Ten years ago, the idea of a Porsche sport utility vehicle would
have seemed absurd. And the reason is not that it lacks experience
with off-road cars since their engineering have developed all-wheel-drive
military vehicles. It’s more that, compared to General Motors, Toyota
or Daimler-Chrysler, the automotive giants, Porsche represents a
tiny fraction of the production volume. For 50 years, the company
has produced quick, nimble, small sports car, or in other words, the
opposite of the SUV’s. When Porsche decided to invest in an SUV
and a new factory to build it, it became clear the times, as well as our
taste, have changed.
And now, after creating the most anticipated new Porsche in decades,
the company is proud that its SUV is what many expected it would be:
technically slick and remarkably fast, with on-road handling that belies
its bulk. Also, the Cayenne delivers what most SUV buyers demand, including
decent cargo space, more than enough capability for casual off-road use,
and impressive towing capacity.
When it comes to pricing, Cayenne is a true Porsche. A very expensive
Porsche. With tax and license, a loaded Cayenne Turbo can crack the
$100,000 barrier, and that alone will knock it off most shopping lists.
But for the connoisseurs, the Porsche Cayenne will be truly appreciated for
its performance and driving satisfaction.
Porsche offers three versions of the four-door Cayenne: the Cayenne,
The Cayenne S and the Cayenne Turbo. The standard models of the Cayenne
and Cayenne S come with features such as: 18-inch alloy wheels,
stability control given by the Porsche Stability Management, leather
seating, power seats, dual-zone automatic climate control and a
350-watt, 15-speaker Bose audio system. Since it’s a true Porsche,
Cayenne’s ignition switch is on the dash’s left side. The gauge
cluster is nearly perfect but the climate and radio controls are
indecipherable cluster of buttons and knobs. The good thing is that
the satellite steering wheel controls are standard which means that
they will be easier to find. The Turbo model comes not only with
additional power but also with more technical and luxury features.
Among those we enumerate: an adaptive suspension with automatic
ride height and damping adjustment (Porsche Active Suspension
Management), bi-HID headlights, a CD-based navigation system,
heated seats front and rear, seat memory, sonar front/rear parking
assist and power adjustment for the steering wheel. But the options
the Cayenne offers are meant to increase functionality and personality.
These options are: four-zone climate control, bolstered sport seats,
various wheel/tire upgrades and trailering preparation. With a maximum
cargo capacity of 63 cubic feet, the Cayenne has slightly more capacity
than the Range Rover but less than the Infiniti FX45. |