Porsche Cayenne
The 2006 Cayenne carries over virtually unchanged. A 2007 model is likely to debut mid-2006 with revised styling and added power. With sales sagging 23.2 percent year-to-date, the Cayenne needs some spicing up, no longer able to rest on its laurels as high fuel prices help force SUVs out of favor.
Being small (for an automotive manufacturer) and traditionally dedicated to sport coupes and convertibles, Porsche partnered with Volkswagen to develop the Cayenne. It shares the platform and some mechanicals with the VW Touareg. The forthcoming 2007 Audi Q7 will be yet another iteration of this platform (VW owns Audi).
While the Cayenne has a profile similar to the Touareg's, Porsche designers did their best to infuse it with Porsche styling cues. This is most noticeable at the front end, where large air scoops under the headlamps mimic those of Porsche's 911 Turbo and GT2 models. The result is less than cohesive, and some find the Cayenne ungainly.
The base model comes with a 3.2-liter V6 engine that delivers 247 horsepower, which is adequate, but uncharacteristically ordinary by Porsche standards. Meanwhile, the Cayenne S version features a much more powerful 340-hp, 4.5-liter V8, which launches this 6,750-pound vehicle from zero to 60 miles per hour in a respectable 6.8 seconds.
There's an even more extreme Turbo model with a twin-turbocharged V8 cranking out 450 hp. It can sprint from zero to 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds, but costs $33,000 more than the Cayenne S.
An available turbo-power kit boosts the turbocharged V8 engine's output to a staggering 500 hp, and adds upgraded brakes and suspension components to handle the extra power.
A five-speed manual transmission comes standard on the base model. An optional Drive-Off Assistant system, available with this transmission, automatically applies the brakes when the vehicle comes to a halt on steep grades to prevent it from rolling back when the driver takes his or her foot off the brake to engage the clutch and begin moving. A six-speed automatic gearbox with Tiptonic manual-shift capability is optional on the base Cayenne and standard on S and Turbo models.
Porsche designed the Cayenne to be as capable off-road as it would be on asphalt, if only to silence SUV traditionalists who would otherwise dismiss it as an SUV poseur. In reality, few owners likely take their Cayennes anywhere close to a trail and the vehicle would probably sell just as well (or better) as a sportier car-based crossover.
Porsche didn't sit still after the Cayenne's launch in 2003, adding a V6 drivetrain that opened the model to a larger group of buyers and more useful standard equipment and option packages. For 2006, in synch with its philosophy of adding even more power during a model's life cycle, Porsche offers the 510-horsepower Cayenne Turbo S, which takes the concept of a SUV muscle car to a highly rewarding extreme.
New features for 2006 include a new ignition key with separate lock and unlock buttons; new front airbag technology; an electronic logbook; an update to the Porsche Communication Management system that allows it to play MP3-encoded CDs; and a cellphone module that hooks into PCM. Optional equipment includes Offroad Navigation that lets drivers trace their way back to a starting point, even when the area doesn't appear on the nav's system's internal map. Wider rear 20-inch SportTechno wheels, an independent interior pre-heating and pre-ventilation system, new Dark Olive Metallic exterior paint, a new Sand Beige leather-wrapped steering wheel and seats with the Porsche crest embossed on the headrests are among other new options.
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