Porsche Cayenne S
Oh, you mean a sport utility. . . |
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By Richard J. Newman
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NITS: There’s minimal storage space on the center console, a meaningful oversight on a vehicle that’s supposed to be a "utility."
G-FORCES: Speed demons will be a bit disappointed with the 247-horsepower V-6 engine on the base model, and even with the 340-horsepower V-8 engine on the S. There’s lots of power, yes, but it’s mature power—more evident at passing speeds and in towing situations than in off-the-line pickup. The Cayenne handles better than just about any other SUV—but that may leave performance mavens wondering why they didn’t buy an even more capable sports sedan instead.
GIZMOLOGY: The navigation screen is slanted too low, at an awkward sightline, but the rest of the instrumentation is pleasing and user-friendly. Climate controls are up-down buttons you could easily manipulate with gloves on, and the information screen has large, easy-to-see readouts for climate and radio info. The steering wheel is a busy affair—with 10 separate controls, including the tap-shifters—but once you figure out where everything is the functionality is great.
KID MARKS: This is the only Porsche suitable for carpools. There’s plenty of space, the doors are surprisingly light and easy to manage, and the cargo area holds plenty of junk. My kids’ only gripe: The rear cupholders, mounted in the center of the rear compartment, are too low for car seaters.
HOT OR NOT: Hot. There’s a kind of fish-eye roundness to the front that brings to mind the Porsche 911 and even the old 928, although inverted curves and raised haunches give the Cayenne an odd stance.
ENVIROMETER: Rates 3 out of 10 on the EPA’s emissions/air pollution scale. Mileage ranges from 14 mpg city to 18 mpg highway. More info: http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions/
E-PORSCHE-CayenneS-04.htm
CRASH COURSE: Not crash-tested by the government or by private testing organizations.
PRICE POINTS: Base prices for all models range from $43,665 to $89,665. Price as tested $68,760.
MORE INFO: http://www2.us.porsche.com
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Model year tested: 2003
What do you make of a Porsche SUV? After a week driving the Cayenne, I still wasn’t sure what to think. Sure, it’s cool having all that Porsche technology in such a practical vehicle. The handling isn’t quite what you’d find in a Carrera, but it’s a lot more stiff and stable than in any other sport-ute I’ve driven. In the test model you could raise and lower the vehicle’s stance, to set the right posture for sporty driving on pavement, for instance, or more rugged going off-road. (A Porsche? Offroad?) And the huge brakes–often overlooked when other manufacturers talk about safety equipment–halt the Cayenne like the catch-wire on an aircraft carrier, adding a degree of reassurance far more important than knowing you can go fast if you want to.
Still . . . . An SUV seems a bit, well, plebian for Porsche. And on the S model–the middle of three, which I tested–I didn’t notice the kind of runaway performance that typically distinguishes Porsches from other cars. The Cayenne is based on the same platform as the new Volkswagen Touraeg SUV, itself a $40,000 stretch into the upper reaches of the auto market. Porsche had to figure out a way to rub out the VW imprint (a Volkswagen transparently relabeled as a Porsche is pretty unlikely to fetch prices of 50 grand or more) and endow the platform with its own racy identity. So the engines range from a 247-horsepower V-6 on the base model to a monster 450-horsepower V-8 on the turbo, which clocks in at nearly $90,000. The S model that I tested, which starts at a mere $57,000, packs a 340-horsepower V-8 that’s powerful, but not ballistic. You can slip the transmission into manual mode and choose your shifting preference, either thumb buttons on the steering wheel or the shifter in the center console. Big 18-inch high-performance tires enhance the grippy road feel, and nickel accents throughout the cabin convey machined, European precision.
All of those attributes make the Cayenne a fun, exciting vehicle. But I can’t say it feels like a Porsche. Acceleration is brisk–and there’s so much torque you could tow a house–but the S model doesn’t press you back in your seat when you juice the gas. I’m not a Porsche purist, but a speed buzz seems like it should be an entitlement once you’ve ponied up for the legendary German brand. On curves the Cayenne can outperform many sedans, but it still doesn’t feel like a sports car–even the craftiest engineering can’t overcome a high center of gravity. Perhaps most odd: The Cayenne holds kids! Families matter, indeed. Some say the Cayenne has redefined the SUV, but I would say it has redefined Porsche. Nothing wrong with that, as long as Porsche doesn’t introduce a minivan next.
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