Porsche Cayenne Towing Capacity & Weight

It was also due to the fact that it was assembled in the specially built Porsche factory in Leipzig, which started production in August 2002. The first Cayennes left the factory gates in autumn. The pick-up option for customers was staged like an event.

First there was the 4.78 meter long and 1.93 meter wide third series from the sports car manufacturer, presented at the 2002 Paris Salon, as the Cayenne S with a 340 hp naturally aspirated engine and as the Cayenne Turbo with a 450 hp biturbo engine, both V8 -Engines with a displacement of 4.5 litres. This allowed the Cayenne to accelerate to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds at best, and speeds of up to 266 km/h were possible. The permanent all-wheel drive with traction management was a new development - sensors recorded variables such as vehicle speed, lateral acceleration, steering angle and accelerator pedal actuation in order to variably distribute the drive power to the front and rear axles depending on the driving situation.

The Cayenne also had comfort features such as electrically adjustable front seats, air conditioning and leather upholstery as standard. The Turbo also came with air suspension and an automatic transmission, which had to be paid extra at the time. Tiptronic is now standard. With reference to the large sales markets of China and the USA, where diesel does not play a role, this drive concept was categorically ruled out for the Cayenne. It should be different.

When there was still the manual switch

One year after the market launch, the range of engines was initially expanded to include a 3.2-litre VR6 petrol engine, which came from the Touareg but whose output was increased to 250 hp by Porsche engineers. With the new engine, the entry-level price of the series fell by around 10,000 euros to a good 50,000 euros in conjunction with the Tiptronic automatic transmission. The handset that was handed in a few months later was about 2,500 euros cheaper.

In 2006 the most expensive Cayenne to date was available. The top model Turbo S with 521 hp and a maximum of 720 Newton meters of torque. Thanks to a top speed of 270 km/h and the ability to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, customers got what the manufacturer advertised as “the most powerful road vehicle ever built by Porsche” after the Carrera GT sports car . The average consumption was 15.7 litres according to the standard. Another feature: At higher speeds, the chassis was lowered by means of air suspension with level control.

Direct injection is introduced

The Cayenne received its first facelift in spring 2007. Hardly any changes on the outside and at most recognizable by new headlights or modified side skirts, the SUV was given more powerful engines. At the same time, consumption fell. Downsizing was not yet en voque, because the direct-injection base petrol engine had a displacement of 3.6 litres instead of 3.2, from which it drew 290 hp – 40 hp more than before. With 4.8 litres, the naturally aspirated V8 also had more displacement than before and now delivered at least 385 hp. With the biturbo it was now 500 hp, which made the Cayenne even faster with 5.1 seconds for the sprint. 12.9 litres and 14.9 litres were specified as standard consumption values.

At the IAA 2007, Porsche presented a GTS sports version of the large SUV for the first time. Visually, it was based on the Turbo, but with a V8 engine under the powerful hood that had been boosted by 20 hp to 405 hp compared to the S. It was topped in every respect by the facelift of the Turbo S rolling on 21 inchers in widened wheel arches, which came to customers in 2008. With stats like 4.8 seconds from zero to 100 km /h, top speed 280 km/h, with a weight of 2.4 tons. The standard consumption was 14.9 litres (CO2 emissions: 358 g/km) at the level of the turbo without "S".

The big bang in terms of engines came in 2009, when Porsche announced the first diesel for the series and brand (with the exception of early Porsche tractors). The Cayenne got the three-litre V6 engine with common rail injection technology from the sister models VW Touareg and Audi Q7. It accelerated from 0 to 100 km/h in 8.3 seconds and had a top speed of 214 km/h – almost a bit sluggish for a Porsche. But the standard consumption in the series fell below ten litres for the first time. The catalog showed values ​​of 9.3 litres and 244 g/km CO2 emissions, thanks to the 100-litre tank the range was more than 1000 kilometers.

Combustion engine more economical than hybrid

Another engine innovation was the second generation, which was 4.86 meters long and 1.94 meters wide and came into the showrooms in May 2010: the brand's first petrol hybrid. From 2011, a 3.0-litre V6 petrol direct injection engine with supercharging and 333 hp and a 52 hp electric motor worked together. The system output was 374 hp, the joint maximum torque 550 Nm. Porsche specified 8.2 litres (193 g/km) as the standard consumption.

Previously, the rest of the engines also became more economical. A new diesel engine undercut the parallel hybrids with 7.4 litres (195 g/km). The manufacturer attributed the savings, also in the case of pure Otto combustion engines, primarily to weight savings of around 200 kilos per car and the use of start-stop technology. Except for the basic petrol engine, all variants now had an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. A long-wheelbase version with a stretched wheelbase, sliding rear seat and a trunk volume of 670 to 1780 litres was also introduced, which was 580 litres as standard. The trailer load was a maximum of 3500 kilograms.

After a GTS was available again (4.8-litre V8, 420 hp), Porsche added diesel in 2012. A V8 extended by two combustion pots was installed. It came up with 382 hp from 4.2 litres, pumped an enormous maximum torque of 850 Newton meters onto the shaft and tied in with the driving performance of the petrol engines. The Diesel S accelerated to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds and reached a top speed of 252 km/h – with a standard consumption of 8.3 litres (CO2 emissions: 218 g/km). Faster than the V6, but also about 16,000 euros more expensive. In 2013, the manufacturer again launched the top model Turbo S, now with 11.5 litres (274 g/km) in standard consumption compared to the predecessors.

Lighter, faster, longer

For the last facelift of the second generation in 2014, all engines were again more powerful, and in the S and GTS the V8 engines were replaced with 20 hp more powerful but more frugal six-cylinders. Above all, however, the hybrid has been completely reworked and has now become a plug-in hybrid with a socket connection. At the Paris Salon, the SE Hybrid was again available with a supercharged V6 (333 hp) and an electric motor (95 hp). The built-in 10.9 kWh lithium-ion battery enables speeds of up to 125 km/h and an electric range of around 32 kilometers. The system output was 416 hp and made up to 243 km/h possible. The theoretical standard fuel consumption was noted as 3.4 litres (79 g/km). The Turbo S now had 570 hp and was allowed to keep a V8. With a maximum speed of 284 km/h, it was faster than ever.

The third generation of the large SUV series was presented as a turbo at the IAA 2017, the basic models Cayenne and Cayenne S had already been unveiled beforehand. The new edition shares the platform with the Audi Q7 and Bentley Bentayga and, as always, is delivered with an all-wheel drive system. More power and less consumption is the credo that number three also follows. Although no diesel versions were announced at the market launch, diesel engines are to come under the hood again in addition to the powerful petrol engines. A plug-in hybrid and a GTS are also to follow.

The technological progress is also noticeable in the new Cayenne - especially in the operation. A digital cockpit and LED headlights are standard, as is a WiFi hotspot. There's a touch-sensitive control panel and tons of wizards, including a night vision system. A number of switches and buttons have disappeared from menus that can now be accessed via the large touchscreen in the center console. The pointer of the rev counter in the center has remained the same, and the ignition is typically Porsche to the left of the steering wheel. As in the 911, the Cayenne now also has a "push-to-pass" button like in racing. If you press them, you will be pushed even more into the seats, as an extra boost is generated for a few seconds.

Externally, the Cayenne has grown a bit compared to its predecessor. If you measure it, you get a length of 4.92 meters. The standard storage space is now 770 litres. And it should be even more agile to pilot - thanks to a new chassis with three-chamber air suspension, mixed tires, roll stabilization with 48-volt technology and new all-wheel drive. An adjustable spoiler on the roof of the Turbo model provides more downforce on the road. It can also act as an air brake and bring the SUV to a standstill sooner.

The name "cayenne" is often miss-spelt. Due to the way it is pronounced a lot of people write it as "porche cayan", "porche cayanne" or even "porche cayana".