The result of all of this power, size, and competency, is that you start to think of the other mere "cars" on the road as pylons. Not good.
After the novelty of passing every car on the 401 starts to wear off, its time to see if this most porcine of Porsches has learned any dance moves from some of it's smaller family members.
Remembering that this Porsche of SUVs has been through the same rigorous testing as the sports cars, I try to use the Cayenne Turbo as such. On some early morning, abandoned two-lanes, I start to brake later, dive deeper into the apex of corners and (surprise, surprise) the Cayenne reacts. Not with the usual SUV understeer and exaggerated body-roll, but with neat turn-in, good grip and balanced handling. The brakes never give up, and with PSM assisting the Cayenne at its limits, you can boogie along forgetting the vehicle's mass. Eventually, too much velocity or power and the front-end will begin to move wide. The steering's accuracy allows specific directional changes; combined with the immediacy of the throttle, and this Cayenne can play in the corners.
Of course, the Cayenne, Turbo or not, is not going to outrun a 911 on your favourite set of twisties. But if you know how, and love to drive, you can extract a measure of fun that can't be had in any other SUV.
But it's still an SUV. Compared to a comparably priced luxury sports
wagon, like a Mercedes-Benz E55 AMG ($120,950), uh, sorry Porsche, I know which one I would take.
But I'm probably not on Porsche's demographic hit list. It's safe to assume that most potential Cayenne owners already have a Boxster or 911 in their stable. Maybe they need to tow their RS America to the next Porsche club race. More than likely they need a versatile car for the family that can handle both Canadian driving seasons (winter, not-winter), while throwing in some driving fun at the same time.
For the rest of us, there's no doubt that without what some might consider a blasphemy on the noble Porsche brand, we probably wouldn't have the Boxster, 911, or Carrera GT, to drive down our favourite back road at eleven-tenths. Outselling the 911 last year, the Cayenne pays Porsche's bills, and prevents Porsche becoming just another platform-sharing opportunity in the massive VW Group empire.
For now, the "black sheep of Porsches" is also the ultimate SUV for drivers.
- John LeBlanc is an automotive critic and publisher of www.straight-six.com
photo:John LeBlanc
After the novelty of passing every car on the 401 starts to wear off, its time to see if this most porcine of Porsches has learned any dance moves from some of it's smaller family members.
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| 2005 Porsche Cayenne Turbo (photo: John LeBlanc, straight-six.com) |
Of course, the Cayenne, Turbo or not, is not going to outrun a 911 on your favourite set of twisties. But if you know how, and love to drive, you can extract a measure of fun that can't be had in any other SUV.
But it's still an SUV. Compared to a comparably priced luxury sports
 |
| 2005 Porsche Cayenne Turbo (photo: John LeBlanc, straight-six.com) |
But I'm probably not on Porsche's demographic hit list. It's safe to assume that most potential Cayenne owners already have a Boxster or 911 in their stable. Maybe they need to tow their RS America to the next Porsche club race. More than likely they need a versatile car for the family that can handle both Canadian driving seasons (winter, not-winter), while throwing in some driving fun at the same time.
For the rest of us, there's no doubt that without what some might consider a blasphemy on the noble Porsche brand, we probably wouldn't have the Boxster, 911, or Carrera GT, to drive down our favourite back road at eleven-tenths. Outselling the 911 last year, the Cayenne pays Porsche's bills, and prevents Porsche becoming just another platform-sharing opportunity in the massive VW Group empire.
For now, the "black sheep of Porsches" is also the ultimate SUV for drivers.
- John LeBlanc is an automotive critic and publisher of www.straight-six.com
photo:John LeBlanc
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