The new Porsche Cayenne
“Sleek design, greater efficiency and improved equipment” promises the manufacturer on the subject of the new version of its star SUV. Born in 2002, it chalked up instantaneous success for the German brand. Twelve years later, the third edition of the Cayenne is taking to the road...
Five versions to its credit as soon as it arrives on the market : S, Turbo, Diesel, S Diesel and an S E-Hybrid, the very first plug-in model in the SUV premium category. The Cayenne thus joins the Panamera and 918 Spyder, bringing the number of hybrids in the Porsche family to three. Its predecessors in fact set the bar very high : 276,000 models of the first generation were sold, with the second already attaining 303,000.
The Cayenne’s silhouette is sleeker, its lines are clearer and the headlights have been revamped. The front, wings and engine hood have been redesigned. As for the airblades at the left and right of the radiator grille, they channel the air towards the coolers while giving this model a real styling signature. In fact, the new Cayenne still has its original genes, as witnessed by the 4-point LED daytime running lights. The rear has been revised, with an updated double exhaust pipe integrated into the bumper. Inside, everything focuses on comfort and voluptuousness. Among other items, make way for a multi-function sports steering-wheel, resembling that on the 918 Spyder.
The new models offer reduced gas consumption thanks to the introduction of the cruising mode, the engine’s automatic stop and re-start function, and optimization of the thermal management system. A special mention for the S E-Hybrid with its lithium-ion 10.8 kWh battery pack. The electric motor and 3-liter supercharged V6 give combined power of 416 hp for a consumption of only 3.4 l/100 km. Zero to 100 km/h takes 5.9 seconds, while top speed is close on 243 km/h, or 125 km/h in fully electric mode. Porsche’s passion for the hybrid vehicle is far from being a recent phenomenon : the tradition dates back to 1899 when Ferdinand Porsche designed the Lohner, the first car in the world to be fitted with an electric motor and a combustion engine.
The new Cayenne will be on the market as from October. In France, the Diesel will be priced at 68,528 €, the S at 82,568 €, the S Diesel at 84,488 €, the Turbo at 131,168 €, and the S E-Hybrid at 84,038 €. The first rendez-vous for French fans : September 4th to 19th, 2014, at the “Mondial de l’Automobile” in Paris.
