Alton on the Cayenne...

[Wayne 962]

The Porsche Cayenne officially appeared yesterday, and I wandered down to Porsche of Nashua to see it. I even got a brief test drive in a Cayenne S.

The exterior is very attractive, probably better than in photos.

The interior reminds me of my Land Rover Discovery. Even though the Cayenne is in the 5,000 lb. range, Porsche tried to keep size down so the Cayenne does not have unlimited cargo space. The interior generally has a sort of "hard" feel, again like my old Discovery, or perhaps Mercedes Benz cars of a decade or so ago. There are many features similar to my Audi A4 (sunroof operation, cargo tiedowns in the rear...). Some of the controls are pretty obviously painted plastic (notably the two speed transfer case switch). While it doesn't reek of opulence, it is comfortable, and there are plenty of air vents for the rear seats. Like the Discovery, the rear seats seem a little higher than the front.

Some differences between the new Cayenne and my old Discovery:

The Cayenne has a very high beltline--the window sill is near your shoulder. The Discovery had a very low window sill--almost as low as you could get your elbow. The Land Rover certainly gave better off-road visibility. The Land Rover also had a sort of F-16 cockpit feel, until it reminded you that it was slow and wouldn't fly very far. I think the driver's seat in the Cayenne is considerably lower than the Land Rover's.

The Land Rover was sort of tippy. The Cayenne has a very flat ride without much lean, and also a smoother ride. Nobody really explored the limits of cornering power.

The Cayenne comes with a standard space saver tire, and if you get the Bose sound system, that spare is removed for the sub-woofer. The Bose system is very impressive, and you can buy an externally mounted spare tire for the Cayenne.

The Cayenne S was not slow, but acceleration wasn't really mind boggling. Everybody tried a few full throttle runs up to 40 mph or so--Cayennes will more than keep up with traffic. Unlike the Audi version of Tiptronic which has Sport and non-Sport modes as well as manual, Porsche has only a manual mode and an automatic mode. I think the latest Porsche automatics continually adapt to driving style, but we didn't explore that in depth.

The Cayenne has several computers: more than a Land Rover, more than a Space Shuttle, possibly more than an F-16. Many Cayenne controls are computerized, momentary contact switches that sense a state change--not a position. I particularly noticed the two speed transfer case. You have to stop, put the Cayenne in Neutral, and hold the brake pedal down before the transfer case switch will respond. It was theoretically possible to engage low range in a moving Land Rover, and I actually did it a few times. Admittedly, it was so hard to do that I wouldn't think it would happen if you actually NEEDED to get into low range without losing all foreword momentum--I only tried in parking lots.

With all my recent driving experience being in a Sport Suspension Audi A4, I would have to rate the "feel" of driving the Cayenne as being a little remote. Everything is very precise, but the response isn't so obvious. Maybe the height had something to do with it. It was nothing like the ethereal sensation in the VW Bus where the fact that the bus follows the path you think you steered just seems like some sort of serendipitous coincidence.



As far as serious off-roading goes, I don't know. I think the Cayenne has either traction control and/or locking differentials, and it does have a two speed transfer case. Even with the air suspension (which I didn't see-it's an option on the "S" and standard on the Turbo), it's ground clearance is a little less than the VW Taureg, although it's still considerable. The big questions would be underside protection, bumper protection, and where do you mount a winch? Really serious off-roaders would want the full sized spare, and really, really serious off-roaders travel in pairs. And, they only travel in pairs if they can't scare up three or more vehicles.



Overall, the Cayenne S and Turbo are priced in roughly the same range as members of the Mercedes S Class, BMW 7 series, Audi A8, and maybe the big Jaguar. It probably has similar EPA fuel consumption. The Cayenne can pull a heavy trailer, and haul more stuff than those luxury cars. On the other hand, the Cayenne isn't really what I would call opulent.


Jim Alton