Putting two SUVs to the road test
I had to do some traveling over the winter holiday break. So I arranged two test vehicles, for two stretches of road, to complete two journeys.
Guess what? They were both terrific.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
For a quick four-day turnaround to the San Francisco Bay Area and back, I chose the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S.
The Cayenne is a grand traveling vehicle that combines sports car specifications with sport utility vehicle looks.
Undeniably a Porsche, it’s powered by a 4.8-liter twin turbocharged gasoline engine that makes a burly 570 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. That power is delivered to the ground via an eight-speed automatic transmission, which can be manipulated with Porsche’s superb paddle shift gear selectors, and stays anchored to the asphalt with Porsche’s “active all-wheel drive.”
The engine gurgles happily in Normal mode, and really clears its throat in Sport and Sport Plus. The driver may notice heads turning on the street. The Cayenne Turbo S, when in Sport Plus and fitted with the $3,200 sport exhaust system upgrade, rumbles like a race car. But it’s an SUV. Despite the all-wheel drive, the variable suspension settings and the very responsive engine, the Cayenne
sits high and wide and drives more like a small truck than a large car.
Around town the car never felt nimble. It never drove or handled lighter than its weight. As a shortterm operator, I was a little baffled by the ample array of buttons, dials and switches on the center console, which looked lifted from an F-14 Tomcat.
I was bothered by the absence of a backup camera, though parking was made easier by a backup warning feature that included proximity beeps.
Luckily, most of my time in this Cayenne was spent on the freeway. At those speeds, I found the SUV extremely effective. Solid and authoritative, it delivered substantial long-distance luxury.
The sports seats were still comfortable at the end of a six-hour drive, though a full-figured operator might find them too snug. The combination of good sounddeadening materials and a great sound system made the Cayenne quiet even at higher speeds.
And there were some higher speeds. The Cayenne is so stately on the open road that excess was unavoidable. I found myself in violation of the law, by accident, several times.
At one point I asked my traveling companion to guess how fast we were going without looking at the dashboard. She guessed 60 miles per hour. The speedometer said 85.
Also assisting in the longhaul department is the massive 26.4-gallon tank. This made it possible for me to do something I’ve never once done in any automobile. Refilling the Cayenne after several hundred miles of driving, I spent exactly $100 for a single tank of gas.
Perhaps folks who can afford the suggested retail price on this vehicle don’t worry about such matters, but it certainly caught my attention.
Range Rover’s 2018 Velar
When Jaguar Land Rover unveiled the Range Rover Velar a year ago, some auto aficionados asked, “Why?” and “What is it for?”
By year’s end, though, the Velar was a winner. Jaguar Land Rover reported it was the top-selling model in the entire family for the October-December sales period.
The Velar’s design is sleeker and sportier than the boxy Range Rovers with which it shares its badge.
It drives and handles that way, too. Around town and on country roads, the SUV feels light and nimble. Easy to drive, the Velar benefits from pretty good visibility, despite the sloping rear of the vehicle, and a very good back-up camera.
The switch in drive modes from Eco to Comfort to Dynamic cranks up the sporty sensations, and helps make the most of the supercharged three-liter engine that drives the Velar.
It’s a little tippy in the corners, reminding the driver with every curve that, despite the responsive engine and the paddle shifters, this is not a sports car.
But on the long run between Los Angeles and Prescott, Ariz., the Velar proved a very comfortable traveler. The front seats are capacious, highly adjustable and very comfortable, and come standard with heating, ventilating and massage functions. These got high marks from my copilot.
The rear seating area was equally comfortable, but more of a mixed bag. Because the Velar maximizes on cargo area — there’s enough space with the seats folded down to load two mountain bikes — it doesn’t provide a lot of rear passenger legroom. But the rear seats do offer an adjustable lean angle, a relative rarity even in luxury SUVs.
The adaptive cruise control system was among the best I’ve tried, maintaining speed and following distance with aplomb — though it did seem to brake and accelerate too abruptly in certain situations.
I found much to admire in the spare, stripped-down dash design, which may be second only to the new Tesla Model 3 in its crisp, clear lines. The dash and the enormous sunroof increased the Velar’s airy, attractive environment.
But as with the Model 3, I found my eyes traveling to the infotainment screen too often, and staying there too long, when I wanted to adjust things like the temperature, or the fan speed, or the seat heater.
There was also more tire and wind noise than the sleek design of the Velar seemed to promise. At times it seemed to overwhelm the otherwise very good Meridian sound system — a $3,060 upgrade.
Because it is a Range Rover, and belongs to the venerable Land Rover family, the Velar comes prepared for off-road rambling.
Equipped in standard format with driving options for Grass Gravel Snow, Mud Ruts and Sand, this model also featured a lockable rear differential and an On/ Off Road Package that included a variety of driver assists.
Despite these, and settings that can raise and lower the ground clearance, after a 30-minute off-road experiment with deep sand and rocks the Velar did not inspire much all-terrain confidence. This would not be the Range Rover to buy for an assault on the Darien Gap.
But for a stylish, comfortable assault on the urban anthill, the Velar is a sociable climber.