You can have as much or as little of it as your wallet can bear. Most however want the Cayenne more for the pride of being able to drive a Porsche and value the range, economy and tax efficiency of the standard diesel far more than they’ll lament a 0-62mph of 7.6sec which we feel is still pretty perky, at least until you realise the V8 diesel will get there in a magnificent 5.7sec, matching exactly the time of a uber-sporting Cayenne GTS.
In fact the Diesel S motor with its colossal torque is actually a far more appropriate source of power than the highly strung petrol V8 in the GTS. It’s fun to punt down a decent road and makes a lovely noise, but in the heavily trafficked, slow and dull driving that makes up most of our lives on the road, you’d take the twitch of a toe torque of the big diesel every time.
Nor can we make any kind of case for the hybrid powertrain, at least in the UK. It delivers reasonable performance but at the cost of massive weight, a less than usually smooth power deliver and unappetising noise from its Audi-sourced 3-litre supercharged V6.
By contrast, there will always be a case for the Turbos. Even the 512bhp Turbo will outrun a standard 911 to 62mph while the Turbo S will even keep pace with the Carrera S. These are titanic powerplants imbuing the Cayenne with a sense of effortless urge and indomitability, core attractions for those drawn to SUV with the dynamic might to match their physical presence.
Unlike all other two pedal Porsches (save the diesel and hybrid Panameras) all Cayennes use a conventional 8-speed automatic transmission in place of Porsche’s own PDK gearbox. In gentle driving it’s a far smoother means of changing gear even if it’s nothing like as snappy under full load. On balance though, and given the kind of car this is, we feel Porsche has made the right choice.
