Porsche Cayenne with six-cylinder engine

Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany, has now added the planned third version to its program of sports utility vehicles. The excellent road dynamics, safety and off-road performance that have earned the eight-cylinder Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo models worldwide praise and high sales figures can in future also be experienced in an entry-level model with six-cylinder engine, to be known simply as the “Cayenne”. This is the first Porsche with V6 power, and will be available at the end of November 2003 in European markets and in the first half of 2004 in the USA. The list price in Europe (excluding VAT and country-specific requirements) is 40,900 Euro. In Germany, the Cayenne will cost 47,592 Euro including value added tax.

Like the Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo, the V6 Cayenne has excellent performance and driving capabilities. The engine, with four valves per cylinder, has a power output of 250 bhp (184 kW) at 6,000 rpm; the nominal torque is 310 Nm between 2,500 rpm and 5,500 rpm, but with 300 Nm available from just over 2,000 rpm until 5,500 rpm. This version of the Cayenne accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 9.1 seconds and has a top speed of 214 km/h.

Porsche’s engineers have developed the basic engine, which comes from an outside supplier, and modified it for the most severe off-road driving conditions. The V6 model has a new design of six-speed manual gearbox as standard, combined with an innovative assistance system.

The “Porsche Drive Off Assistant”, or PDOA for short, helps the driver to set the vehicle in motion on an uphill gradient and prevents it from slipping back by applying the brakes automatically. When the driver engages the clutch, the system reduces braking pressure, so that the Cayenne can move off safely. Until early 2004, however, this Cayenne model will only be available with the six-speed Tiptronic S transmission.

The six-cylinder Cayenne also features such technical highlights as the intelligent “Porsche Traction Management” (PTM), as already introduced for the eight-cylinder engines. In the standard operating mode, PTM distributes engine power in a 62:38 ratio between the rear and front wheels, but up to 100 percent of the available torque can be allocated to the front or rear wheels via an electronically controlled center differential, depending on the tire grip situation. "Porsche Traction Management" actively influences the Cayenne’s longitudinal and lateral dynamics. Depending on the driving situation, it provides greater dynamic stability or more responsive handling. This driving aid is coordinated and controlled by state-of-the-art electronics permanently connected to the standard "Porsche Stability Management" (PSM). This results in outstanding performance and a high degree of driving safety, ideally complemented by excellent off-road capabilities.

The six-cylinder model has the same maximum trailer load of 3,500 kilograms as the Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo.

Air suspension with a self-leveling function and ride height adjustment, including the "Porsche Active Suspension Management" (PASM) variable shock absorber system, is available as an optional extra on this 250-hp Cayenne.

For the first time too, a special off-road navigation facility is an optional extra for the "Porsche Communication Management" (PCM) with navigation system.

2003-08-27 Please quote Autoindex.org if You use this news article!