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Day 17 - 8:00 PM
V6 Cayenne proves fuel-efficient
We're well on our way home now. After awaking to several inches of snow in Smithers, we gassed up the Cayennes and made tracks. Over the next few hundred kilometres, slush gave way to dry pavement and heavy clouds surrendered to the sun's brilliance.
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| Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com |
Although we were no longer locked in battle with massive mountain ranges and deteriorating road surfaces, we were still contending with hilly terrain that required considerable effort to overcome. Thanks to the new 8-speed automatic transmission fitted to the 2011 Cayenne, the generous supply of torque provided by the revised V6 engine was leveraged most effectively, giving the big SUV plenty of uphill grunt.
Of course, there's no surprise in experiencing the performance of the V6-powered Cayenne - after all, it is a Porsche, and we would expect nothing less from this revered brand. However, more of a surprise was the fuel efficiency we achieved while driving the vehicle hard through the ups and downs of Highways 16 and 97.
Our on-board computer revealed an average economy rating of 9.7 L/100 km throughout today's leg of the Arctic Adventure. Both my journalistic colleague and I were pleasantly surprised by this achievement given the fact that driving "economically" was not factored into our day behind the wheel - yes, shameful I know. Mea culpa.
I'm quite confident that had we exercised greater restraint and applied economy-enhancing driving practices, our real world highway consumption could have been even better. And had the roads been Prairie-bound, our economy would likely have been consistent with or better than the vehicle's official highway economy rating of 8.4 L/100 km. That's darn decent when one considers the size of the Cayenne and its all-wheel-drive format.
But enough about techie stuff; today's drive was utterly enjoyable, and there was plenty of banter on the two-way radios we carry for safety to validate such. Perhaps the day's greatest blunder belongs to my driving partner, Grant, and me.
As we pulled to a stop throughout the afternoon in small towns, our trusty V6 steed would immediately stall. In a panic, I would throw the autobox into Park, and restart the engine. All would be fine until the next stop. Why we - not so politely - wondered aloud was this occurring?
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| Photo: Rob Rothwell/Auto123.com |
Who knew that all 2011 Cayenne's are equipped with a driver-activated Auto Start/Stop function?!
After urgently informing Tony, our Porsche rep, of this mechanical malady, he tactfully informed us that we had likely inadvertently activated the Cayenne's Auto Stop/Start feature that assists in conserving fuel when immersed in stop-and-go traffic.
We slunk away to check the switch, and "yes indeed" we had - err, I mean Grant had - accidentally switched on the Auto stop/Start function, which instantly restarts the engine once the driver's foot is removed from the brake pedal.
After a good chuckle and once again feeling completely confident in the Cayenne's performance, we headed to dinner and concluded this scenic and most entertaining day.
Tomorrow's departure is planned for 7:30 am. The question under discussion is whether to take the scenic, but possibly treacherous, Duffy Lake Road, follow the Fraser Canyon route or take Coquihalla toll route. Hmmm...
Rob