MANILA, Philippines - When the Porsche Cayenne debuted in the early 2000s, it was met with a wave of skepticism – understandably so. Purists believed that the introduction of a model that veered away from the traditional sports car values of Porsche would invite a slew of new Porsche owners who didn’t fit the traditional mould. In fact, this writer still vividly remembers the episode of BBC’s hit television show Top Gear, where its resident critic Jeremy Clarkson drove the Cayenne all the way to the middle of nowhere only to leave the vehicle – and instead walk back home – exactly because he had problems with its exterior dimensions. I certainly would like to see how Clarkson reacts to the completely redesigned second generation Cayenne…
Late last week, PGA Cars, importers and distributors of Porsche cars in the Philippines, formally launched the all-new Cayenne to a large and very eager crowd that filled up its Mandaluyong showroom. Once unveiled, all were in agreement that this new iteration sports more sound dimensions. Finally, the vehicle that accounts for almost 50% of all Porsche sales worldwide has the immediate Porsche appeal that it had been lacking all this time.
The all-new Porsche Cayenne boasts a more dynamic and sporty look, enhancing traditionally muscular lines typical of Porsches. Its reshaped hood and restyled headlamps make it a different animal altogether from the once almost clumsy looking Cayenne. The sleeker lines on the vehicle’s side along with blacked out B and C pillars make it look both sleeker and sharper, although in truth, the vehicle’s dimensions even grew considerably (it is 11mm wider and 5mm taller than its predecessor). The rear LED tail lamps and integrated trapezoidal exhausts of the V6 or quad tailpipes of the Turbo model make it look like a tougher vehicle altogether.
PGA Cars shared that only two variants of the all-new Porsche Cayenne will be sold locally. These are the 3.6-liter V6, which produces 300hp and 400Nm of torque and the range-topping 4.8-liter Twin-turbocharged variant, which produces 500hp and a mind-boggling 700Nm of torque. Both variants show significant improvement performance-wise, with the V6 going from a standstill to 100kph in just 7.8 seconds and the Turbo able to do the sprint in a blistering 4.7 seconds. This compared to the previous generation’s 8.5 seconds and 5.1 seconds for the V6 and Turbo, respectively.
Notably, Porsche’s PDK dual-clutch system is not found in the all-new Cayenne. Instead, a new 8-speed tiptronic drives the massive engines. We prodded PGA officials about this and they were quick to explain that unlike the 911, which is strictly meant to be a performance car, the Cayenne is a more versatile everyday driver. As such, the tiptronic’s two added gears serve to improve fuel consumption by up to 20% compared to the previous Cayenne variant.
Some notable features that will come standard with the all-new Porsche Cayenne are bi-xenon adaptive headlamps, parking assist in both front and rear, 19-inch alloys for the V6 and 21-inch rims for the Turbo, and the usual assortment of Porsche performance enhancement technologies like the Porsche Traction Management system and the Porsche Active Suspension Management system.
To both see and learn more about the all-new Porsche Cayenne, visit the PGA Cars showroom located at 201 Epifanio de los Santos Avenue in Mandaluyong. This time around, it’ll be hard to be disappointed. Even if your name is Clarkson.