Accelerate Mpls

Back when the first generation Porsche Cayenne came out Porschephiles (that might not have been a word, but it is now) howled!  They were grabbing their pitch forks and heading to Stuttgart.

The first generation Cayenne was heavy, it could definitely go off road and it was much more capable then most any owner would ever demand of it.  But was it a good vehicle?  That depends on your definition of good.

As I just mentioned above, the first generation was heavy.  The interior was not made of the best quality materials in certain spots (far too many certain spots).  Sure, it could go off road but who really did that with it once they owned it?

What about on-road driving?  Yeah it drove like a Porsche of SUVs, but you could feel the heft.  Yet despite that, the first generation Cayenne quickly become the best-selling Porsche model.  So did the second-generation fix those problems and finally become the true Porsche of SUV’s?

Exterior

The front of the Cayenne has evolved.  It has taken on the look of the new Panamera sedan.  The headlights are very similar and the LED daytime running lights are great looking.  The rear is no longer blocky and square looking, rather it has hips (if you will) and they curve with the tail lights which are LED and very bright at night.  The tail lights are also similar to those found on the new Panamera.  The sides have a nip and tuck towards the bottom with some nice sculpting.  The exterior has been throughly updated and overall feels more taught. The styling falls right in line with the new Panamera.

Interior

As mentioned before, the last generation’s Cayenne interior was nothing to write home about.  In fact it was worse then that, but we wont go into that.  Good news!  The interior of the latest Cayenne is all that and a bag of Skittles.  Have you been in the new Panamera?  Have you been in the last generation Cayenne?  Mix the few good things from the old Cayenne and most everything else from the new Panamera and you have the new Cayenne.  The grab handles between the seats are still there, but the rest was dumped for the new Panamera interior.  The center console rises to meet the dash between the seats.  The touch screen works well and is not ridiculously confusing.  The materials are top notch, though like the Panamera there is a sea of buttons.  Luckily, they are grouped together by function.  The rear seats slide fore and aft to either give rear seat occupants more leg room or to gain more cargo room.  The interior fit and finish, along with materials all meet the bar that was raised in the Porsche line up by the Panamera.

Powertrain

The new Cayenne has three current engine choices, with a hybrid model on the way.  For now, we will focus on the Cayenne S model I was in.  The Cayenne S features the same 4.8-liter direct-injection V-8 that is in the Panamera S sedan.  Pumping out 400 horsepowerp and 369 lb-ft to all four wheels, this is no slouch of an engine.  The power is put down through an eight-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode.  Note that this is not the newer PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung) transmission in some other new Porsches.  This setup is good for a quoted 5.6 second 0-60 run and a top speed of 160 mph (after all, it is a Porsche).  The Cayenne S is rated at 16/22 MPG and I saw an average of 16.2 mpg in mixed city driving.  The engine features auto start/stop technology for fuel savings at stop lights and in heavy traffic.

This is only when enough energy has been stored from braking.  It is fairly smooth and not intrusive, but you can notice when the V-8 shuts down and starts up.  To lose some of that weight (the new Cayenne is over 400 pounds lighter then the last generation) Porsche dropped the mechanical locking differential and went to a electronic locking differential, among other things.  The weight loss is hugely noticeable!  It feels like the Cayenne went to fat kid camp and came back not only looking leaner, but driving leaner as well.

Overall, this new Cayenne is better in every way compared the original.  I sincerely doubt most any owner is going to miss the mechanical locking differential and accompanying hardware.  The weight loss is noticeable and makes for a better overall vehicle.  The look is leaner, more taught and overall a nice evolution.

The Cayenne S has a base price of $63,700, but as with any Porsche the options list is more then plentiful and they add up quite quickly.  The options list on this exact Cayenne S is a small laundry list but added up to a total of $21,940!  Again, that was not fully loaded.  Total price for the Cayenne S I was in came to $86,615.

While that is not a cheap date, it certainly more worthy of its price tag then the last-generation Cayenne.  This lighter, more luxurious, better handling, better looking Cayenne is the Porsche of SUV’s.  One last thing – there is a lot of competition with more coming so while it is the Porsche of SUV’s, is that enough?  Probably, and it will most likely continue to be one of Porsche’s best selling vehicles, right next to the Panamera.

Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by a local Porsche dealership

Episode 33 starts with introducing this weeks guest Nick Salvatore from SpeedSportLife.  Moving into the garage we talk about the 2011 Porsche Cayenne and 1967 Ford Mustang I drove since the last recording. We also heard about the 2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS and Hyundai Genesis Coupe 2.0T R-Spec Nick was in.  We then move along to the major news of the week segment.  This week included-

• NADA picks vehicles with best cost of ownership (Link)
• Nissan vs. Hyundai – Who is going to be the #2 Asian Automaker (Link)

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Back in the days of yore if someone suggested there would be a Porsche SUV you would be laughed out of the room but not before getting slapped in the face.  Flash forward to the current year and the best selling model in the Porsche line up is a SUV!  Whoa how did that happen?  It is simple really; a small 2 door car coupe/convertible/etc is not practical for everyone.  To build on that success Porsche figured why not build a four door “sports” car.  People seem to want to purchase a Porsche and some people care about practicality.  The two combined equals a need for more then just two door sports cars.  Now we have a new four door (it is really a five door but more on that later) Porsche sedan.  The real question I had was whether the sedan was a true Porsche or does it just wear the crest?

The exterior of the Panamera is recognizable as a Porsche without question.  The front end has styling elements that make it look like an enormous redone 911.  The two round headlights have LED strips hanging below them on the bumper.  The LED strips are day time running lights and at night the same housing has another set of lights that come on.  These act as fog lights or driving lights in a sense.  The side profile has nice sculpting from right behind the front fenders down the side.  The rear is what is truly controversial.  Let’s just get something out of the way quickly.  I like this car.  I like the way it looks.  I am apparently weird and I am ok with that.  Ok now moving on, the rear is what some call hunch backed or carrying too much baggage.  Some are saying it is droopy.  Call it what you want but I see Porsche design in it.  This car is nothing short of huge.  It is right around the size of a BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class and Audi A8 to mention a few.  Technically speaking the Panamera is a five door since the rear does not have a trunk lid rather a rear hatch.  The quad exhaust peak out from the rear to remind you of the power that lurks in the engine bay both on the naturally aspirated V8 and the Twin Turbo V8.

The interior is not quite as controversial as the exterior.  It is pure sporting luxury.  The seats are comfortable and supportive.  They hug you in all the right places.  These are not barcaloungers and no they will not massage you.  They are meant to hold you in place firmly.  The center console between the driver and passenger runs the length of the car.  In the front it rises up and meets the PCM (Porsche Communication Management System).  This design cue is somewhat similar to the center stack in the Carrera GT.  That center stack houses a dizzying array of buttons though they are all clearly marked and clumped together by function.  The PCM is a touch screen along with plenty of buttons to choose from to help operate it.  This was definitely a complex system but I was able to use it without the owners manual though others in this segment have easier systems to operate.  The interior fit and finish is definitely without question up to Porsche standards if not raising the bar within the company.

The engine in this car was a 4.8 liter direct injected V8 pumping out 400 hp and 369 lb-ft to all four wheels.  Since this was a Panamera 4S all wheel drive was standard.  The one choice transmission was Porsches newer PDK (Porsche Doppelkupplung) dual clutch transmission.  Launch control is activated by pushing the sport plus button then hitting the brake and then the gas.  You get a visual confirmation launch control is activated and let go of the brake.  You will hear a noise and then suddenly all four wheels grab the pavement and launch the car.  You are thrown back into your seat as the car launches hard and fast.  (PSA – Do this on an empty road two lane road).  You can use the transmission in full automatic mode or shift yourself using the buttons (hate those things) or by moving the gear shift to the manual gate.  The 911 Turbo is getting true paddles this year so hopefully they will trickle down and replace those buttons.  The car without question handles like a true Porsche.  Yes I have driven a different Porsche recently and yes, this does handle differently.  It is a big car, but with that said, the faster you go the smaller the car seems.  It shrinks as you go around corners and off ramps.  It shrugs off speed.  Handling is very impressive.

The particular Panamera 4S I was in had quite a few option packages.  I will skip going through them all though the options rang up to a total of $17,550.  That was on top of the base price of a Panamera 4S which starts at $93,800.  When all is said and done the total sticker price out the door would be $112,325.  That is a lot of coin, but the reality of it is that the Panamera is in the thick of it with the rest of the high priced luxury cars.

The original question was whether the sedan was a true Porsche or does it just wear the crest?  This car is a true Porsche.  Sure many Porschephile’s will say this is not a true Porsche because it weighs nearly 4,300 lbs and has four doors (by the way, that is light for a car this big).  My only question to them is: have you driven one? While it will not be for everyone the reality of it is simple, higher volume selling vehicles like the Cayenne and possibly the Panamera help keep the lights on for future development of lower volume cars like the 911 and whatever the next halo car might be.

Full Disclosure- The review vehicle was provided by a local Porsche dealership