Porsche engineers have designed the Cayenne to be equally adept on a flat highway as it is off road.
Having spent the past two hours flitting around paved roads in a $128,200 Porsche Cayenne Turbo (520-horsepower, 279 km/h top speed), I arrive at a rustic country manor several kilometres off the main road where a Finnish lad with popping muscles hands me the keys to a second Cayenne Turbo and says, "Let's get dirty."
Oh, joy. The Finnish driving instructor points to the flagship of the freshened 2015 Cayenne line, then describes what's ahead: a 40-minute off-road loop intended to prove Porsche's SUV is as strong as a Range Rover in the muck, yet 911-ish on pavement.
Off we go down a one-lane path covered in loose red dirt that's typical of arid Catalonia. We kick up clouds of it. After a hard left, we tackle perhaps a 25- or 30-degree climb up a narrowing path covered in loose rock and small stones. We've dialled up the firmest "Sport Plus" suspension setting to minimize body movements. No "Comfort" or regular "Sport" here; too soft, too loose.
We've also punched in the highest of six air suspension settings for ground clearance. We haven't tinkered with the all-wheel drive. It'll send whatever power is needed to the front wheels, all electronically controlled via a multi-plate clutch. In my hands is the new multifunction sport steering wheel with shift paddles, modified slightly but essentially borrowed from the 918 Spyder electrified sports car.
Let's pause and review: we're driving a massively expensive, shockingly powerful, technologically over-the-top sport-ute into sheer nastiness. Before we're done getting filthy, we'll have used a hill descent control unit to crawl down steep pitches and gone rollicking through wheel-deep muddy bogs. All that in a turbocharged V-8 truck that will do 0-100 km/hour in 4.4 seconds (with the optional Sport Chrono package) while getting combined fuel economy in the 11.2 to 11.5 litres/100 km range. Cornering? Why isn't this truck tippy?
Pardon the pun, but Porsche is leaving no stone unturned in trying to get its latest Cayenne message across. All five Cayenne models – we get only four of them in Canada – have been reworked. Most notably, power is up and fuel economy is improved across the line. Once it's had its Paris auto show debut later this month, a plug-in hybrid Cayenne capable of 125 km/h electrified-only will join the lineup. Depending how you drive, the new lithium-ion battery should give you about 30 km between charges, less if you madcap about.
The budget Cayenne, the best value and the one I'd own, is the diesel at $71,300. It has massive torque (428 lbs-ft), flies (7.2 seconds to 100 km/h) and fuel consumption is rated at 6.6 to 6.8 litres/100 km. The Cayenne S ($83,700) gets the 3.6-litre turbo V-6 first seen in the smaller Macan. When it hits the showroom, the $86,800 E-Hybrid is what we'll carefully call the "green" Cayenne.
Porsche has updated the Cayenne's looks, including new front fenders and hood, as well as refinements to the rear, from spoiler to tail lights. But it takes a trained eye to spot the differences, 2014 to 2015. The chassis team has tinkered with the suspension and steering, too. Nothing has been reinvented, but the point here is for Porsche to defend the Cayenne's turf in the face of increasing competition, particularly from Tata's Land Rover unit with its sporty Range Rovers. Remember, since its launch in 2002, Porsche has sold nearly 600,000 highly profitable Cayennes. You may associate the Porsche brand with sports cars, but the franchise is the Cayenne.
Dynamically, you simply cannot buy a more capable SUV on the road, and our little unpaved adventure shows that if your cottage is "out there" you'll be able to get there. You'll do it sitting in a cabin with racy seats and more buttons than a Dreamliner. Kudos to Porsche for eschewing multi-function controllers in favour of good old-fashioned buttons, knobs and dials. You can instantly operate all the gizmos here without cracking the owner's manual.
The Porsche people have a reputation for being slightly smug. They have reason to be. If you want the best-handling SUV money can buy, this is it.
The writer was a guest of the auto maker.
TECH SPECS
Price range: $71,300 (Diesel), $83,700 (S), $86,800 (S E-Hybrid), $128,200 (Turbo).
Engines: Cayenne S E-Hybrid 10.9 kWh lithium-ion traction battery/95-hp electric motor power mated to 3.0-litre supercharged V-6; 3.6-litre V-6 biturbo; 4.8-litre bi-turbo V-8; 3.0-litre turbodiesel.
Drive: All-wheel
Fuel economy (litres/100 km): Cayenne S E-Hybrid 3.4 combined; 3.6-litre V-6 biturbo 9.5-9.8 combined; 4.8-litre bi-turbo V-8 11.2-11.5 combined; V-6 diesel 6.6-6.8 combined.
Alternatives: BMW X5, Audi Q7, Infiniti QX70, Lexus GX460, Mercedes-Benz GL-Class, Volvo XC90, Land Rover Range Rover, especially the Range Rover Sport model.
RATINGS
Looks
The Porsche basic design cues are in place. For 2015, the list of styling updates is long, but all are subtle, from the changes to the hood to the integration of the rear spoiler. Unmistakably a Porsche.
Interior
Not everyone will think this cabin is a plus, other than the seat comfort and support which is pretty indisputable. Porsche has put in place an array of buttons and switches to control all the technology. So the cabin looks like a fighter cockpit. For me, Porsche's decision to eschew "controllers" that channel functions through one knob and a screen is a good idea.
Technology
The ride height goes up and down. The suspension adjusts from comfort to super-firm. The power train array is comprehensive. And so on. Programming simple things like a navigation destination is easy. Sound system controls make sense.
Cargo
Not exactly a moving van. But it's not supposed to be.
Performance
The V-8 flies and uses lots of premium fuel. The diesel is the best all-around SUV power train choice. The V-6 is strong but not overly exciting. We have yet to test the hybrid. All engines are very refined and the gearbox is terrific.
Verdict
9.5: The best high-performance SUV on the market.
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