Would you take a $20,000 Porsche to tackle the Aussie outback?

Old Toyota LandCruisers, Nissan Patrols and Ford Rangers are a great way to explore Australia on a budget. But what about tackling the Simpson Desert, Cape York or the Top End in a high-performance Porsche for less money?

No, there is no catch with what may seem a radical idea on first blush. It’s pure market forces at play.

Original Cayennes – codenamed E1 - are now more than 20 years old and some sell on carsales for less than $10,000. There are plenty for less than $20K.

And the Cayenne that first hit Australian roads in 2003 was surprisingly well set-up for off-road driving. But Porsche has taken it a step further.

The brand is now offering factory developed accessories and upgrades aimed at improving on that core capability and offering buyers who want to adventure something very different. "The Porsche Cayenne has always been adventure-ready,” said Daniel Schmollinger, CEO and Managing Director, Porsche Cars Australia.

“The Porsche equipment that is now available for first generation models and classic Porsches has been very popular overseas and we are confident that it will be just as well received in Australia."

Schmollinger says there’s increasing interest from Aussies who love to venture off-road, many of whom are realising those early Cayennes had some impressive hardware beneath the skin.

"Not only does it deliver remarkable capability in tough Australian terrain, but it also stays true to the high-performance Porsche DNA. While Australians have no shortage of four-wheel-drive options for adventure, the E1 Cayenne offers something truly unique - it's a vehicle that will certainly turn heads and stand out in the outback!"

The original Cayenne was the only one of the three generations so far that was really designed to go off-road.

While they’ll all happily get their tyres dirty and sludge over soft snow or loose gravel, the later models are less adept at trudging up rocky peaks or through soupy mud baths.

But the first Cayenne - created in the early days of road-focused SUVs – came endowed with serious off-road hardware. It started with air suspension that allows the ride height to be raised to a towering 273mm. That’s around 50mm more than your average Patrol or LandCruiser.

The E1 Cayenne also had a centre locking differential to maximise traction. Plus there was a low range transfer case giving access to ultra-low ratios for slow-speed hill climbing/descending and rock hopping.

It could tow 3.5 tonnes and was designed to carry plenty in the cabin, too. The original car had a payload of 700kg, which is more than many modern off-roaders. So even if you throw a couple of hundred kilos of accessories at it you’ll still have half a tonne to play with.

But one of the coolest features of the early Cayennes was a built-in air compressor. Tapping into the air suspension system, a factory-supplied air hose and pressure gauge means you can adjust tyre pressures wherever you are – and wherever you want to go. To really ram home the point that the E1 Cayenne wasn’t just about racetracks and autobahns, the Australian media launch even took place on some seriously challenging off-road tracks in the Flinders Ranges.

That inherent off-road ability can be built on with Porsche approved accessories. The brand is encouraging owners of used Cayenne E1s to boost that capability with a range of additional gear.

We put some of it to the test with a 2004 Cayenne Turbo with 126,000km on the clock. A Eurowise 50mm suspension lift ($4500) added to the already towering ground clearance and kept the autobahn-ready underbody further away from whatever it is you’re clambering over.

Ours also had a stainless-steel front skid plate ($885) and sump guard ($449), for added protection. And to complete the adventurous picture the roof top tent makes a neat addition.

At $8706 it could end up costing more than the car, but it’s at least a snazzy and easy-to-set-up home away from home!

One thing you can’t option from Porsche is the swing out spare wheel holder, which allows you to fit a full-size spare, adding to the space saver spare already under the boot floor. It was only ever fitted at the factory (most used Cayennes don’t have it) although there are now aftermarket options available.

And, obviously, you could fit a roof platform and pop the tyre up there. Throw in all 18-inch off-road wheels and all-terrain tyres ($3732) and you’re a fair way to having a well sorted adventure machine.

The in-cabin tech can also come in for an upgrade on the E1 Cayenne. The original infotainment system can be swapped to a 7-inch screen incorporating Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as well as digital radio tuning ($2924).

Sure, the screen looks small by modern standards, but it delivers on functionality.

You’ll need to plug into the integrated USB port, though, rather than use it wirelessly.

Elsewhere, the E1 Cayenne still looks after occupants nicely.

As well as adjusting the suspension height you can also adjust the firmness of the dampers.

Sport mode adds some sharpness, but we ended up leaving them in Comfort most of our trip.

There’s still terrific body control – again, it’s miles ahead of the traditional 4WDs of the era - and the more supple ride makes it a better long-distance tourer.

Plus the early Cayenne had some cleverness that works beautifully on Aussie country roads.

There are dual sun visors on either side, for example, so you can face one straight ahead and the other off to the side, allowing for those times when a snaking road keeps the sun darting across the cabin.

A miniature flip-out visor even blocks the sun glare just above the central rear vision mirror.

One thing early Cayennes aren’t lacking is grunt. When it arrived the E1 Cayenne Turbo set a new performance benchmark for SUVs.

The 4.5-litre twin-turbo V8 made 331kW and 620Nm, the latter available from 2250rpm. Driving through a six-speed Tiptronic auto it feels brisk rather the ferocious.

Acceleration to 100km/h was claimed at 5.6 seconds. These days those numbers aren’t to be sneezed at, although there’s plenty that will outpunch it.

The current V6 hybrid Cayenne makes 346kW and 650Nm and beats it to 100km/h (4.9 seconds). But, hey, buying an adventure machine isn’t about setting lap records.

And compared with an old Toyota or Nissan it’s so much easier to blast past road trains, as we experienced. Sink your right foot and the E1 responds with a lusty thrust that makes high speed cruising a snip.

Don’t expect frugality, though. Claimed average fuel use was 15.7 litres per 100km, with highway consumption of 11.9L/100km.

We were using closer to 17L/100km with some full throttle overtakes and plenty of 100km/h plus running that isn’t helped by the rooftop tent (without that hardware up top, fuel use should drop significantly).

That’s a lot of premium unleaded, although fortunately there’s a 100-litre fuel tank to ensure you won’t be stopping often.

We also put the Cayenne to the test on some rocky trails and over soft sand. The onboard air compressor is a winner, allowing you to lower tyre pressures for slow speed off-road work. Plus, it means one less thing to pack when hitting the road.

A lot of the electronic systems in the Cayenne are old school, but they work. The traction control, for example, can groan and graunch as it applies brakes to a spinning wheel.

It’s not what you’d expect in a modern 4WD, but it was common in off-roaders from the 2000s (and even well into the 2010s). When things get more challenging there’s low range gearing and a centre locking diff, each easily selectable via the electronic toggles in the centre console.

Even in its regular height – albeit raised as part of the lift system fitted to our car - the air suspension provides ample clearance. It means you can crawl over rocky terrain or navigate pinches and ridges with ease.

Raise it to its maximum height and there’s almost no chance you’ll scuff the underside. However, when the car is standing on its tippy toes there’s not much in the way of suspension travel, so you can easily hang a wheel in the air.

That can keep the traction control more active, but it’s nicely calibrated to keep the show moving.

Here’s the clincher that makes some of those early E1 Cayennes a surprise packet these days. The top-flight Cayenne Turbo cost about $220,000 when it hit the road in 2003.

It’s more likely to have cruised the cafes of Vaucluse or South Yarra than trudged its way up Big Red or through the Flinders Ranges. But those same Cayenne Turbos can now be snapped up for less than $10,000 (Redbook lists the original Cayenne Turbo as selling privately for between $2450 and $4350).

OK, so there aren’t many going for that price, but if you spend a little more (there are plenty below $20,000) you’ll get one in better nick. And in many instances, it’s still a lot more affordable than a LandCruiser of the same era.

Obviously, you’ll want to get them checked to ensure something expensive isn’t about to go boom as you soak up your first outback sunset. A trusted mechanic can do that, and Porsche also offers a certified used car program.

Add some Porsche approved accessories, and you could have a fun-to-drive – and seriously brisk – SUV that could also surprise in the middle of nowhere.

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