It may not come as much of a surprise that the best selling model in the US is an SUV. You may think $4.00 gas would dampen Americas love affair for the bigger is better rule, but in the case of a luxury nameplate like Porsche, gas mileage is usually of smaller importance. While I still believe that calling these cars SUV’s does them some form of disservice, the trend is in, and the nimble XUV’s are the new Tahoes and Explorers of yesteryear.
This Porsche is really a Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde, as the six cylinder performs more in line with the old lumbering SUV’s mentioned earlier, the Twin Turbo V8, while setting you back in your seat, will also set your wallet back as well. The MSRP on the Cayenne ranges from around 46k, all the way up to 126k depending on how you want it. Resisting 516 ft lbs. of torque and 500 HP reaching 60mph in 4.9 seconds may be too hard to resist for some, but be prepared to pay for it.
Here is a small piece of the review by thecarconnection.com
TheCarConnection.com’s expert reviewers have compiled their own driving impressions together with a thorough search of the web’s road tests and reviews to compile a comprehensive review to help you make the best buying decision possible.
Likes:
Excellent handling
Potent acceleration in Turbo form
High-speed stability
Excellent front seatsDislikes:
Space-inefficient interior
Fuel economy for V-8 models
V-6 still doesn’t accelerate like a Porsche
The Cayenne is Porsche’s only SUV, and it’s the brand’s best-selling vehicle in North America. Such a successful recipe is worth sticking with, and accordingly Porsche has announced no updates for the 2010 model year, though two special-edition models are available: The Transsyberia S and the GTS PD Edition 3. Those models offers unique equipment and appearance packages on the standard S and GTS layouts, respectively.The 2010 Porsche Cayenne sees essentially no visual updates inside or out, with the front and rear exterior updates of 2008 and the intake/exhaust updates of 2009 carrying forward to 2010. The contoured taillamps and Turbo-specific LED versions are still characteristic of the vehicle’s styling, and the prominent lower air dam up front balances the dual exhausts out back.
In base V-6 form, the 2010 Porsche Cayenne won’t easily be confused for a fast vehicle of any form. It gets to 60 mph in about 8 seconds, which is downright anemic for a Porsche-branded vehicle. Slow response off the line is to blame for most of the sluggish times, as in-gear passing power is good with both the standard six-speed manual transmission and the more common six-speed Tiptronic automatic.
Two V-8 engines are available for 2010: a 4.8-liter rated at 385 horsepower sits under the hood of the Cayenne S, while the Turbo S gets a twin-turbocharged version of the same engine rated at 500 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That much power delivers truly Porsche-like acceleration without questions, hitting 60 mph in just 4.9 seconds.
Little has changed cosmetically, but I enjoy the lines of the Cayenne, still with a new iteration destined for 2011, which if rumors of the ending of the model line are true, could be the last for Cayenne. We will have to wait and see, but one thing is for sure, the Cayenne can be as nasty as you want it to be. You can take her out to dinner at the highest class restaurant, or get dirty with her at the night club. The choice is yours.
