IT’S A RARE BLEND
Porsche Cayenne diesels are top touring companions with a rare blend of great energy and economy plus SUV luxury
THE Porsche Cayenne is a top-order SUV, a proper Sport Utility Vehicle, and a grand touring wagon. Yet for all its sport, for all its luxury and performance and price tags, this all-wheel drive, four-door Porsche will handle off-road work.
The first Porsche Cayennes were quick and comfortable, though critics and enthusiasts decried the car maker’s decision to build SUVs.
Some people have short memories: Porsche once built tractors to keep its sports car line running. Plus Cayennes were soon selling up a storm, bringing in the euros to foster further development of the 911, Cayman and Boxster.
Yet Porsche was adamant then there would be no diesel Cayennes; not enough sport, too much tractor in diesels perhaps.
Fast forward a decade and a diesel Cayenne appeared. Now there are two, a bullyboy V8 and a twinturbocharged V6.
That four-litre V8 pumps out 281kW and a dune-blasting 850Nm. It is a powerful Porsche wagon.
Around here we’d settle for the three-litre V6 Cayenne diesel and pocket maybe $40,000 over the V8; or maybe add options such as the panoramic roof at $4490.
This is the cheapest of the Cayennes at a recommended retail of $106,100 (a V8 diesel lists at $144,400). And after a few winter days exploring the back blocks of northern NSW, the Cayenne diesel proved an ideal tourer from beach to bush. It’s big and comfortable and smart – although optional 21-inch alloy wheels didn’t always play well with yowie-sized potholes littering back-country roads.
Top speed is a handsome 221km/h and 193kW and 580Nm are good enough for a 0 to 100km/h time of 7.3 seconds, even if there’s a heartbeat of hesitation before the turbos kick in.
More importantly, once the Cayenne Diesel hits its stride, it jumps from 80km/h to 120km/h in 5.3 seconds. It shifts through an eightspeed auto that’s just about seamless and if a driver wants more involvement there are shifter paddles on the steering wheel.
In a week’s touring – highway runs, back-country roads and seaside towns – the Cayenne Diesel returned 8.4 litres per 100km. That’s not quite as good as factory figures but remarkable enough for a two-tonne wagon with some get-up and go over all manner of roads.
The V6 is smooth and quiet, as is the Porsche’s cabin. Perhaps there’s one or three too many buttons on the centre console but it’s a great driving spot and everything falls to hand.
It is a big wagon, almost 5m long and 2m wide – no Porsche 911 on mountain bends.
There’s plenty of grip from allwheel drive and steering (a tad heavy at parking speeds) is well-weighted and always responsive.
But the Cayenne’s ride height and more than two tonnes of wagon can’t be disguised when pushing into tight turns. If chasing more sport in a Porsche SUV, look to the smaller Macan. If looking for grand in every sense of the word head to a Porsche Cayenne diesel.
Email me at bruce_mcmahon@hotmail.com THUMBS UP A sporting SUV THUMBS DOWN Optional 21-inch wheels NISSAN’S done some real slicing on pricing of the Patrol V8 while dropping the ST-L model from the 2015 line-up.
That means there are now just two grades – the Ti and Ti-L – with the Ti starting at $69,990, down more than a tad from the previous $93,390 for this model.
The Ti-L Patrol V8 now starts at $86,990, down from $114,490.
Standard on these Patrols are an off-road monitor and a traffic monitoring system. Features now available as standard include the hydraulic suspension system, satellite navigation and tyre pressure monitor system.
The Nissan Patrol V8s run with the 298kW and 560Nm petrol V8 (a great motor) mated to a sevenspeed auto.