FirstDrive/Porsche Cayenne: On or off road, the Porsche Cayenne never fails to impress, as Conor Twomey discovered when he took one on track at England's Brands Hatch and very much off road afterwards.
The Porsche Cayenne had a tough birth. The arrival of the Porsche off-roader in 2002 was the equivalent of Prada launching a range of wellies, or Armani unveiling a new cotton hoodie line - it was a sacrilegious act for a sports car manufacturer.
To make matters worse, it was one of the most poorly styled cars of all time - shapeless and clumsily detailed, like a Porsche 911 that had a mid-life crisis and really let itself go. It wasn't even as well finished as other Porsches either, but at least fans could console themselves with the knowledge that it was a fabulous thing to drive.
Yet the Cayenne accounts for around one-third of Porsche's sales, and because it's built in co-operation with Volkswagen (of which Porsche now owns 30 per cent), it's also a very profitable product. Despite the car's success, however, the criticism it attracted has clearly stung Porsche.
The rest of the Porsche range shares the same headlamps because it's much cheaper that way - perhaps explaining why Porsche has the highest profit margins of any carmaker in the world - yet Porsche has redesigned the Cayenne's headlamps and comprehensively reshaped the front end midway through its lifecycle, something I doubt it would have done unless it was deemed absolutely necessary.
The new nose no longer makes small children cry but the rest of the Cayenne remains as underwhelming as ever, especially without the optional 20- or 21-inch wheels.
Inside, little seems to have changed apart from a slightly higher quality feel, but if you suspect the new Cayenne is little more than a nip/tuck job, then think again.
For a start, there's more power. The VW-sourced V6 grows from 3.2-litres to 3.6-litres, while output climbs 40bhp and 75Nm to 290bhp and 385 Nm, resulting in considerably more pep than the outgoing model.
Its 100km/h time of 8.1 seconds is a whole second faster and top speed climbs 14km/h to 227km/h.
The V8 in the Cayenne S gains 300cc, 45bhp and 80Nm over the old model, bringing its capacity to 4.8-litres and its total output to 385bhp and 500Nm.
The 0-100km/h sprint now takes just 6.6 seconds and top speed increases to 252km/h, down 0.3 seconds and up 10km/h respectively.
Naturally, I spent most of my time in the Cayenne Turbo, which has a 500bhp, 700Nm, twin-turbo version of the new 4.8-litre V8, up 50bhp and 80Nm over the old model. In this version, 0-100 km/h now takes just 5.1 seconds, half a second faster than the old model and just 0.1 seconds behind a 911 Carrera, quite an achievement for a 2,355kg luxury 4x4. Top speed rises 9km/h to 272 km/h, just so you know.
Thanks to direct fuel injection (and the fancy camshaft timing on V8 models), fuel efficiency improves somewhat, but the V6's fuel consumption figure of 12.9 litres per 100 km and its 310g/km of CO2 output means it's far from the greenest car you can buy.
I won't upset the tree-huggers by quoting the Turbo's figure.
All the test Cayennes had the optional air suspension (standard on the Turbo) and a new anti-roll bar system which decouples when the low-range transmission is engaged, as well as sophisticated software to manage power and traction in all manner of off-road situations.
Its competence over rough terrain is quite impressive, not that anyone takes their €80,000 Porsche (double that for the Turbo) any further off road than a slightly mossy footpath, but it's the Cayenne's racetrack performance that really boggled the mind.
Turn-in is immediate and the steering is precise, offering unheard levels of feedback for an SUV.
The active roll bar and air suspension system keep the Cayenne perfectly flat in corners (up to .65g, after which some bodyroll is dialled in to warn the driver that the limits are approaching) while the massive tyres ensure extraordinary levels of grip even when it's bucketing down.
The Turbo's six-piston brakes are powerful but very easy to modulate, while the stability control allows plenty of amusing sliding and slithering before finally deciding to intervene.
My only criticism would be the automatic transmission, which is difficult to operate with the fiddle buttons on the steering wheel and is a little too fond of higher gears, even when the computers are in sport mode. Other than that, though, the Cayenne is tremendous, indulgent, ridiculous fun to drive.
A troubled birth it may have had, but the Cayenne is maturing nicely, shedding the baby fat. It's still no oil painting but at least it won't put you off your grub anymore, though if you are determined to give yourself and your passengers some gastric distress, no other car is quite as capable of doing so as the Porsche Cayenne is - either on or off the road.
Factfile
Engines, transmission and performance
3.6 litre V6, 290 bhp, 385 Nm, six-speed manual standard, six-speed tiptronic automatic optional, 0-100km/h 8.1seconds, top speed 227km/h;
4.8-litre V8, 385bhp, 500Nm, 6-speed manual standard, six-speed tiptronic automatic optional, 0-100km/h 6.6seconds, top speed 252km/h;
4.8-litre V8 bi-turbo, 500bhp, 700Nm, six-speed tiptronic automatic standard, 0-100km/h 5.1seconds, top speed 272km/h
L/100KM:
Cayenne (V6, Auto): Combined: 12.9
CO2 emission: 310g/km
Cayenne S (V8, Auto): Combined: 13.7
CO2 emission: 329g/km
Cayenne Turbo Auto: Combined: 14.9
CO2 emission: 358g/km
Specification: standard features: Leather trim, climate control, 17-inch alloy wheels (18-inch on S and Turbo - 19, 20 and 21-inch optional); 4X4 transmission with traction and stability control; Bi-Xenon headlamps; 12-speaker stereo; air-con; electrically adjustable front seats and cruise control. Cayenne Turbo adds active air suspension, adaptive headlamps and an automatic transmission.
PRICES: Manual : €81,250
Tiptronic: €85,200
S-Manual : €102,700
S-Tiptronic: €106,650
Turbo - Tiptronic: €165,400