Cayenne Diesel

Living with a Cayenne

The Porsche Cayenne.  The vehicle that made "purists" howl and shriek.  More on that later.

Introduced over 10 years ago, what is it like to live with one on a daily basis?  I got that opportunity over the past couple of days, so allow me to reflect.

First off, let's be specific about the Cayenne I'm talking about - the Diesel.  A paltry 240 hp is offset by an ocean of turbo torque, 410 lb-ft that makes the vehicle feel downright sprightly around town.  Yes, it runs out of breath at high rpm, but as long as you stay in the ocean of torque, it feels plenty quick.

Believe me - it makes all the difference

A couple of things really stand out about this vehicle:

Efficiency

Seriously?  33.5 mpg?

I think the above picture speaks for itself.  On a run from my house to Chicago, I averaged an amazing 33.5 mpg.  That is a very healthy number in the context of efficiency.  It definitely gets better mileage than our van or our sedan.  Heck, there are times when my motorcycle doesn't get 33.5 mpg!

Part of that comes from the diesel engine, part of it comes from the 8-speed transmission.  The entire time, the powertrain was unobtrusive.  It hummed quietly along, whisking us through the night.  The only thing that screamed diesel was the "515 miles to empty" readout in the instrument cluster.

Off boost in first gear, you feel the weight of the Cayenne.  Once speed rises and the boost comes up, there are plenty of ratios in the transmission to keep you in the fat part of the torque curve.

OK, I've been holding back...but here goes:
<rant>
I've been saying this for years: when on when will a manufacturer offer a diesel minivan in the United States?  Please!  With 4 kids, I need a minivan, and given the way I use mine, it is the perfect platform for a diesel.  Lots of grunt low in the rev range, sufficient power for the highway, and great efficiency.  None of the negatives of yesteryear - minimal waiting for glow plugs, no fumes wafting through the cabin, no cloud of blue smoke when accelerating.  Please Honda, I love my Odyssey, and I would love it even more with a diesel.
</rant>

Headlights

The Sun

Simply unbelievable.  This specific Cayenne was equipped with adaptive headlights.  This means that when the road curves and you turn the steering wheel to follow it, the headlights swivel to illuminate where you want to go (the road) instead of where you don't (the ditch, a tree, someone's yard).  Brilliant, even, dark-defying light is all you get.  It even had a setting to auto-engage high beams.  Very useful on the interstate, as soon as oncoming traffic passed, the vehicle would engage the high beams to push the night even further back.

Very good feature.  Great safety feature.  I have a thing for big brakes and bright headlights.  The adaptive lights check the bright headlight box in a big way.

Comfort

The seats in the Cayenne are all-day comfortable.  If I had to be in New York for dinner, I wouldn't hesitate to strap into the Cayenne and just head out.  Very comfortable and adjustable, with both heating and cooling.  Remember the sweaty t-shirt-stuck-to-your-back-on-a-hot-day scenario?  That is but a memory when you spin up the seat coolers.  Regardless of temperature (in the 40s and rainy to 70s and humid), the Cayenne keeps its occupants quite comfy.

Features

This is where the engineering brilliance really shines through.  The display, so crisp and legible!  The screen to the right of the tach is particularly great, with a thumbwheel on the right steering wheel spoke to scroll through vehicle stats, navigation, audio, phone, and probably some things I'm forgetting.

Note the green Hold light

The Hold feature - it seems like such a trivial thing, but it's fascinating how quickly you get used to it.  When stopped at a light, simply press on the brake pedal as though you were setting a parking brake.  The word Hold appears in green in the speedometer, meaning you can take your foot off the brake.  The Cayenne will patiently hold the vehicle in place until you touch the gas, at which point you are on your way.

Speaking of the speedometer, that's also where the headlight/auto-bright light indicator lights are.  And quite honestly, that's the only thing I used that dash space for.  Thank goodness there is a speedometer in the tach, because I never used the analog speedo.

The ease of integration with my iPhone (Bluetooth or USB, take your pick)!  The intuitiveness of the controls on the steering wheel!  Yes, there is somewhat an ocean of buttons on the center console, but those are mainly fire-and-forget items.  The one you are most likely to use is temperature control, which is an easy toggle in close proximity to the steering wheel.

Lots of buttons, but temperature and fan speed are easily accessible

You know what the kids really like?  The ENORMOUS sunroof that stretches the length of the passenger compartment.  It is wonderful, and great for stargazing at night.

So many little details, so well executed.  Truly an impressive piece of engineering that I appreciated more as time went by.

In Closing...

The Cayenne Diesel is a brilliantly engineered and executed vehicle.  Perfect for a road warrior or a family of 5, it goes about its job with quiet efficiency.  Sprightly but not fast.  I didn't test this part, but I bet it's a beastie when towing (rated for 7,710 pounds).  If I had to be in New York for dinner, I would hop in the Cayenne and never look back.  It makes eating miles so supremely easy, and it handles better than any SUV I've ever driven (barring Cayenne S/GTS/Turbo).


The Turbo is a bootful of fun.  Plenty powerful, amazing handling.  But in the States, with our low speed limits and traffic, the thinking-man's Cayenne of choice is the Diesel:  Efficient, smooth, capable, comfortable, and wonderful to use.

That said, it doesn't inspire joy in me the way my now 22-year-old 911 does.  It is something I'd want to use, but not fuss over.  You know, treat it as a normal car.

My 911 is taught, tight, and raw.  I'm reminded of one of my favorite Jalopnik articles I've read recently:

Here is what it’s like to drive modern day automobiles: 

Output = Input x 3^34 x 3e / 2 + 778 / 5xr +2 * 32^74.45 

If the nerdy formula doesn’t make sense to you, basically what I’m saying is that if you’re the input (you know...with the steering, braking, accelerating and such), the computer takes whatever you provide, does stuff with it like figuring out what the car should do in terms of applying power to the wheels, how the engine should run etc., and spits out some behavior on the roads that you will actually find tolerable or even pleasing. 

In most modern day cars, enough tweaks are made to where no matter how crazy of a maneuver you intend to execute, the car can generally take your insanity and turn into a relatively manageable output. 

With the 1971 Porsche: 

Output = Input

That sums it up so nicely.  The Cayenne is an amazing vehicle.  It is incredibly well-engineered, and the details come through everywhere you look, sit, and touch.  It drives better than any SUV has a right to.  And yet, in its quest to be such a phenomenally good car, it sacrifices driver engagement.  I just hope that those fortunate enough to own one of these things appreciates what a fundamentally good vehicle it is.

That said, I feel remarkably fortunate to have choices in life.  I can load the entire family and most of our house into our minivan (the only thing mini about it is the name), use a great sedan in the winter, explore North America on a phenomenal motorcycle, and when an early Sunday morning drive is in order, fire up the loud, raw, sonorous, alive beastie that is my 911 and enjoy *driving* it.

Oh yes, and to the "purists" - the Cayenne is unbelievable.  So is the Panamera.  As is the Boxster, and the Cayman, and the 911.  Building such incredibly useable vehicles allows Porsche to make truly exceptional ones, like the GT4, GT3, GT RS, and 918.

Progress is unavoidable.  Porsche will continue to push the edge of performance and increase usability.  As a company, they are proving that improved performance doesn't have to come at the expense of improved fuel efficiency.

That said, my fervent hope is that there will always be a high-revving, naturally aspirated choice somewhere in the lineup!