Porsche's new Cayenne, the lighter, more efficient replacement for the car that makes up to 50 per cent of the firm’s profits, has been revealed at the Geneva motor show.
The car goes on sale on 29 May, and the range will feature a diesel and, for the first time, a hybrid with a V6 petrol engine.
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Much of the weight loss is due to a simplified transmission, which does away with a low-range gearbox, but there’s also extensive use of aluminium in the body including the bonnet, axles and doors.
Despite the drop in weight, the car is 48mm longer, with a 40mm extension in the wheelbase to free up more legroom inside the car.
The entry-level model, just badged Cayenne, comes with a 3.6-litre V6 with 300hp and a claimed 28.5mpg. The diesel retains a 3.0-litre V6 with 240bhp and 406lb ft, while fuel consumption is put at 38.2mpg, up from 30.4mpg in the older model. CO2 emissions are 195g/km.
But it's the new hybrid that will help Porsche to lower its corporate average CO2 emissions the furthest, as the Cayenne is still the firm’s biggest-selling model.
Its supercharged 3.0-litre petrol V6, with an electric motor sandwiched between the engine and the gearbox, emits 193g/km of CO2 and returns 34.4mpg. The overall power output is 375bhp, while the peak torque of 427lb ft is available from 1000rpm.
The hybrid also has the capability to coast with the engine off and disconnected from the transmission at speeds up to 97mph.
The two petrol models, the S and the Turbo, both use a 4.8-litre V8, with 395bhp and 493bhp respectively. Porsche claims 27.6mpg for the Turbo.
Prices for the new car start at £41,404 for the entry-level model. The diesel costs £44,178, while the S costs from £53,693.
The new S Hybrid is the second most expensive Cayenne, at £57,610, while the range-topping Turbo weighs in at £81,589.
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Re: New Porsche Cayenne revealed
Never met a popular builder.....most are loathsome, workshy, foulmouthed oiks.
Re: New Porsche Cayenne revealed
As a construction industry professional long before they became popular I would be called to use 4x4s periodically in order to access sites in the early stages of developement. As these sites had yet to be serviced by roads said access was only obtainable by means of a 4x4 vehicle examples of which I had experience were the Isuzu Trooper, Daihatsu Fourtrack and Land Rover Defender. Those of you who have driven them cannot deny they are rough, unrefined, unstable, slow witted and carried an air of the commercial vehicle.
In spite of their failings 4x4s gained a popularity with a certain type of driver who's liking for these montrosities was based on a commanding driving position and a perception of transporting their families in greater safety funny thing is (AND IT IS FUNNY so why did their drivers get sooooo angry when we laughed about it in the pub) families transported were in much greater danger than in contemporary large saloons due to ladder chassis transmitting greater forces to the occupants, considerably longer breaking distances, less responsive handling and a high centre of gravity lending 4x4s a predisposition to park on their roofs.
The failings of the 4x4 were firstly addressed by the Japanese with some very tacky examples of the soft roader. By the time European manufacturers entered the market for many the image of the SUV was shot. A slow witted type of vehicle for a slow witted driver.
Re: New Porsche Cayenne revealed