Incredible hulk

The Cayenne is a huge success for Porsche and this model has singularly cracked open new markets for the company and widened the marque’s global footprint. Last year, this SUV accounted for around 80 per cent of the company’s annual sales of approximately 100 units in the country. If you take the Cayenne out of the equation, the balance sales numbers, shared among all the sports cars, would be too minuscule for Porsche to bother about our market. So, it’s not surprising that Porsche has put a lot of thought into the new Cayenne. Let’s see how.

Style file

The biggest flaw with the original Cayenne was its fussy styling, which Porsche admits was too aggressive for most tastes. Porsche has successfully addressed this with a design that is cleaner and sportier. Though the latest Cayenne looks every bit like a Cayenne, deft styling changes have made it far more appealing. The twin projector lights with accentuated silver-coloured rings and the V-shaped bonnet have traces of the Panamera. The massive air intakes, a Cayenne trademark, are less aggressive than before and give the Porsche SUV a tidier look.

Longer and sleeker than before, the Cayenne along with its heavily raked windscreen is now much better proportioned, especially when viewed from the side. The rear end looks great as well. The broad shoulders and light clusters which swoop outwards give it a sense of purpose that was missing in the previous model.

A huge achievement that’s not visible to customers is the massive weight-saving Porsche has managed. The new Cayenne weighs an incredible 185kg less than its predecessor! Apart from using a lot more aluminium, the main kilo-shedding trick was swapping the old six-speed gearbox with its four-wheel-drive transfer case for an all-new eight-speeder, which alone accounted for 60kg-plus saving.

Inside story

The interiors are equally impressive and again a dramatic improvement over the previous car. Slide into the high driver’s seat and you are greeted by a cluster of five dials with the tachometer taking centre stage — true to Porsche tradition. But it’s the overall quality which is amazing and a massive step up from the relatively drab interiors of the previous Cayenne. Again, there’s loads of Panamera influence in here, like with the central console with an array of high-quality switches.

The heavily contoured front seats adjust in every possible direction to hug your body but the best news is that the rear seats, which were too upright and flat in the older Cayenne, are now incredibly comfy. (Yes, there are Cayennes that are chauffeur-driven too!) A 40mm increase in wheelbase has freed up more legroom at the back. And if that’s not enough, the rear seat now slides and can be reclined.

Another neat touch is the way the rear seat flips forward in one easy step. If that’s too much work, there’s an option to fold it down electrically. The boot is now bigger, but still a modest 670 litres for an SUV, though there’s enough storage space in the cabin. The 100-litre fuel tank is very practical as it allows you to drive long distances on a diet of difficult-to-find 97 octane fuel.

Under the hood

When the Cayenne goes on sale in India this July, all five versions — a 300bhp V6 petrol, a 240bhpV6 diesel, a 400bhp V8 petrol, the 380bhp Hybrid and the range-topping and monstrous 500bhp Turbo — will be available. The Cayenne Turbo with its 4.8-litre twin-turbo V8 is the highlight of the range. This monstrous engine coupled with the brilliant eight-speed gearbox delivers performance that would embarrass many supercars. Zero to 100kph comes up in 4.7 seconds and, given the road, the Turbo will thunder to 275kph.

The gearbox is velvet-smooth and provides faster and more seamless shifts than the previous six-speed automatic. Leave the Turbo in sport mode and the gearbox does all the work for you with well-timed up- and downshifts. With so many ratios and huge reserves of power in each gear, you lose track of which gear you are in. Floor the throttle and there’s one strong and relentless linear shove to speeds you cannot imagine an SUV is capable of.

Driver's deal

If there can be anything more impressive than the straight-line performance, it’s the handling, which is go-kart-like. The Cayenne dives into corners in ways that completely defy the car’s two-tonne weight and tall height. Grip from the 275/45 R20 tyres is massive and there’s hardly any body roll, which lets you dig deeper and deeper into the car’s reserves with confidence. Porsche’s Torque Vectoring system plays a big role in the phenomenal handling and body control of this SUV.

Final verdict

The new Cayenne is undoubtedly a massive step forward but sadly it comes at a price. It’s significantly more expensive than the outgoing model and in India the base V6, without all the options, starts at an estimated Rs 65 lakh, rising to Rs 1.27 crore for the Turbo. But for driving enthusiasts, it’s money well spent. No other SUV can give the same thrills as the new Cayenne, which is now simply a class apart.

Spec check
Porsche Cayenne Turbo

Price: Rs 65 lakh - Rs 1.27 crore (ex-showroom, Delhi)
0-100kph: 4.7 seconds
L/W/H: 4795/1928/1694mm
Kerb weight: 2170kg
Engine: V8, 4806cc, twin-turbo, petrol/ front, longitudinal, FWD
Power: 500bhp at 6000rpm
Torque: 71.3kgm at 2250-4500rpm
Gearbox: 8-speed automatic

The Personal Telegraph