The Porsche of SUVs is what those familiar with the brand probably expect from a Porsche. If you pay close attention, you can feel most of the mechanical components working, each doing its own job, yet it all blends together in a smooth, synchronous whole. The Cayenne is fast, satisfying and, even in the things it does least efficiently, utterly competent. It stops with more energy and precision that any SUV you can name. Even the V6 is a solid performer, although it's the V8 engines that begin to separate Cayenne from others in the SUV pack.Want Porsche? Sit still in the Cayenne's driver seat and gently blip the accelerator pedal (just like the guy in the commercial). These are not the sounds emanating from the typical SUV. The Cayenne's exhaust rumbles a bit louder, maybe, but certainly deeper. Even at idle, the burble of low-restriction mufflers, the cams and the suck of intake air remind us of the late, great Porsche 928, a V8-powered GT that swallowed chunks of pavement at an alarming rate. Yet this is the Porsche SUV, and the thought can be difficult for longtime Porsche enthusiasts to get their arms around. Perhaps Cayenne more appropriately invokes images of the Porsche 959s that won the grueling Paris-Dakar Rally through North Africa, skimming over giant dunes in the Sahara at 140 mph.
The Sahara we couldn't arrange, but we have mucked the Cayenne through a muddy off-road course in the south of Spain. This was not a bolder-laden wilderness trail like the Rubicon, but it included axle-deep mud and steep, low-grip 50-yard grades. Up, down and across, the Cayenne performed flawlessly with little sweat for the driver. In most cases the onboard electronics did the heavy lifting, and the driver had to simply, lightly, modulate the throttle or brake in low range. When introduced, Cayenne's back country performance impressed even the jaded, and it supported Porsche's assertion that it has more off-road capability than the BMW X5 or Mercedes M-Class, which we've tested in similar circumstances. Cayenne has maximum ground clearance 8.54 inches, or 10.75 inches with the optional air suspension, and a fording depth of 21.9 inches. There's even an Advanced Offroad Package that adds skid plates to protect the underbody and a locking rear differential.
At one point during our off-road adventure, we crept the Cayenne through a succession of holes a couple of feet in diameter and 10 inches deep, dropping a wheel on one side into one of the holes and then another wheel on the opposite side into another hole, so that the vehicle repeatedly bobbed left-right like a pack camel dipping its legs to be loaded. This is what SUVs are supposed to do, regardless of whether Cayenne's off-road capability actually amounts to a huge sales point. Porsche salespeople joke that few 911 owners will even take their cars out in the rain. If that's true, then there's not much reason to think Cayenne owners will allow their SUV to be blasted with gravel or painted with mud. Still, the hole-crabbing was instructive as to the overall stiffness of the Cayenne's body/frame, and to its rattle-free operation on pavement. It flexed just in bit in situations that might bend lesser SUVs in half.
We also got some lessons off road in the operation of Cayenne's permanent all-wheel-drive system, and how it might effect performance on pavement, where most owners are more likely to drive. This system, with its variable-rate center differential managed by multiple clutch plates, is similar to that used on all-wheel-drive versions of the Porsche 911, with two Cayenne enhancements: the standard low range for real off-roading and a lock for the center differential. It's managed by Porsche's latest stability- and traction-control electronics.
Like similar systems, Cayenne's AWD can vary the amount of engine power distributed to the front and rear wheels, sending more or less power in one direction depending on available traction and other conditions. Yet in many luxury SUVs, the default torque distribution is as much as 70-percent front wheels, 30-percent rear. In normal circumstances, this can make them drive a lot like a front-drive minivan. The Cayenne has a default power split of 38-percent front, 62-percent rear, so the rear wheels clearly rule. This more closely replicates the rear-drive characteristics of a sports car.
On a muddy flat in the off-road course, we tried to evaluate Cayenne's anti-skid electronics and discovered something we don't expect in the typical SUV. The electronics are programmed relatively loosely, allowing either the front or rear of the Cayenne to slide a bit before the brakes apply themselves or the engine throttles back. In the mud the Cayenne's standard 32/68-torque bias showed itself in easy dirt-tracking power slides, with the steering wheel turned slightly in opposite lock and the rear-end hung out in a fishtail-type skid with a bit of accelerator modulation. In other words, it's a lot of fun.
On the road, the Cayenne handles crisply, but it isn't a Porsche 911. Its 4800-pound curb weight ensures that, rearing its head in transient maneuvers. It performs these maneuvers better than an SUV, but there's no getting around the physics of all that mass when pushed hard in tight cornering situations. That said, it offers excellent grip in steady state corners, which can be taken quite quickly.
The standard Cayenne's narrow-angle 3.2-liter V6 engine was developed by Volkswagen. Porsche did its own finish work for its version of the V6, which features variable timing for both the intake and exhaust valves for an impressive combination of smooth idling, good low-end torque and free-revving high-end horsepower. Theoretically, at least, the V6 Cayenne should offer a mileage advantage over the V8s; unfortunately, the Cayenne's weight negates most of that potential gain. With EPA ratings of 15 mpg city and 19 highway, the Cayenne does only one mpg better then the V8-powered Cayenne S. That may or may not prove significant in real driving.
However, with 247-horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque over a wide range of engine speeds, the Cayenne V6 is no slouch. And it's aided by something Porsche loyalists have waited nearly three years for: a standard six-speed manual transmission. Until 2005, the Cayenne was the only Porsche ever built without a manual gearbox (the Tiptronic automatic remains an option). The manual is also equipped with an off-road feature called Porsche Drive-Off Assistant, which allows a driver to easily set the Cayenne in motion on steep grades; the system automatically maintains brake pressure when the brake pedal is released, then releases the brakes once the driver begins let out the clutch pedal.
The manual's shift action is Porsche sweet, and the V6 Cayenne is anything but underpowered. Porsche reports 0-60 mph times of 8.5 seconds and a top speed of 133 mph; 10 years ago, those numbers were good for a sports car, and they remain competitive among SUVs. Further, the V6 is as pleasant to operate as the V8s, if not as exhilarating. Its wide power band gets the Cayenne up to speed in convincing fashion, and the V6 Cayenne actually feels, lighter, perhaps better than the V8s, for mundane chores like commuting or shop-hopping.
Yet the V6 also demonstrates what we might call the conundrum of Cayenne. It's perfectly suited for the typical SUV buyer's driving tasks and it's priced competitively with the VW Touareg and SUVs from Japan's luxury car makers. Yet for roughly the same price as the standard Cayenne, the Touareg offers a 310-horsepower V8 and a bit more standard equipment. A V6 Touareg sells for thousands less. And Cayenne is a Porsche, for crying out loud, with the acceleration and exhilaration that goes with that. But if you want Cayenne with acceleration that begins to separate it from the mundane pack, you'll have to ante up another $14,000 for the Cayenne S.
The Cayenne's V8 engines are pure Porsche, developed in the same workshops that produced some of history's most successful racing engines. These 4.5-liter V8s have all the latest high-tech systems and materials, including a unique dry-sump lubrication system that allows uninterrupted oiling at extreme angles of operation, either off road or at high lateral gs on pavement. To account for higher operating pressures, the intercooled, twin-turbocharged version in the Cayenne Turbo has durability enhancements such as forged pistons and more oiling jets. The normally aspirated 4.5-liter engine makes 340 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 310 pound-feet of torque between 2500 and 5500 rpm, which puts it near the top of the SUV class. The Turbo generates a mighty 450 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 457 pound-feet of torque between 2250 and 4750 rpm.
There's more than rumbling exhaust to suggest that Cayenne's V8 isn't the typical SUV engine. There's a ton of power here. Even in the Cayenne S, the reserve of torque is better than ample. At any speed, the standard six-speed automatic kicks down quickly with a jab at the gas pedal and the Cayenne S accelerates like a jumbo jet approaching rotation speed. We're not sure why anyone needs more get-up in a big SUV than the Cayenne S offers, but those who do might try the Turbo. Judging by the seat of our pants, the Cayenne Turbo is easily the fastest SUV available.
Beyond sheer acceleration, there's engineering you don't see in Cayenne that gives it Porsche character. The standard Cayenne suspension uses coil-over struts with an extra set of conical springs to control lateral movement. That's not typical SUV fare. Even more sophisticated, the upgrade air suspension automatically adjusts ride height according to speed, with a range of nearly five inches. The air suspension also automatically (or manually) adjusts shock dampening rates for the preferred balance of ride quality and body-roll control.
The subtle things can make a difference. The Cayenne's steering rack, for example, is supplied by ZF, a company that also builds the steering components for the 911 sports car. Cayenne was the first SUV with Y-rated tires (certified for operation up to 186 mph) and the first with a six-speed transmission of any sort. Its brakes are truly impressive: 13.5-inch discs, with six-piston calipers in front and four-piston rear. Moreover, Porsche claims the Cayenne brakes were developed to meet the same rigid anti-fade standards as those on a 911.
These components, with what we learned off-road about Cayenne's body stiffness, torque bias and skid-management programming, become part of that smooth, synchronous whole on the open road. On pavement, the Cayenne is smooth, fast, and big.
It's not just acceleration or the V8s' reported 165-mph top speed that impressed us most, but the high speeds the Cayenne comfortably carries in most circumstances. The steering isn't as quick as that in 911, but its weight and response have a familiar feel. The Cayenne's air suspension keeps it on the stiff side, though it can be manually softened if the driver chooses. New programming for 2005 softens the Comfort setting, reducing some of the chop in Cayenne's ride. Either way, this SUV is impressively precise and responsive. Its 2.5-ton mass is masked by impressive stability and agility.
The Cayenne drives lighter than any big SUV on the market, including the X5 or M-Class, and speed creep is a constant issue. The brakes allow it to shed speed like a good sedan, and almost without realizing it you can be traveling 120 on roads posted 65. Speeds we'd never even consider in a Chevy Tahoe or some equally hefty truck-based SUV, except in a carefully controlled experiment, feel mundane in the Cayenne. It can be unnerving, almost otherworldly, based on conventional SUV sensibilities.
If one maintains a respectful awareness of the laws of physics, none of the Cayenne's performance comes at any particular cost, except perhaps in the size of the parking space it requires or its thirst for gasoline (14 mpg city, 18 highway for Cayenne S, 13/18 for the Turbo). As an SUV, the Cayenne is not subject to a gas-guzzler tax, and we suspect Cayenne shoppers won't be overly concerned about fuel costs anyway. Assuming that Porsche dealerships have adjusted their service schedules to the idea of daily-driven Porsches, Cayenne drivers will have no difficulty with the concept. Cayenne isn't the least bit finicky, or hard starting or rough. Nothing during our test runs suggested that you couldn't or wouldn't want to drive it every day, even for the most mundane chores.
Speaking of chores, this hot-rod SUV is no pretender when it comes to towing capacity. All Cayennes, including the V6, can pull 7700 pounds. You can't get a similar tow rating short of a heavy-duty pickup or pickup-based SUV.
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