Porsche Cayenne
Porsche’s big new SUV driven
The launch of Cayenne’s third-generation has emphatically proved the Stuttgart-based sportscar maker’s decision to enter the SUV segment way back in 2002 was a correct one, despite many pundits saying that it would be disastrous. Right from the beginning, the Cayenne has been the bestselling Porsche model with over 7.7 lakh cars
delivered with around 40 percent of Porsche’s sales coming from the Cayenne and its SUV portfolio now contributing over 60 percent of its sales. In its latest avatar, the Cayenne gets many of the technologies seen on its sibling sportscars, including a lightweight chassis that makes it 65kg lighter than before despite an extended equipment list, wider tyres at the rear, rear axle steering, three chamber air suspension as well as Porsche’s dynamic chassis control and electronic roll stabilisation control.
On the exterior the Cayenne retains its earlier profile. Only a closer look reveals the changes in-
THE LATEST CAYENNE GETS MANY OF THE TECHNOLOGIES SEEN ON
ITS SIBLING SPORTSCARS, INCLUDING A LIGHTWEIGHT CHASSIS
WITH BIGGER AIR INTAKES AND A SLEEK FACE, THE SUV HAS A WIDER STANCE AND LOOKS SPORTY
cluding the fact that it is longer and lower, retains the same wheelbase but now has larger wheels. With bigger air intakes and a sleek face, the Cayenne has a wider stance and looks sporty. Although LED lights are standard, the top variant has 84 individual LEDs which can adjust the intensity of the beam and spread pattern depending on a number of factors including speed, ambient light and oncoming traffic.
Porsche seems to have transported the full new interiors seen for the first time on the Panamera, into the Cayenne. For the driver, the Porsche Advanced Cockpit features a 12.2-inch full HD touchscreen at the centre of the Porsche communication management, again seen on the Panamera for the first time last year. All buttons and switches are now operated through a glossy black smartphone-like surface while the IP continues to have a large analogue tacho but this time flanked by two 7-inch full HD displays.
The Cayenne feels more spacious and the increase in length has straight-away translated into an increase in the boot space, that has gone up by 100 litres to 770 litres. The workmanship and the materials used are top-notch as before and exude a sense of luxury not expected in sports UVs. The Cayenne is making its debut with the base variant and the S, both of which we got to drive in the United Arab Emirates. Following up on these will be the Cayenne Diesel and of course the range topping Turbos. The base Cayenne is powered by a 3-litre turbo now producing max power of 340bhp and peak torque of
450Nm. The S on the other hand is powered by a smaller 2.9-litre V6 but with bi-turbos and produces 100bhp more max power and peak torque also going up by 100Nm. We expect the entire range to be launched in India starting with the higher variants and the diesel and eventually the base variant.
With AWD and rear-axle steering the Cayenne feels much shorter than it is. It’s easy to throw around in both stubborn traffic as well as the twisties of the mountain track. Thus not only does all wheel steering increase agility on the
highways and mountain roads, it also makes the car easier to manoeuvre in city traffic. The steering is perhaps one of the best one has seen in the modern era of electric assists as opposed to the traditional hydraulic units. The 8-speed tiptronic is well suited to both the engines, though it is interesting to note that the Porsche engineers chose this more conventional auto box as opposed to the PDK. Porsche engineers say that while the lower ratios are short and ensure sporty performance, the higher ratios are more for relaxed and efficient performance with the tall eighth gear ensuring better fuel efficiency in conjunction with an aerodynamic and lighter body.
Performance of both the variants is impressive with the S getting up to a top speed of 265kmph and boasting of a 0-100kmph time of under 5 seconds with the sports package and getting up to 200kmph in 18.6 seconds.
While the superb steering, the abundance of torque from as low down as under 2000rpm and the taut chassis make the Cayenne a pleasure to drive in much the same way as a sportscar, the biggest difference the three-chamber air suspension makes is to the ride quality as damping is superb and the car can vary the damping depending on
the driven surfaces.
We had the opportunity to drive the Cayenne both off-road as well as on smooth tarmac and the suspension worked magically on both surfaces. Apart from the default on-road mode, one can choose between a mud, gravel sand or rocks programme.
Topping all the advances are the connected features that make their debut on the 3rd generation Cayenne. The car can be online all the time through an LTE SIM and various features including engine independent heating can be controlled through the smartphone – though we would have liked independent engine cooling for India.
The car will be launched in India later in the year and I expect the car to be more expensive given the numerous features and systems – both driver assistance and safety systems that have been added.
VERDICT
The third generation Cayenne is an evolution of the earlier Cayenne on the outside but on the inside and under the skin there has been quite a transformation. While a lot of features and assistance systems have been borrowed from the Panamera including the cockpit design, the switchgear, the displays and the infotainment system, a lot of technology under the skin has come from the Porsche sportscars, making the Cayenne an interesting blend of utility, comfort and performance on a very high level.
TOPPING ALL THE ADVANCES ARE THE CONNECTED FEATURES THAT MAKE THEIR DEBUT ON THE 3RD GENERATION CAYENNE