. Optional big rims, right up to 21-inch complete with wheel arch extensions, provide the fashionable footwear. The new Cayenne even looks cool in Sand Yellow, a newly introduced special colour.
Porsche Cayenne cockpit is fantastic.
The Porsche Cayenne is also greener than ever across the board, headlined by the diesel and hybrid versions. The 3.6-litre V6 starter Cayenne, for example, has lowered its fuel consumption and CO2 emission by 20 per cent compared to its predecessor. Kerb weight savings of between 165kg and 185kg, coupled with greater mechanical efficiency and a thrifty auto start/stop function, make the new Cayenne range more acceptable to eco-warriors, or rather, less unacceptable.
Over the next few pages, we road-test the opposing ends of the overhauled Porsche Cayenne concept – the brutal Turbo and the gentle Hybrid. Their price gap can fit a Golf GTI and they are massively different in performance, but both newcomers represent the epitome of SUV luxury and technology… at least until the next better player comes along.
The new Porsche Cayenne Turbo is a big car that shrink-wraps itself around the driver. Oh, and this freak of nature hits 278km/h too. By all appearances, it is a sports utillity vehicle. But when you look at the specs sheet, you will do a double take. The car is quicker than a manual BMW M3. It is even quicker than the previous Porsche 911 (the last of the Tiptronic Carerras).
Now, you would imagine something standing 1.7 metres tall, weighing nearly 2.2 tonnes and capable of blasting from zero to 100km/h in 4.7 seconds to be quite a handful. Here, Porsche takes you by complete surprise again.
The new Porsche Cayenne Turbo is as well-mannered as they come, even if it is a brute perfectly capable of lethal acceleration. Decked with a suite of technological wizardry usually reserved for the flagship 911, this big butcher of a vehicle is actually a cosmetic surgeon – clean, precise and thoroughly cooperative.
With a 4.8-litre twin-turbocharged V8 that pumps out 500bhp and a mind-numbing 700Nm of torque, the top-of-the-line Cayenne has what it takes to match some of the fastest coupes in town at a traffic light drag race.
Various driving modes, most of them auto, make this car less of a handful.
In the century sprint, it is significantly faster than the original Porsche Cayenne Turbo (5.6 seconds) and its updated variant (5.1 seconds). And with a top whack of 278km/h, the new Cayenne is the fastest SUV in the land.
Its prodigious powertrain aside, the new car is lighter than its predecessor. On the move, the latest Cayenne Turbo is thoroughly nimble, betraying none of the latent heft noticeable in large SUVs. In daily use, it feels and behaves like an oversized hatchback – driveable and manoeuvrable even in the tightest spaces.
It is only on the track that the SUV falls a little behind in the handling department compared to other Porsche models. And we must emphasise that the comparison is with other modern Porsches.
Porsche Cayenne’s multi-function air-suspenion aims to defy the physics of driving.
Thanks to standard air suspension and a lengthy wheelbase, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo offers superior comfort while maintaining a confident and grounded feel at all times. It is so good, it sometimes rivals even the Porsche Panamera on this front.
As before, the driver can pick his preferred level of sportiness at the flick of a switch. The test car was fitted with extras such as Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (with active anti-roll bars) and Torque Vectoring Plus (which enhances handling balance and steering response).
Also of note is the new 8-speed Tiptronic transmission, which is efficient, relaxed and as smooth as the PDK double-clutch systems we’ve seen of late.
Porsche has dialled up the brand’s DNA in the design department – the vehicle is noticeably sleeker all round.
Although it is recognisably a Cayenne, the bulkiness of the old shape has given way to softer curves and aerodynamism. The new lines make the car appear lower slung than the previous model, which is actually not quite the case.
Overall, the beast is tame enough for a night at the opera. Even with extended fenders that help shield the enormous (optional) 20-inch wheels, the Cayenne Turbo appears elegant.
Porsche Cayenne’s gauges are similar to those in the 911 sports car.
On board, the Turbo is consummately luxurious. For starters, its generous wheelbase of almost 2.9 metres offers plenty of legroom. Quality materials and an impressive array of amenities make the cabin an exquisite place to occupy. The test car, by the way, featured $50,000 worth of options, including a three-spoke sports steering wheel with metallic shift paddles, keyless access and ignition, a reverse camera system, a built-in telephone, an electronic compass (which looks really cool), a motorised tailgate and walnut panelling.
The car even comes with a Panamera-shaped key, which is a bit odd. Perhaps this is an indication of Porsche’s newfound confidence in the Cayenne, something that was not quite apparent when it embarked on the SUV route a decade ago.
For all intents and purposes, the new Porsche Cayenne Turbo is a cross between a powerful coupe and a practical SUV – one that is sophisticated, comfortable and very, very fast.
Porsche Cayenne’s backseats and boot are roomy and rock-solid; the leather feels great.
Not “very, very fast” is the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid. But its 0-100km/h timing of 6.5 seconds is very respectable, equalling that achieved by the old Porsche Cayenne GTS, which runs a 4.8-litre V8 with 405bhp and 500Nm. And the relatively green SUV’s top speed of over 240km/h is adequate for German autobahns and more than enough for the North-South Highway.
Step hard on the accelerator and the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid hot-foots ahead, riding on the hearty combined energy of the 3-litre supercharged petrol engine and the integral electric motor. The whole process is delightfully industrious but it sounds terribly industrial, with no multi-cylinder music in the foreground to make an enthusiast prick up his ears.
What would pique his curiosity instead is how the tachometer needle drops to zero rpm when he lifts his foot off the throttle pedal and swings back to life, quickly and smoothly, when he reapplies the throttle. This fuel-saving “coast” feature is uncanny, but you get used to it in a jiffy.
Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid’s drivetrain has a kind heart, but is an eco-compromise at best.
It takes a little longer for the keen driver to adapt to the regenerative braking (not easy to modulate and the pedal feels dead) and the overall handling behaviour. The tyres, as tested here, are 265/50 R19 Pirelli P Zeros, which promise to grip the tarmac like Velcro, but somehow provide zero feedback in this particular application.
The spoilsport here is the Hybrid-specific steering, which is electrically driven like the air-con and essentially detached from the cornering action. Its ability and stability in corners are surprising for an almost 2.3-tonne machine, but you feel more like a co-driver going along for the ride rather than the driver proper.
No such piloting issues in the cockpit. The driving position is fantastic – not quite like a 911 on stilts, but amazingly positive and supportive for a big SUV. The expert blend of Panamera cues and panoramic views is great, and it goes well with the spacious seating, luxurious materials and bomb-proof build quality. The only compromise is the boot, where the spare wheel, displaced by the battery module, takes up sizeable cargo space.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo’s twin-turbocharged 4.8-litre V8 has less power, but more torque than the unit in the BMW X6M.
The car itself occupies a lot of road space, but it treads pretty lightly for something so heavy. It can even do so silently, thanks to a button-operated “e-power” mode that commands the Cayenne Hybrid to tootle along like a gigantic golf cart. But this mode only works at low speeds, on moderate throttle input and in optimal conditions.
So if the battery juice is running low, the weather is turning bad or you just bought a household appliance with less than three ticks on its NEA Energy Label, the temporarily electric Porsche Cayenne reverts to petroleum-electricity.
As for fuel economy, I managed around 10 kilometres per litre, which is decent mileage considering I drove the Porsche Cayenne more like a Porsche than a Hybrid. This figure is not far off the claimed 12.2 kilometres per litre, which should be achievable if you use the utility more often than the sports in this sports utility.
Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid’s high-tech hybrid workings are neat.
Its CO2 emissions, by the way, are the lowest in the entire Porsche line-up, although the turbo-diesel Porsche Cayenne cuts it close. Anyway, if you really want to save the Earth, you would be looking at the Mass Rapid Transit instead of the Massive Rapid Transit that is the new Porsche Cayenne Hybrid.
The excellent evolution of the Porsche Cayenne is best experienced in the Turbo and Hybrid. They show how Porsche has deployed the most suitable technical systems and employed its renowned engineering expertise to create two super SUVs with hugely different driving objectives, yet similarly purposeful in their respective motoring missions.
We worship high performance, even at an equally high price, so we naturally gravitate towards the new Porsche Cayenne Turbo.
The Porsche Cayenne Turbo is an epic “sports car” that’s even quicker than a manual V8 BMW M3.
It’s automotive overkill for the CBD commute, which needs nothing more than a Tiguan or an X1, but it’s just the ticket for the power-crazy, well-paid executive who wants his sports utility vehicle to be utterly sporty. The BMW X6M and the Mercedes ML63 AMG also fulfil this brief, but their badges do not boast the same “shine” as the Porsche crest.
As for the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, it is serious performance with a conscience. Eurokars customers seem to like it, with the number of orders matching those of the straightforward V6 Cayenne, which costs $30k less. This is enough moolah to spec up your “cheap” Cayenne at the factory with a sports exhaust, 19-inch Turbo-look wheels, 18-way adaptive sports seats, carbon-fibre interior trim and a tilt/slide sunroof. There is even change from your $30k to refill the 85-litre fuel tank six times or so.
In conclusion, Porsche’s new pair of hulks are indeed incredible, but the Cayenne Turbo leaves a more indelible impression on us.
Both Cayennes are incredible, but the Turbo leaves a much stronger impression.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo 4.8 (A)
ENGINE 4806cc, 32-valves, V8, turbocharged
MAX POWER 500bhp at 6000rpm
MAX TORQUE 700Nm at 2250-4500rpm
GEARBOX 8-speed automatic with manual select
0-100KM/H 4.7 seconds
TOP SPEED 278km/h
CONSUMPTION 8.7km/L (combined)
PRICE EXCL. COE $428,888
Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid
ENGINE 2995cc, 24-valves, V6, hybrid
MAX POWER 333bhp at 5500-6500rpm (380bhp total system output)
MAX TORQUE 440Nm at 3000-5250rpm (580Nm total system output)
GEARBOX 8-speed automatic
0-100KM/H 6.5 seconds
TOP SPEED 242km/h
CONSUMPTION 12.2km/L (combined)
PRICE EXCL. COE $265,888
Check out the Cayenne E-Hybrid and Cayenne Turbo
