The all-new 2018 Porsche Cayenne was revealed overnight in Germany with Porsche saying it’s got more in common with the 911 than ever before…
THE NEW PORSCHE CAYENNE was revealed overnight in Germany, with the third-generation SUV, the vehicle responsible for the saviour of Porsche when it first launched in 2002 (selling more than 760,000 units since), lighter and better looking than ever. Indeed, Porsche claims it has more in common with the 911 now.
How so? According to Porsche, the new Cayenne has styling cues from the 911, “mixed tyres and rear-axle steering for the first time. In addition to these typical sports car features, the on-road capabilities are further improved by active all-wheel drive as standard, Porsche 4D Chassis Control, three-chamber air suspension and the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) electronic roll stabilisation system. Despite its significantly extended standard equipment, the Cayenne weighs up to 65 kilograms less than its predecessor and remains perfectly suited to off-road use”. The new Cayenne will offer a terrain mode that allows Normal, Mud, Gravel, Sand and Rocks tuning.
There will be two variants of the Cayenne, the Cayenne and Cayenne S. The Cayenne with a six-cylinder turbo engine and displacement of three litres delivers 250kW and 450Nm of torque. That means even the standard model achieves outstanding driving performance: It accelerates from zero to 100km/h in 6.2 seconds (5.9 seconds with the Sport Chrono Package). The maximum speed is 245km/h. The Cayenne S runs a 2.9-litre V6 engine with twin turbocharging. This is a new engine which makes 324kW and 550Nm of torque – 15kW more than its predecessor. Accordingly, the vehicle accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in just 5.2 seconds (with Sport Chrono Package: 4.9 seconds). The maximum speed is 265km/h.
Porsche claims it has redeveloped its Sport Chrono Package for the Cayenne, basing it off the unit in the 911. Marking that out is the fact there’s now a mode button on the steering wheel, allowing the driver to toggle between Normal, Sport and Sport Plus driving modes. Pressing the Sport Response button in the centre activates the engine and transmission maps, which are tweaked for “maximum performance”.
“We have completely redeveloped our successful model. It has been visibly and tangibly improved and perfected in all respects. The Cayenne has also been digitalised and networked throughout to give it a forward-thinking design”, said Oliver Blume, Chairman of the Executive Board at Porsche AG.
“Our primary objective was to accentuate the character of the vehicle. More Porsche, more Cayenne. The new Cayenne is more precise, elegant, athletic and expressive”, says Michael Mauer, Director of Style at Porsche AG, who unveiled the style of the new Cayenne alongside Peter Varga (Director Exterior Design) and Ivo van Hulten (Director Interior Design).
Following the 911 and the Panamera, the new body of the Cayenne also uses an intelligent combination of alloy and steel. The exterior is made entirely of aluminium. The floorpan assembly, front section and virtually all the chassis components are also manufactured from alloy.
One cool feature is the innovative lithium-ion polymer starter battery, which alone accounts for a weight saving of 10kg over the predecessor model. In total, the weight of the Cayenne when empty has been reduced from 2040 to 1985kg – that’s despite getting more standard features, which now include, amongst other things, LED main headlights, larger wheels, ParkAssist (front and rear), an LTE telephone module including a WiFi hotspot, Porsche Connect services and anticipatory pedestrian protection.
The Cayenne is built on the same MLB platform as the Audi Q7 and Bentley Bentayga, and it’s expected to spawn other model variants, including a hybrid model and the range-topping Cayenne Turbo, but the German car maker is yet to announce any diesel variants.
The new Cayenne is 63mm longer without any change to the wheelbase (2895mm) and a roof height reduced by nine millimetres compared with its predecessor; it measures 4918mm long and 1983mm wide (excluding mirrors). The luggage compartment volume is now 770 litres – an increase of 100 litres.
The interior of the new Cayenne borrows from the launch of the Panamera last year and gets the same 12.3-inch infotainment screen. In typical Porsche style, the driver gets a central analogue tachometer. This is flanked by two 7-inch full- HD displays, which display all other relevant driving data plus additional information selected using the multi-function steering wheel.
Locally, Porsche hasn’t said when we’ll see the new Cayenne or what the price will be but we can expect to see that information released in the coming days.
So you say “The Cayenne with a six-cylinder turbo engine and displacement of three litres… then further on “the range-topping Cayenne Turbo” is this a different engine?