Short Take Road Test
Porsche's Cayenne, the Porsche so few enthusiasts get but many consumers buy, receives more than just a face lift for 2008. Evidence confirms HGH use—that's "hefty gains in horsepower"—but Porsche has done nothing unethical. There's a slight enlargement, to 4.8 liters (from 4.5), direct injection, and the addition of Porsche's VarioCam Plus variable valve timing and lift. After all these changes, the V-8 in a Porsche Cayenne S now puts out 385 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, gains of 45 horsepower and 59 pound-feet. Although those figures won't grab any headlines, they are gains of 13 and 16 percent, respectively, which is way more than some people here would ever tip.
With the extra power underhood being channeled to all four wheels through Porsche's standard all-wheel-drive system, we recorded 0-to-60 mph in six ticks flat and the quarter-mile in 14.5 seconds at 98 mph, figures that beat the old Cayenne S by 0.6 second to 60 and 0.5 second and 5 mph in the quarter.
Those numbers comfortably pad the $35,800 premium the true lunatic pays for a 500-hp Cayenne Turbo—which will perform the 0-to-60 and quarter-mile feats in 4.8 and 13.3 seconds at 107 mph—but they also represent a noticeable gain from behind the wheel over the performance of the outgoing car. This was a necessary improvement considering Mercedes-Benz's new 382-hp ML550 will sprint to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds and costs some $5500 less. If an ML and a Cayenne ever find themselves side by side at a red light, we can only assume egos will be clashing conservatively, meaning the 5-to-60-mph rolling start will probably be the more important number. Advantage: Mercedes. So you might want to think twice about that Turbo.
Also new for 2008 is the optional $3510 Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, which consists of a pair of active anti-roll bars meant to counteract body roll. A recent Cayenne Turbo we tested had this system (and summer-only 21-inch tires) and recorded 0.90 g on our skidpad, which seems to pretty well define the limit of what a vehicle this size is capable of.
This S model did without the bars had lesser all-season rubber and managed 0.82 g, a figure that is still superb for a 5351-pound sport-ute. If you're a big-league on-ramp bomber really looking to absolutely terrify the wife and kids, though, PDCC might be worth the cash.
Inside the Cayenne, not much has changed. Actually, nothing at all has changed beyond the availability of new leather. Our tester did not have that option, and we were unable to evaluate it. So sad. It did, however, have a nav system ($3070), an adjustable air suspension ($2990), and a sunroof ($1190), among other options that pushed our as-tested price past $70,000.
Keep the options in check, though, and a base 2008 Cayenne S is only $780 more than the previous gen. That's just $17.33 per additional horse, which is some of the cheapest horsepower anywhere on the market, even if it is heavy horsepower.
