this vehicle is designed to be a "true Porsche," able to provide the kind of performance that no other vehicle in the segment can match, and is thus intended to be used primarily on the pavement, shuttling up to five occupants simultaneously.
- Edmunds.com, 07 Mar 2002
Outstanding performance, dynamic power and excellent engine response throughout virtually the entire engine speed range characterise the newly developed V8 normal-aspiration engine starring in Porsche's sports utility vehicle. Featuring 32 valves, the engine comes with two camshafts on each row of cylinders, the Cayenne S developing its maximum torque of 420 Newton-metres or 310 lb-ft between 2500 and 5500 rpm. Engine displacement of 4.5 litres gives this unique SUV maximum output of 250 kW (340 bhp) at 6000 rpm, the Cayenne S accelerating from 0 - 100 km/h in 7.2 seconds also with the help of its new six-speed Tiptronic S transmission. Top speed is 242 km/h or 150 mph. And it almost goes without saying that the engine is just as excellent under offroad driving conditions and when running at an angle.
- Automotive Intelligence
Porsche Traction Management (PTM) standard on both models is crucial to the Cayenne's dynamic performance both on the road and on rough tracks. In its basic mode this all-new generation of four-wheel drive conveys 62 per cent of the engine's power to the rear and 38 per cent to the front wheels. Depending on driving conditions, however, up to 100 per cent of the engine's torque may be transmitted either to the front or to the rear, as required.
The exact distribution of engine power and torque is determined not only as a function of traction, but also by sensors measuring the speed of the vehicle, its lateral acceleration, the steering angle and the driver's use of the gas pedal, thus determining the optimum locking effect under all conditions. And when driving on particularly rough terrain, the driver can use PTM to activate a reduction gear in the power divider and a 100 per cent front-to-rear differential.
- Automotive Intelligence
Another feature standard in the Cayenne Turbo and now entering the market for the first time is the Bose Surround Sound System providing an unprecedented 360° sound experience like in a large cinema. The system comprises a 100 W subwoofer and 13 tweeters, medium and low-bass woofers with overall output of 250 W. The AudioPilot, in turn, automatically adjusts both sound and volume as a function of external noise consistently measured by a microphone fitted in the vehicle.
- Automotive Intelligence
When I tired of listening to wind roar, I stabbed the brakes. My mint shot out of my mouth and ricocheted off the windshield.
- PistonHeads
it's not the velocity per se but the giddy sensation of enormous mass being manhandled by oceanic force, like a tugboat thrown on the beach by a tsunami.
- Car and Driver Magazine
The Porsche Cayenne is a 165-mph high-performance machine that will fit a family of five, haul a small washing machine, tow a large boat and get you carefully through the woods when there's no road. It's a 5000-pound speed-sled that can handle rugged trails.
