The new Porsche Cayenne now comes equipped with an engine that was developed completely in-house for the Porsche family of vehicles. This engine is another example of how downsizing with reduced engine displacement and fewer cylinders does not compromise core values: the engine’s NEDC fuel consumption is between 9.8 and 9.5 l/100 km (229-223 g/km CO2), which is one litre less than with the previous V8 engine.
With this new bi-turbo engine, power and torque were boosted while improving efficiency. For Porsche, these are not incompatible or contradictory goals; they were enabled by numerous individual modifications to the entire drivetrain.
All new Cayenne models feature an improved “auto stop-start function plus” and optimized thermal management. Active air flaps are now being used for the first time in the Cayenne models. They are located behind the center air intake and are controlled by engine management. They are opened or closed according to the specific driving situation and cooling demands. This allows them to adjust the air volume that is available for cooling. When they are closed they improve aerodynamics, which reduces air drag and thereby improves fuel economy.
The biturbo V6 develops a maximum power of 420hp at 6,000 rpm which is a gain of 20 hp. The car’s torque of 550 Newton metres is available from 1,350 to 4,500 rpm (gain of 50 Newton metres). The previous power density of 83 hp per litre engine displacement was increased to 117 hp (a gain of around 40 percent). With its standard eight-speed Tiptronic S transmission, the Porsche Cayenne S accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in just 5.5 seconds (5.4 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono package) which is 0.4 seconds faster than the previous Cayenne S. The vehicle’s top speed is now 259 km/h (this is a gain of 1km/h).
Chassis tuning of the new Cayenne was optimized for even greater comfort, naturally without compromising its dynamic pace. This makes the spread between comfort and sportiness even greater than before and it validates the Cayenne’s claim to being the sports car in the SUV segment.
