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Porsche SUV. An oxymoron? Not anymore. With the introduction of the Cayenne, Porsche has jumped on the SUV bandwagon to bring to market an SUV that aspires to combine the ruggedness and versatility of an SUV with the speed and agility of a Porsche. According to Michael “Leo” Leono, sales consultant at Parktown Porsche, the Cayenne is “a symphony of function, performance, creature comforts and handling. It’s for people who want the functionality of a four-door and a cargo area with the performance and handling of a Porsche.” Thus, the Cayenne is built to fill a new market for Porsche, and an attempt to grab a share of the ever-burgeoning demand for SUVs. Once rugged off-road trucks, SUVs evolved when BMW started the trend of “sport SUVs” with its X5. The Cayenne tries to be both, offering room for the family and groceries, off-road prowess and sporty handling. As often happens when a product tries to be all things to all people, it does a reasonably good job of doing all three, but none better than single purpose-built vehicles. For regular driving, the power is split 68/32 between the front and rear wheels, but can be manually adjusted to 50/50 when conditions warrant. That said, for an SUV, the Cayenne is reasonably roomy and handles pretty well. I did not get an opportunity to test its off-road capabilities, but it has the hardware to be a real rock climber, assuming of course that you’d be willing to take a Porsche costing between $43,000 and $89,000 off road and over rocks, gravel and tree limbs. Porsche Traction Management and Stability Management combine with the permanent all-wheel drive with a lockable center differential and twospeed transfer case that sends power to the wheels to maximize grip and road-holding performance. Dual front and side air bags and dual sidecurtain air bags top the list of safety features. The interior is large and comfort- able,with typical Porsche leather luxury. Front seats are firm though not as well bolstered as those in its sports car brethren, and you have to climb up a little to get into them. Rear seat room is satisfactory with room for three kids or two adults with adequate leg room and plenty of space in all other directions. The rear seats fold down 60/40 to expand the cargo area, which has a large load floor, but the slope of the rear hatch inhibits the carrying of tall objects. The dash is most revealing. Not necessarily for what it contains, which is a full instrument cluster including voltmeter and oil temperature, but for its design. Like other Porsches, the gauges are designed as overlapping circles, which is attractive. But unlike other Porsches,where the tachometer is front and center, befitting a true driver’s car, the Cayenne has the tach and speedometer on either side of an information display panel that has an electronic speedometer, shows what gear you’re in and such things as the outside temperature and to what radio station you’re tuned. The radio is part of the LCD screen in the middle of the console and so takes a little learning to figure out how to work it. Ventilation is from an easy to use dual climate control system that allows you to set a desired temperature for driver and passenger. On really cold mornings, a five-level heated seat can warm your backside. On warm days, a moonroof allows you to enjoy the sun and fresh air. Mechanically, the Cayenne boasts a 3.2 liter V-6 good for 247 horsepower and 229 pound feet of torque. Due to its almost 5,000 pound curb weight, however, this translates to 0 to 60 times of 9.7 seconds and gas mileage of 15 mpg/city, 19 mpg/highway. The only transmission available is a 6-speed tiptronic automatic. For the first time ever, you can’t get a Porsche model with a stick. Many existing Porsche owners are purists who will only drive a stick, especially in their Porsches. Horsepower can be increased and 0 to 60 times decrease with the optional V-8 and V-8 turbo engines, if you’re willing to pay a lot more money. For an SUV, the V-6 was adequate. A bigger engine might help 0 to 60 times, but with an SUV chassis, it’s not going to help overall performance like it would with a sports car. Driving the Cayenne is more like driving an SUV than a Porsche due to its higher center of gravity. Accepting that you’re not going to be able to drive it like a sports car, the Cayenne offers a firm yet comfortable ride, and good handling with adequate acceleration for an SUV. Braking is also good, as befits a Porsche, and steering feel was good, if a little overboosted. Styling bears a family resemblance due to the shape of its headlights, and styling is a pleasant interpretation of the SUV form, but it’s so tall that when parked behind a 911 in the showroom, the Cayenne’s bumper was at the height of the 911’s engine. Not surprisingly, Leono sees sales of about 55 percent male, 45 percent female for the Cayenne, compared to over 70 percent-plus male for the Porsche 911 and Boxster. Prices for the V-6 Cayenne start at about $43,000. Add a 340 horsepower V-8 and the price jumps to $56,000. Add a turbo to the V-8 and the horsepower escalates to 450 horsepower, but the prices rockets to $89,000. That’s a lot of money for more power in a car that isn’t designed for speed. You’d probably be better off with two V-6s, or better yet a V-6 and a Boxster. Ultimately, the Cayenne is more SUV than Porsche. Articles in the Porsche Club of America magazine have implored current Porsche owners to welcome and embrace Cayenne owners to the fold. As a Porsche purist, I’m afraid the Cayenne owners are going to be the step-cousins that are accepted but not fully included in the Porsche family. Robert W. Paster is also an attorney in private practice, concentrating in estate planning and probate. |
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