Porsche Cayenne revealed in detail

Porsche's largest selling car in Australia has been the Cayenne SUV. VFACTS reported that the prestige SUV sold 562 units in 2009 -- over half the total Porsche sales of 1025 units for the year.

And the second-generation Cayenne is set to build on that record, now that it's released here.

As we reported yesterday, Porsche Cars Australia is holding orders for the new Cayenne that won't be met for up to four months from now. Furthermore, the company has sold out its stock of first-gen Cayennes over the past three months.

"The last few months we've been basically selling out the old Cayennes," said PCA MD, Michael Winkler, addressing journalists during the launch of the new model. "We've been selling 50, 60, 70 cars a month over the last three months. Basically, we don't have any old Cayennes left."

The new model range is expanded with the addition of a hybrid model and all cars are more fuel-efficient than before, through a combination of lighter weight, major changes to the various engines, the introduction of a new, eight-speed automatic transmission and the inclusion of auto-stop/start.

For the moment, the new range comprises the Cayenne S ($147,900), Cayenne S Hybrid ($159,900) and the range-topping Cayenne Turbo ($239,900). Within the space of "four to five weeks," the importer will also launch the base petrol V6 ($103,500) and the Cayenne Diesel ($104,500).

All engines are direct-injected DOHC units with aluminium alloy heads. According to Porsche, the new engines use less fuel than the counterparts in the previous Cayenne range. This has been achieved without loss of power from any engine in the new Cayenne.

"The engines that we're actually running are almost completely new," said PCA Training Manager, Paul Watson, "so whilst we're keeping capacities and outputs of the previous generations of engines, just about everything has been redesigned, refined, honed to a sharper edge for the new car. To assume that we've just transplanted the previous engines into the new model would be very wrong. They have been altered in almost every area."

Developing 220kW of power and 400Nm of torque, the undersquare V6 of the base Cayenne displaces 3.6 litres. In combined-cycle (NEDC) testing, the Euro 5-compliant V6 uses 11.2L/100km and produces 263g/km of CO2.

Also an undersquare V6, the 3.0-litre diesel employs variable-turbine geometry, common-rail high-pressure injection and a diesel particulate filter to comply with the Euro 5 emission standard also. It produces 176kW of power and 550Nm of torque, with combined-cycle fuel consumption and CO2 emissions figures of 7.4L/100km and 195g/km, respectively.

"To help liberate a little bit more mid-range flexibility from [the diesel], they now run the variable-volume oil pump system that we didn't on the previous generation [Cayenne]..." says Watson.

The naturally-aspirated 4.8-litre V8 powering the Cayenne S is an oversquare unit rated at 294kW of power and 500Nm of torque. Fuel consumption and CO2 emissions in combined-cycle testing are 10.5L/100km and 245g/km respectively.

"If you looked at the V8 engine in particular, it now runs front-cover, sump sections, intermediate crankcase sections and rocker covers of magnesium alloy instead of aluminium alloys -- for a significant weight saving," says Watson. "They run a new design of crankshaft, we're running different connecting rods..."

As the powerhouse of the range, the Cayenne Turbo boasts a turbocharged version of the Cayenne S engine. Peak power is 368kW and maximum torque of 7000Nm arrives between 2250 and 4500rpm. Porsche has arrived at combined-cycle figures of 11.5L/100km consumption and 270g/km CO2 emissions for this variant.

The Cayenne Hybrid couples a supercharged V6 of 3.0-litre capacity with a 34kW/300Nm electric motor driving through a 'separator clutch' in a parallel-hybrid application, to the final drive. Porsche says that the 245kW petrol engine, which develops peak torque of 440Nm, combines with the electric motor to deliver optimal output of 279kW and 580Nm. This variant uses 8.2L/100km and emits 193g/km of CO2 in combined-cycle testing.

"There's been a lot of work done behind the scenes and under the skin, that will largely go unnoticed by most of us," Watson concludes.

All variants of the new Cayenne to be sold in Australia feature an Aisin-supplied eight-speed automatic transmission and auto-stop/start function to reduce fuel use around town.

The 'sporty' variants -- not the diesel or hybrid models -- transfer drive from the transmission to the four-wheels via an active all-wheel drive system with a multi-plate clutch at its nucleus. For the two frugal models, the 'reactive' final drive comprises a self-locking centre differential providing a 40:60 front/rear torque split.

Porsche's Project Manager for the Cayenne's Powertrain Product Development, Stefan Fegg, says that the Active AWD system is roughly six or seven kilograms heavier, but works better offroad.

The new drivetrains are packaged in a car that shares no external panels with the first-generation Cayenne. For the new car, Porsche chose to go with larger dimensions and yet reduce the overall weight of the car.

"We started, for example with the Cayenne Turbo, 65 additional kilograms -- coming from higher standard equipment and safety and law requirements... for example, offside crash or pedestrian protection with the bonnet," explains Fegg.

"A lot of development and lightweight design is done to the body -- minus 103kg, chassis minus 74kg...

"Engine and transmission -- with the design of the new active 4WD we could remove the low-ratio components, so this gives us the advantage of 63kg in the sump. And even the electrics with minus 10kg..."

"The summary for the Cayenne Turbo: minus 185kg."

Porsche has, as Fegg stated, reduced weight by changing the transfer system from dual-range to single-range, but other steps to lighten the new car include opting for a fixed-window tailgate and re-locating the suspension mounting points directly to the body, rather than the subframes of the previous car.

With the lighter weight and the revised drivetrains, the Cayenne's fuel consumption is reduced by 20 to 23 per cent across all variants, says Fegg.

Both the base Cayenne and the diesel are fitted with 18-inch alloy wheels, while the Cayenne S and Hybrid come equipped as standard with 19-inch alloys. For the Cayenne Turbo, the default wheel is a 20-inch alloy. Brakes are ventilated all-round, with six-piston calipers at the front and four-piston calipers at the rear. Rotor dimensions are 350/330mm (front and rear, Cayenne V6/Diesel), 360/330mm (front and rear, Cayenne S/Hybrid) and 390/358mm (Cayenne Turbo). With the exception of the petrol V6 and diesel Cayenne variants, all models are fitted with air suspension -- the lower-priced cars being fitted as standard with steel springs.

The base Cayenne and Cayenne Diesel are fitted with the following standard features: Halogen headlights, front fog lights, auto-on/off headlights, electric windows, remote central locking, electric mirrors, front/rear parking guidance sensors, cruise control, Porsche Communication Management, 11-speaker/six-disc CD/DVD audio with USB/iPod/MP3-player connection, Bluetooth connectivity, eight-way electrically-adjustable front seats, triple-split folding rear seats, leather-bound three-spoke multifunction steering wheel and steering reach/rake adjustment.

Cayenne S and Hybrid gain: bi-xenon headlights, powered tailgate, electro-chromatic exterior/interior mirrors, 14-speaker Bose audio system, 14-way electrically-adjustable front seats with memory and electric adjustment for steering wheel rake and reach. Over the Cayenne S specification, the Cayenne Hybrid also features and energy management display.

The Cayenne Turbo tops the lot with the following additional features: Adaptive cornering lights, speed-sensitive headlight control, headlight cleaning, LED indicators, Comfort (ambient) light package for interior, Keyless entry/start, front/rear seat heating, turbo boost display, adaptive sports seats, leather interior package, alcantara headlining and brushed-aluminium decorative trim.

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