2006 Porsche Cayenne Model Update

Losing its Spice?

Porsche's Cayenne is sportier than most SUVs, though you'll pay dearly for top performance.

To Porsche purists, the Cayenne is heresy of the highest order. The German sports car maker's first four-door — and a portly SUV to boot — set the industry a twitter when it debuted as a 2003 model and the antithesis of most everything Porsche had come to symbolize, up to that point.

+ enlarge image  |  view gallery >

Sales silenced the naysayers with the Cayenne largely responsible for Porsche's 10.8 percent jump in business last year, according to CNW Market Research data. Porsche sold nearly as many Cayennes in the U.S. in 2004 (a total of 12,921, up 40.2 percent from 2003) as 911, Boxster and Carrera GT models combined (a total of 15,496, down 13.8 percent). The Cayenne's success is a testament to Porsche's marketing savvy and opportunism — taking advantage of an ongoing, albeit dwindling, SUV craze and conspicuous consumption.

The 2006 Cayenne carries over virtually unchanged. A 2007 model is likely to debut mid-2006 with revised styling and added power. With sales sagging 23.2 percent year-to-date, the Cayenne needs some spicing up, no longer able to rest on its laurels as high fuel prices help force SUVs out of favor.

Being small (for an automotive manufacturer) and traditionally dedicated to sport coupes and convertibles, Porsche partnered with Volkswagen to develop the Cayenne. It shares the platform and some mechanicals with the VW Touareg. The forthcoming 2007 Audi Q7 will be yet another iteration of this platform (VW owns Audi).

+ enlarge image  |  view gallery >

While the Cayenne has a profile similar to the Touareg's, Porsche designers did their best to infuse it with Porsche styling cues. This is most noticeable at the front end, where large air scoops under the headlamps mimic those of Porsche's 911 Turbo and GT2 models. The result is less than cohesive, and some find the Cayenne ungainly.

The base model comes with a 3.2-liter V6 engine that delivers 247 horsepower, which is adequate, but uncharacteristically ordinary by Porsche standards. Meanwhile, the Cayenne S version features a much more powerful 340-hp, 4.5-liter V8, which launches this 6,750-pound vehicle from zero to 60 miles per hour in a respectable 6.8 seconds.

There's an even more extreme Turbo model with a twin-turbocharged V8 cranking out 450 hp. It can sprint from zero to 60 mph in just 5.2 seconds, but costs $33,000 more than the Cayenne S.

An available turbo-power kit boosts the turbocharged V8 engine's output to a staggering 500 hp, and adds upgraded brakes and suspension components to handle the extra power.

A five-speed manual transmission comes standard on the base model. An optional Drive-Off Assistant system, available with this transmission, automatically applies the brakes when the vehicle comes to a halt on steep grades to prevent it from rolling back when the driver takes his or her foot off the brake to engage the clutch and begin moving. A six-speed automatic gearbox with Tiptonic manual-shift capability is optional on the base Cayenne and standard on S and Turbo models.

Porsche designed the Cayenne to be as capable off-road as it would be on asphalt, if only to silence SUV traditionalists who would otherwise dismiss it as an SUV poseur. In reality, few owners likely take their Cayennes anywhere close to a trail and the vehicle would probably sell just as well (or better) as a sportier car-based crossover.

2006 SUV BUYER'S GUIDE See the Car-Based or Truck-Based? section of the ForbesAutos.com SUV Buyer's Guide to find out more about crossovers.

The Cayenne features a host of hardcore components for off-roading, including permanent four-wheel drive, an inter-axle differential lock, high-tech hill descent/ascent control and a transfer case for low-range gearing. An available Advanced Off-Road package includes front and rear stabilizer bars (these improve on-road handling) that hydraulically disengage to enhance suspension performance on rough terrain. The Cayenne's robust chassis enables it to tow more than 7,700 pounds, which is high for a midsize SUV.

A sophisticated independent suspension (double-wishbone construction up front, multi-link array at the rear) affords lively handling for a three-and-a-half-ton SUV, though you won't confuse it with a 911. An optional air suspension is self-leveling (meaning it helps keep the vehicle level while hauling or towing heavy loads) and is adjustable for six different ride heights. Four-wheel disc antilock brakes and Porsche's Stability Management and Traction Management systems are also included for added control over a wide range of roads and driving conditions.

+ enlarge image  |  view gallery >

Standard equipment is plentiful, and includes front, front-side and side-curtain airbags, leather upholstery and a power-closing rear lift-gate. One of the longest options lists in the industry not only includes expected items, such as a Bose surround sound audio array, navigation system, power moonroof, a rearview backup camera, and heated seats, but a seemingly endless assortment of trim items and treatments that afford the ultimate in personalization.
Aside from the coming mid-cycle freshening, a gas/electric-powered version of the Cayenne may be offered down the road. Automotive News reports that Porsche may build a hybrid Cayenne using a Toyota power train, adapted from the version currently used in the Lexus RX 400h.