Some say a car or a truck can represent the extension of a man’s you-know-what. I’ll be in denial on that saying every time I spend a week behind the wheel of a smart fortwo or a VW New Beetle. But at the helm of a turbocharged Porsche Cayenne, I’m the man. Hey ladies, look at ME.
It’s true. Every time you punch the throttle, the tranny backsteps two, perhaps three gears, blasting you to criminal velocities and makes you feel pretty manly. The sense of virility in this Cayenne is sparked by its utter ability to go fast, to pamper you in luxury, to bring you to the summer cottage deep in the woods, to get you through the winter slush and to haul the weekend race car. Yes, it’s what you might call a do-it-all supercar.
It obviously starts with what’s found under the hood: a 4.8-litre, twin-turbo V8 that cranks out 500 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, funnelled through a slick 8-speed automatic transmission. We clocked a 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 12.5 seconds at 182 km/h. That’s Sweet-Mother-of-Jesus fast, and a couple of tenths quicker than BMW X5 M we tested last year.
It’s also quicker than the last blown Cayenne we drove, a 550-hp Turbo S. Weight loss is one of the reasons behind that feat; the 2011 Cayenne Turbo shed 400 pounds compared to the last-gen equivalent, which is considerable.
Less weight also means better handling, especially on an SUV with a higher center of gravity than that of a sports car. The Cayenne displays brilliant road manners, while the adjustable suspension allows for road-hugging stiffness or jacked-up softness, so take your pick according to the mood you’re in.
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| Our as-tested Turbo model costs $132,370 before tax, freight and delivery. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |
It’s true. Every time you punch the throttle, the tranny backsteps two, perhaps three gears, blasting you to criminal velocities and makes you feel pretty manly. The sense of virility in this Cayenne is sparked by its utter ability to go fast, to pamper you in luxury, to bring you to the summer cottage deep in the woods, to get you through the winter slush and to haul the weekend race car. Yes, it’s what you might call a do-it-all supercar.
It obviously starts with what’s found under the hood: a 4.8-litre, twin-turbo V8 that cranks out 500 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, funnelled through a slick 8-speed automatic transmission. We clocked a 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 12.5 seconds at 182 km/h. That’s Sweet-Mother-of-Jesus fast, and a couple of tenths quicker than BMW X5 M we tested last year.
It’s also quicker than the last blown Cayenne we drove, a 550-hp Turbo S. Weight loss is one of the reasons behind that feat; the 2011 Cayenne Turbo shed 400 pounds compared to the last-gen equivalent, which is considerable.
Less weight also means better handling, especially on an SUV with a higher center of gravity than that of a sports car. The Cayenne displays brilliant road manners, while the adjustable suspension allows for road-hugging stiffness or jacked-up softness, so take your pick according to the mood you’re in.
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| Under the hood: a 4.8-litre, twin-turbo V8 that cranks out 500 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. (Photo: Matthieu Lambert/Auto123.com) |