REINVENTING DIESEL TECHNOLOGY
It is sometimes hard to associate a diesel vehicle with speed and good handling. In Europe and many other parts of the world, diesel cars are quite common and for that matter quite fast. Here in North America, diesels are more the norm for fuel conscious owners and trucks in general. I believe that Porsche is trying to change the view that we North Americans have of the diesel vehicles and showcase that it has great fuel consumption making it easier on the pocket.
To be very honest, I really didn’t know what to expect from the Porsche Cayenne Diesel. I have driven regular gas Cayennes on the street, off road and on the track and for a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) they are nothing short of impressive. As you would expect, the Cayenne has excellent road manners and can really be pushed to the limit. It can hang in there with some of the best sorts cars. What took me by surprise was how well they tackled the rugged wilderness with street/performance tires.
The Cayenne Diesel is equipped with a 3L 6-cylinder V-configuration diesel engine mated to an 8-speed Tiptronic transmission. When considering the power of this vehicle, we’re looking at a 6-cylinder with 240hp. and the torque is 406lb. ft. which all equates to a 0 to 100K time of about 7.6-seconds. Now, when you consider the weight of the Cayenne at 4,600Lb. (2177kg) that is pretty impressive. When you compare these numbers to its German competition, things are close, but where the Cayenne really shines is the handling department. This SUV can easily keep up to its two seat sports car siblings in the corners or on the track.
The Cayenne I was given to test was very well equipped with luxuries such as leather, sunroof, power seats etc. and a navigation system amongst many more.
Ergonomically, everything in the Cayenne was accessible and generally fairly easy to operate without spending hours reading the manual. Seating comfort was excellent and everyone who sat in the vehicle (there were many) found nothing to complain about. The room in the back seat was average for a vehicle like the Cayenne, as was the cargo area in the back. For those who may want to tow with a Cayenne will find a rather low tow without trailer braking but with trailer braking 3500K (7700lb.) is possible.
While I tested the Cayenne, the weather was terrible and it had been raining with periods of freezing rain, however, not once did I ever feel like I was slipping or sliding on the roads. In the day I did have dry but cool weather the vehicle handled very well and I forgot that it was a diesel. That being said, the diesel engine in the Porsche was rather quiet making less of the typical traditional “clickide click” sound.
Like many European cars, buying the car is the easy part. It is all the other options that bring the Cayenne up in price. It is not unusual to add an extra $15,000 to the price with just a few options.
One word of caution, when filling a diesel vehicle the pump handles can really smell. You have to remember that people who are filling up their trucks mostly use the diesel pump and they always have work gloves on and in turn the pump handles get smelly. My advice is to purchase some work gloves too and keep them in a bag when not in use if you are considering a diesel.
After a week with the Cayenne I really became quite attached to it, yes I know it is a Porsche and how could you not like it. Well, I drive a lot of nice vehicles and I don’t always have a desire to own one, but in this case I really would consider one if I was in the market for a great handling $75,000 SUV.
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HIGHLIGHTS
MSRP: $65,500 base
HP: 240hp @ 3800rpm
Torque: 406lb. ft. @ 1700rpm
Weight: 2175kg
Fuel economy: 10.8L/100km city and 6.7L/100km highway
