Porsche Relcaims "World's Fastest SUV" Title with Cayenne Turbo S
Until recently, it was thought to be impossible for any automaker
to surpass the twin-turbocharged 450 horsepower 4.5-litre V8-powered Cayenne Turbo for top-speed or acceleration, but every champion meets a worthy opponent to knock it off its podium, or in this case, two.
Eager to claim a piece of the high-performance SUV pie, Jeep and Mercedes-Benz have created two massively powerful super-SUVs, both of which topple the Porsche in 0-100 km/h acceleration times. But fear not, for Porsche isn't resting on its laurels, particularly when it's being out-gunned by a Mercedes-Benz ML63 and a pushrod-powered Grand Cherokee SRT8.
To raise the bar, the new Cayenne Turbo S ups the ante to 520 horsepower, making it the most powerful Porsche vehicle currently in production, at least now that the Carrera GT has been extinguished. More importantly, this figure is enough to distance it from its nearest competitor, the ML63 AMG by 17 horses. Torque is also up by some 15 percent from the standard Turbo, to a mountain-moving 530 lb-ft produced at just 2,015 rpm. This of course is fed through a six-speed automatic gearbox with steering-wheel mounted Tiptronic controls.
While
it wouldn't exactly be truthful to call the standard Cayenne Turbo's engine lazy, Porsche didn't extract its absolute potential from the start, as it has with some of its highest-performing 911s. Because of this, unearthing the 'hidden' power and torque for a relaxed turbocharged engine is a simple ordeal for Porsche's engineers. They merely revised the engine management program, cranked up the boost and fitted larger intercoolers. If you're a Porsche fan, this procedure is a familiarity, as it's been executed on the 996-type 911 Turbo X50 package, and even on the Cayenne Turbo with the Tequipment package.
From the engine and through the gearbox, the motor's hulking power and torque is distributed to the road through an electronically controlled all-wheel drive system. Sixty mph (96 km/h) from standstill flashes by in 4.8 seconds, stealing the title back from DaimlerChrysler (well, only partially so being that Jeep's GC SRT8 is said to bypass the 60 mph mark in "under 5 seconds", which may well result in 4.8 - look for a battle to ensue), while top speed is a drag-limited 270 km/h (168 mph).
Under normal driving conditions, the all-wheel drive system distributes torque
38/62 front to back, in order to reduce understeer, and that nose-heavy sensation that most large SUVs experience during hard cornering. The system will, however, re-distribute the power split as needed to maintain optimal grip under all driving conditions.
Along with the massaged engine, you get some reworked components to help cope with all of that power. There are bigger brakes - six-piston aluminum calipers up front, and four-piston calipers in back, while the standard air suspension has been fettled with a lower ride and slightly firmer initial settings. Aside from the monobloc 20-inch alloy wheels, there isn't much by the way of additional styling upgrades. A body-spoiler kit is optional, but without it the Cayenne Turbo S doesn't look very different than the Cayenne Turbo, which, aside from the gaping front grille doesn't look a whole lot different than the regular V8 and V6 Cayennes.
Until recently, it was thought to be impossible for any automaker
 |
| The king gets its crown back from the SRT-8 and ML63 AMG. Meet the new Cayenne Turbo S. (Photo: Porsche Canada) |
Eager to claim a piece of the high-performance SUV pie, Jeep and Mercedes-Benz have created two massively powerful super-SUVs, both of which topple the Porsche in 0-100 km/h acceleration times. But fear not, for Porsche isn't resting on its laurels, particularly when it's being out-gunned by a Mercedes-Benz ML63 and a pushrod-powered Grand Cherokee SRT8.
To raise the bar, the new Cayenne Turbo S ups the ante to 520 horsepower, making it the most powerful Porsche vehicle currently in production, at least now that the Carrera GT has been extinguished. More importantly, this figure is enough to distance it from its nearest competitor, the ML63 AMG by 17 horses. Torque is also up by some 15 percent from the standard Turbo, to a mountain-moving 530 lb-ft produced at just 2,015 rpm. This of course is fed through a six-speed automatic gearbox with steering-wheel mounted Tiptronic controls.
While
 |
| It looks exactly like the regular Cayenne Turbo, but for this one badge - unless you get the bodykit. (Photo: Porsche Canada) |
From the engine and through the gearbox, the motor's hulking power and torque is distributed to the road through an electronically controlled all-wheel drive system. Sixty mph (96 km/h) from standstill flashes by in 4.8 seconds, stealing the title back from DaimlerChrysler (well, only partially so being that Jeep's GC SRT8 is said to bypass the 60 mph mark in "under 5 seconds", which may well result in 4.8 - look for a battle to ensue), while top speed is a drag-limited 270 km/h (168 mph).
Under normal driving conditions, the all-wheel drive system distributes torque
 |
| Zero to 96 km/h (60 mph) in a mere 4.8 seconds. Yup. That's fast. (Photo: Porsche Canada) |
Along with the massaged engine, you get some reworked components to help cope with all of that power. There are bigger brakes - six-piston aluminum calipers up front, and four-piston calipers in back, while the standard air suspension has been fettled with a lower ride and slightly firmer initial settings. Aside from the monobloc 20-inch alloy wheels, there isn't much by the way of additional styling upgrades. A body-spoiler kit is optional, but without it the Cayenne Turbo S doesn't look very different than the Cayenne Turbo, which, aside from the gaping front grille doesn't look a whole lot different than the regular V8 and V6 Cayennes.