Long-Term Road Test
Porsche loyalists and car enthusiasts everywhere went into a state of stunned disbelief after the Cayenne was unveiled in September 2002 at the Paris auto show. And when this Porsche-badged, slightly altered Volkswagen Touareg began appearing at upscale shopping malls in 2003, they were appalled.
Porsche officials stressed that offering the company's first sport-utility vehicle was motivated purely by the need for profits, which would ensure Porsche's independence.
Here's what we knew back then: The Cayenne was a sporty ute but not necessarily the Porsche of SUVs, as evidenced by a second-place finish to a Cadillac SRX in a November 2003 comparo ("Big-Box Sports Cars"). To acquire more firsthand experience, we ordered a 2005 Cayenne S for one of our 40,000-mile long-term tests. The "S" stands for the 340-hp DOHC all-aluminum V-8-the middle engine choice between the 247-hp V-6 and the 450-hp twin-turbo V-8.
A 5473-pound Lapis Blue beast showed up in early December 2004 with a fairly light options list, at least for a Porsche: $3630 for the Convenience package, which included a sunroof and bixenon headlights; $3070 for Porsche Communication Management (PCM), which turns out to be Porsche-speak for a navigation system; $2990 for a height-adjustable air suspension; $960 for heated seats; $630 for a trailer hitch; $495 for the metallic paint; and $130 floor mats. What began as a $57,115 SUV now rang in at $69,020.
These are the numbers gathered during the Cayenne S's initial testing: 0 to 60 mph in 6.6 seconds, the quarter-mile in 15.0 seconds at 93 mph, braking from 70 mph in 181 feet, skidpad grip of 0.82 g, and an ungoverned 145-mph top speed. Although these numbers fit in with the large, sporting SUV crowd-Infiniti FX45, BMW X5 V-8, Cadillac SRX V-8, and Mercedes ML500-they don't stand out.
Early gripes focused on interior shortcomings. Some cheap-looking plastic surrounds the shifter. The cup holders are barely large enough to hold a 20-ounce bottle. Operating the nav system takes time to absorb. There's less rear-passenger space than we expected in a vehicle this large.
Still, no one hesitated to sign out the blue brute for a long-weekend road trip. In fact, in just 10 months, we'd completed the 40,000-mile long-term parameter. Places visited from our Ann Arbor headquarters included a week in Michigan's Upper Peninsula; a jaunt to Kennebunkport, Maine; a weekend in Boston; a trek to Florida; and a 10-day run to Seattle and back.
And long hauls were where it drew the most praise: "You cannot beat the Cayenne for road-trip comfort," wrote a staffer after a 1500-mile weekend. "Good passing performance, and the engine makes very seductive noises," wrote another. Also praised were its 400-plus-mile fuel range, comfortable seats, sporty but pleasant enough ride, direct steering feel, and crisp chassis responses.
However, not once did we find ourselves in the position of needing to tow something, nor did we ever step off-pavement-behavior we suspect most Cayenne owners will mimic.
