Rockin’ and rolling the new Porsche Cayenne

THE FACE-LIFTED Cayenne looks simultaneously wider and more compact, with a more upscale appearance.

NO ROAD, NO PROBLEM Porsche Cayenne handles confidently even when there’s only dirt underneath.

BARCELONA, Spain—While much of the consumer world was preoccupied with the launch of the latest smartphone from Cupertino, Porsche was pursuing the debut of its own “Porsche Plus” vehicle, the Cayenne. The full-size SUV is to Porsche what the iPhone is to Apple: a new product category related to its existing line, and one that rapidly began to provide a big chunk of its sales and profits. To keep the Cayenne at the top of its game, Porsche has introduced a multitude of upgrades, both to its hardware and software.

The exterior looks almost completely new. The headlamps, hood and front fascia lend a more upscale appearance to the face-lifted Cayenne. The lines now run outward, making the front look wider. Airblades on either side of the bumper feed air to the intercooler. Each headlamp cluster now features quad LED daytime running lights, giving the car a distinct appearance even when seen across the highway or on the rearview mirror. Main lamps are bi-xenon units, with available LED headlamps. The flatter taillights, also with four-part LED units, have the effect of making the car look wider. The rear spoiler now runs flush with the roof, and the removal of the step and a blacked-out lower section make it look more integrated while still providing the desired aerodynamic effect. Quad tailpipes poke out from the bumper, dual units at the outer edge. The exhaust pipes have the added function of denoting the variant, with round pipes for the S, for example, and angular ones for the Turbo.

CAYENNE cockpit is laid out for the business of driving. Grips integrated into the door and center console help when the road disappears.

Inside is a pure driver’s cockpit, with seats and controls that look fit for a top-speed run on the Autobahn. Eschewing the control-wheel-with-menu system favored by other German premium carmakers, Porsche simply put all necessary switches in plain view. The sheer number of buttons seems overwhelming at first, but with just a few minutes’ use comes familiarity. After that, it’s easy to find the needed switch or button just by feel, without having to look away from the road. The leather-and-metal steering wheel is thick and deliciously meaty. It’s modeled after the wheel on the 918 Spyder, with shift paddles mounted behind. The front seats and panels feel enveloping, while still providing plenty of room overhead, and around knees and elbows. The rear seat has two large, well-padded buckets, with a third person able to fit in the space in between.

A new range of engines provides more power while managing to consume less fuel. The Cayenne S gets a 3.6-liter V6 twin-turbo gasoline engine, first seen in the Macan compact SUV. With two less cylinders than the previous engine, it still outperforms the V8 in all key measures. Power goes up 20 to 420 horsepower, with torque up by 50 to 550 Newton-meters. The S Diesel still has a V8, a 4.2-liter turbodiesel capable of 385 HP and a whopping 850 Nm. Top speed of the diesel is 252 kilometers per hour, with a 0-100 kph time of just 5.4 seconds. Then there’s the top Cayenne Turbo. With 520 HP and 750 Nm from the twin-turbo 4.8-liter V8, the Turbo roars to 100 kph in 4.5 seconds, on to a top speed of 279 kph. All this with Euro 6 emissions, which is 16 times cleaner than our current Euro 2 standard. An eight-speed automatic takes care of the shifting duties.

TRADEMARK Porsche five-gauge layout includes central tachometer and computer display screen within the fourth binnacles.

Before driving off into the roads surrounding Montserrat, we were reminded to keep within the limits, as the Spanish police didn’t have much of a sense of humor. Not wanting to explore the inside of a local jail cell, we stuck to the posted limit. The navigation system helpfully displayed the relevant speed, both on the center console screen and on one of the electronic screens mounted within the traditional five round “gauges” on the instrument panel. Alas, going from 80 to 100 kph seemed to take just 2-3 seconds, ending the thrill of experiencing the sheer acceleration of the Cayenne S Diesel and the Turbo.

More amazing than the sheer power of the Cayenne is how it behaves on the road. In summary: the opposite of a typical SUV. There’s very little body roll, the steering is quick and the handling obedient. There was hardly any need to shuffle our hands around even while tackling narrow mountain hairpin curves. It was only when we stepped out of the car that we were reminded just how high we were seated—it does require a small hop to get in and out of this Porsche. Available air suspension allows the Cayenne to squat lower at highway speeds, and a loading setting brings down the ride height by a further 52 millimeters.

UP TO three lucky friends can join the fun on the Porsche’s roomy back seat. Photos by Jason K. Ang

Then there’s the other side to the Cayenne’s personality—this is a true offroad vehicle. For that, we drove to the Les Comes private estate—about 200 kilometers from Barcelona. It’s a huge 518-hectare piece of land. As the owner is an offroad enthusiast, he built more than 60 km of forest tracks.

We climbed into a black Cayenne already liberally covered with mud. We were soon driving the Porsche over deep rutted tracks, pitching it over crests and plowing it through deep water crossings. The Porsche never hesitated, its four-wheel-drive system and raised suspension dealing with the most challenging parts of the offroad course. The Cayenne includes a full complement of off-road electronic aids, from the height-adjustable suspension to the hill descent control.

Returning to the city after the mud has been washed off from the car, we could have been easily fooled that we had been in a completely different vehicle. With the suspension and transmission in comfort mode, progress was rapid and supremely confident. With its high level, the Cayenne stretches the definition of both the sports car and offroader in a vehicle that is a hybrid of the two classes. And soon, an actual hybrid will join the stable, with the upcoming launch of the Cayenne S E-Hybrid.