Porsche Cayenne S

Introduction

After manufacturing only two door sports cars since its birth Porsche entered the luxury SUV market with Cayenne in 2002. At that time many thought that it will tarnish the brand company has built over the years, but it's still selling strong even are after a decade of its launch. It has not only become the best selling car for Porsche but its sales figures have also shadowed Panamera, Cayman and others. After tasting the success, Porsche also launched its second generation facelift in 2014 along with a plug-in E-Hybrid version in Paris Motor show. In Sri Lanka it is available through Eurocars (Private) Limited which is sole authorized importer and dealer of Porsche cars.

Engine, mileage & variants

Sadly the diesel variant of Cayenne is not available in Sri Lanka. Apart from that a total of 6 petrol variants are available among those Cayenne Turbo S is the most powerful of them. It is receives its power from 4.8 litre turbocharged V8 engine with enormous power output of 570 hp at 6000 rpm and a peak torque of 800 Nm from 2500 to 4000 rpm. Also to mention Cayenne S Turbo was first launched in 2006 to give tough fight to the Mercedes-Benz ML 63 AMG. The engine is married with 8 speed automatic Tiptronic S transmission and to give the driver sporty feel gearshift controls are given on steering wheel.With this transmission it crosses 100 Kmph mark from standstill in just 4.1 seconds. It has combined fuel economy of 8.7 Kmpl which is OK, considering its a SUV and that too a petrol version.

Exteriors

With a wider looking nose, Cayman inspired Bi xenon headlamps and tinted LED tail lights this crossover looks astonishing. It has a wheelbase of 2895mm which provides it stability and adequate amount of cabin space the other dimensions are 4855mm x 2165 mm x 1702 mm (L x W x H). Porsche has provided three sets of tyres winter ,summer and all season tyres ,in wheel size of 18-21 inch. The tyre size available for summer season varies from 255/55 R 18 to 295/35 R 21, for winter season from 255/55 R 18 to 275/45 R 20 and all season tyres are available in tyre size from 235/60 R 18 to 295/40 R 20.

Interiors

Porsche is known for making sports cars and one of the important thing considered during their design is drivers aesthetics. Looking at the interiors of one can surely say it may be s SUV from outside but no less than a sports car from inside. The tail center dashboard has become inherent in all Porsche cars and its present here too. It consist of Porsche Communication Management (PCM )system, CDR audio system and other controls of the car. The quality of material used is high end. With leather comfortable leather seats adequate head room and leg room. Porsche has provided adequate amount of boot space of 670 litre which can be further extended by folding rear seats. You wont feel lack of space inside, Porsche has done an excellent job.

Safety, Braking and Miscellaneous

With sturdy and elegant design Porsche has given a long list of safety features. The Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB), Porsche Stability Management (PSM) system, Daytime running Lights, traction control, ABS (Anti Lock Braking Sytem) comes as standard. For the safety of front and rear passengers a total of 6 airbags are given for enhanced safety there is also option of rear door mounted airbag. In addition to this it also has Adaptive cruise control with Porsche Active Safe (PAS), Assistance system with lane departure warning. Though it is not tested by independent safety body EURO NCAP but looking at its safety feature rigid strong body design one can definitely bet that it won fail test. Being a SUV Porsche has included some feature which are specially designed for Cayenne like Porsche hill control, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), leveling system and Porsche Traction Management (PTM) these features surely going to help you in while driving in non tarmac roads.

Verdict

With its second generation facelift version launched in 2014 this mid-sized luxury crossover from Porsche is going to be one of the best seller for Porsche for atleast a decade more. Not only it has space and comfort of a conventional SUV but it gives a sporty feel to the driver with its sporty laid out cabin.