Think Porsche, and most people imagine a sleek
low slung sports car, so might surprise you
to learn that the company's best selling model
worldwide is the Cayenne, a large, heavy 4X4.
This £47,000 entry-level model here even
has a diesel engine. We're going to put put
the Porsche through its paces on our test
route, but remember to log in for lab results
for fuel economy, performance, and more.
The Cayenne was first launched in 2002, but
this second generation car following in mid
2010. There are essentially three engine options:
diesel, petrol electric hybrid, and a petrol
V8; with anything from 400 to a frankly ridiculous,
540 brake horsepower. The Cayenne is based
on the same platform two of its closest rivals.
The Audi Q7 and Volkswagen Touareg. We've
got a video review for the Touareg along with
two of the Cayenne other main rivals. The
Mercedes ML and Range Rover sport. Now lets
take it out on the road and see if it can
live up to that famous badge. With 245 brake
horsepower, the diesel engine in this Cayenne
won't shove you back in your seat like the
more powerful petrol engines.
But remember this car does weigh 2.2 tons
and in some ways the diesel engine is better
suited to a large 4 x 4 like this, you have
got a lot more torque or pulling power, which
gives you in-gear performance, and it does
mean that if you do want to tow something
like a horse box or a caravan, it will be
a lot better suited to that.
It's also very refined, you can tell its a
diesel engine when you first start it up,
but once you are on the move the exhaust note
is actually lot more muted than the Petrol
Cayennes. an 8- speed Techtronic S automatic
is the only choice of transmission. Shifts
are seamless and super quick. And you can
also control the gearbox manually using the
buttons on the steering wheel.
The fastest model in the Cayenne range is
the turbo, which sprints to 62 miles in just
4.7 seconds and doesn't stop until 172 miles
an hour. The diesel isn't as quick, with figures
of 7.6 seconds and 136 miles an hour respectively,
but it's much more economical. For such a
large car. The Cayenne doesn't feel as spacious
in the front as you might expect, and that's
because it's got this really wide center console
and a high dashboard making you feel very
enclosed.
But it certainly is comfortable especially
if you opt for the adaptive sports seats here,
which were a three and half thousand pound
option. So they're certainly not cheap, but
they do adjust 18 different ways, including
allowing you pump up and deflate the side
bolsters. And you can really get an excellent
driving position.
Of course one advantage this car has over
most of other models in the Porsche range,
is that you can bring your family along with
you. There's loads of head and leg room back
here and space for three adults across-ways.
Plus you've got these hefty grab handles in
case the driver gets over a bit over enthusiastic
with the cornering.
You need to spend an extra £2000 if you want
the touch screen Sat map system fitted to
our car. Unlike some rival systems there is
no all-in-one controller or buttons on the
steering wheel. But that makes it easier to
get used to quickly. Porsche purists may have
turned up their noses at the Cayenne, but
its proved them wrong with strong sales success,
and handling that's in a different league
to most other SUVs Nobody is pretending that
you are going to take this car off road.
But if you need sports car performance, 4
wheel drive traction, and enough space for
a family of 5, then little else comes close.
Our main stumbling block is the price. The
Cayenne diesel starts at 47,000 pounds and
this car tops 60,000 pounds with the options
fitted and is by no means fully loaded., But
if you can afford it, it's a very compelling
package.