PORSCHE’S all-new, third-generation version of the Cayenne SUV — launched in August 2017 at the brand’s Zuffenhausen, Germany, headquarters — last week landed in Southeast Asia. Showcased at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit, the arrival in the region of the automaker’s wildly popular model (more than 760,000 examples have been sold since the line’s debut in 2002) heralds its launch in the Philippines.
Earlier, Porsche Philippines bared it would introduce in the country three variants of the model — the Cayenne with a turbocharged, 3.0-liter V6 engine; the Cayenne S that also packs a 3.0-liter V6 but which gets twin turbochargers; and the Cayenne Turbo that’s propelled by a 4.0-liter V8 with a pair of turbochargers. The company said the latest version of the Cayenne combines “even more of the typical Porsche performance with excellent everyday practicality.”
“Its powerful turbo engines, new eight-speed Tiptronic S gearbox, new chassis systems and innovative Porsche Advanced Cockpit display and control concept with total connectivity will take both sport and comfort to the next level,” Porsche Philippines said in a statement.
911 ON STILTS
The Cayenne is based heavily on Porsche’s legendary 911 sports car, the company said. As a totally new model, the SUV for the first time is fitted with mixed-sized tires, as well as rear-axle steering. Its on-road capabilities have also been improved by way of an active all-wheel drive system — now standard across all variants.
Porsche’s 4D Chassis Control, three-chamber air suspension, the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control electronic roll stabilization system, and the newly developed high-performance Porsche Surface Coated Brake — standard in the Cayenne Turbo — all promise to make the Cayenne even more athletic than before, the company noted.
It added that despite the new Cayenne having been fitted with a longer list of standard equipment, the SUVs weighs as much as 65 kilograms less than its predecessor. Porsche assured the Cayenne also “remains perfectly suited for off-road use.”
Marking out the new Cayenne is an “enhanced” style that “runs through the Porsche Design DNA,” Porsche said, adding the model is also more luxurious and tech-laden. It cited the car’s Porsche Advanced Cockpit as an example, which uses a 12.3-inch, full-HD touch screen panel to display and control various convenience and entertainment functions, as well as the latest generation of the Porsche Communication Management.
Porsche Philippines said the new Cayenne’s local debut — set in the middle of the year — coincides with the celebration of Porsche’s 70th anniversary.
