- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
4.5i, 8 cyl.
- Engine Power
250kW, 420Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (95) 14.9L/100KM
- Manufacturer
4XC
- Transmission
Auto
- Warranty
2 Yr, Unltd KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
It works in Germany
The Cayenne is a curious thing: fat, fast and mean on smooth bitumen but no happy on primitive Australian roads.
Good: Potent V8, with six ratios to exploit it. Best in class handling and steering on smooth roads. Powerful brakes. Adhesive tyres. Comfortable driver's seat. Great sound system. More off-road ability than most. High resale values.
Bad: Uncompromising suspension doesn't absorb the punishment meted out by local roads, causing body shake and an overly firm, fussy ride. Excessive weight. Not the most comfortable rear seat around. Drivetrain lacks refinement, and some transmission noise. No spare tyre. Recalcitrant tailgate. Restricted vision.
Verdict: Weapon of mass construction.
Stars: 3 stars (out of 5).
Porsche must have realised that sticking its badge on a two-tonne-plus four-wheel-drive would cause some disquiet among the faithful, but it cannot have anticipated just how much sheer outrage the Cayenne would unleash.
The US website www.germanusedcars.com took a swipe at Porsche in a David Letterman-style Top 10 gag list: The Real Reasons Porsche Is Building Trucks. Among the printable ones are: Too much schnapps, Can't let Ford get all the credit for Global warming and, reason No 1: Who the hell knows?
Excitable commentators deeply resent the fact that a noble, no-compromise sports car company has jumped into the swamp with the plebeian brands by seizing an opportunity to cash in on the 4WD boom. Their ire is fuelled by the Cayenne's joint development/platform sharing arrangement with VW's Touareg, which again implies that Porsche has sold out.
The maker's sensitivity to such claims is evident in the Cayenne press material, which tries desperately to convince us that the Cayenne is a fair dinkum Porsche.
Sorry, Stuttgart, but you can't have it both ways. Lithe, toey sports cars -- especially Porsches -- and plodding, elephantine 4WDs are mutually exclusive life forms. It is laughable to assert they are in any way similar to drive.
In the Cayenne S, priced at $129,900, a new 4.5-litre V8 produces 250kW at 6000rpm and 420Nm of torque between 2500-5500rpm.
A six-speed manual, now available to order only but in showrooms from January, is standard; a six-speed Tiptronic auto adds $7000.
The Cayenne Turbo, priced at $203,400, adds a pair of turbochargers to the V8 to boost its peak outputs to 331kW and 620Nm. The Tiptronic transmission is standard.
Power goes to all wheels, 62 percent rear and 38 percent front, with traction and stability control systems varying this split if grip becomes tenuous. A switch on the centre console engages the 2.7:1 low-range ratio in the transfer case and locks the centre differential.
Both models have fully independent suspension (with air springing and variable ride height on the Turbo), huge brakes with six-piston calipers up front, rack and pinion steering and 18-inch alloy wheels with 255/55 tyres. The Cayenne S, with Tiptronic, weighs 2320kg; the Turbo is 2430kg.
The all-alloy 90 degree V8, with variable intake valve timing and dry sump lubrication, launches the Cayenne like a rocket from the lights, with very little accelerator pressure.
Smooth, muscular performance, dulled somewhat in the higher gears by the mass involved, is available from 2500rpm; at 4500, there is a noticeable lift in urgency and responsiveness, accompanied by a delicious growl, as it spins sweetly to a 6500rpm redline.
The zero-100kmh sprint in the S takes 8.2 seconds. Less powerful, lighter luxury 4WDs such as the Lexus RX330 and BMW's X5 pair, the 210kW 4.4i and 255kW 4.6is, run mid- to high 8s. It's a Porsche, so it wouldn't do to be slow.
Fuel consumption is, of course, excessive by reasonable standards; given the Cayenne's gargantuan weight and power numbers, it is lower than anticipated. The tank holds 100 litres; 98 octane is recommended.
The six-speed Tiptronic has aggressive adaptive programming, which manages a pretty high correct guess rate as it reads the driver's intentions from the accelerator -- if in doubt, it just goes for a lower gear. Rocker switches are provided on the wheel if you want to shift gears yourself; you can also use the lever.
In cruise mode, shifts are quick and smooth. When the engine is working hard, downshifts can become rather harsh and abrupt, while there can be some delay in engaging the lower ratio.
When running at low revs around town, the test car's transmission also had a muted whine, evident just before it shifted up.
Most owners will not use the Cayenne's low-range hardware, so Porsche's decision to add weight and complexity by including it is puzzling. Still, if you venture into serious off-road territory, low range is sufficiently indirect to allow the Cayenne to crawl safely up or down very steep slopes.
Any slip is quickly, if noisily and clumsily, arrested by the traction control system. Lock the centre diff and you should be able to plough through anything; clearance and approach/departure/ramp-over angles are also better than those in most other luxury 4WDs.
The diffs and transfer case are tucked up out of harm's way, but there is scant underbody protection. A useless compressor/can of goo/collapsible space-saver tyre kit is supplied as standard; a full-sized externally mounted spare costs $4290. Gawd.
Porsche has used hard springs and heavy dampers on the Cayenne S to keep its tonnage under control at high speeds and in corners.
It works in Germany. The Cayenne is amazingly taut and composed on unmarked bitumen for such a big truck, with accurate, responsive steering, seriously arresting brakes and great grip from the tyres.
However, on rough local roads -- especially on low-speed, deeply rutted bush tracks -- the suspension's lack of compliance results in some bounce and the occasional kick, especially at the front end.
It also transmits severe hits to the body which, on the 9000km-old test car, got the shakes, causing the doors to squeak against their seals and an assortment of plastic-on-plastic chirps in the cabin.
The ride is fussy and firm, to the point where occupants can be uncomfortably jostled at low speeds on poor surfaces.
The X5, Lexus RX330 and several other 4WDs have ride-handling compromises better tuned to Australian conditions.
Inside, the Cayenne is functional rather than fancy, with dark grey plastics and black leather upholstery relieved by fake aluminium highlights.
It has Porsche's trademark siamesed instruments, a screen-based system for the satellite navigation/audio/trip computer functions, toggle switches for the air-conditioning and terrific sound from the Bose audio system. Oddment storage is in short supply.
Standard in the S are front, side and curtain airbags, one-touch cruise control, alarm, roof rails and rain-sensing wipers.
The power adjustable driver's seat is long, narrow and firmly bolstered, with excellent lumbar support. The wheel adjusts for height and reach. Split sunvisors are useful. Thick pillars restrict vision, particularly to the side.
The back seat has adequate space for two (three would be a squeeze) but is hardly luxurious. The backrest is upright and the cushion short and firm.
Air vents are fitted in the centre pillars, along with vents/individual temperature/fan speed controls between the front seats.
Three child-restraint anchors are fitted on the back of the seat.
The load floor is long -- extending to a flat 1.7 metres with the 60/40 split-folding rear seat -- and relatively narrow. Outright capacity is compromised by the steeply angled tailgate, whose window opens separately. The complete tailgate requires a slam to shut.
A load cover with an integral safety net is included, along with two 12-volt outlets and four securing lugs.
The argument as to whether Porsche should have built the Cayenne continues to rage. The car itself is a curious thing.
It is fat, fast and mean. That's the way Germans like their 4WDs and they would accept nothing less from Porsche, as the premium domestic brand, than the ultimate autobahn monster, which it has duly delivered.
However, in our primitive driving environment -- with 100kmh limits and D-grade bitumen -- the Cayenne isn't all that happy. The X5 is a superior drive in its general refinement, composure and comfort on local roads.
Vital signs
Porsche Cayenne S
Engine: 4.5-litre 32-valve fuel-injected V8.
Power: 250kW at 6000rpm (above average).
Performance: 0-100kmh in 8.2 seconds (quick).
Brakes: Discs with ABS (excellent).
Economy: 12.4-14.5 litres/100km highway; 18-23 city (PULP; slightly above average).
Prices: Recommended retail -- $129,900; Tiptronic $136,900; Turbo $203,400. Street price -- No deals.
Main options: Air suspension $7490; tyre pressure management $1690; sports/comfort seats $2990.
Warranty: Two years/unlimited kilometres (below average).
Residual value: New model, so no history. As it's a Porsche, the retained figure will be high.
Safety rating: Not yet tested, but expect at least four stars out of five.
Alternatives: BMW X5 4.4i -- $109,500
BMW X5 4.6is -- $152,300
Mercedes-Benz ML55 AMG -- $139,900
Range Rover 4.4 HSE -- $134,900
Prices and details correct at publication date.