Porsche Cayenne 2015

Volkswagen could not have been luckier. Releasing a high-end SUV is already risky enough if you had no experience with either luxury cars or SUVs, but its determination paid off. Porsche Cayenne attracted for its performance, Audi Q7 for its family-friendly concept, and VW Touareg people who could not afford any of those. Ten years later, it is interesting to notice that they still deal with the same paradox: despite being hated by purists of any of those brands, producing these automobiles became the only way to make possible to actually satisfy them.

Cayenne’s latest set of tweaks is one of those which only a true Porsche enthusiast could easily notice. Up front, the entire fascia received sleeker elements, changing some of the predecessor’s sportiness for more elegance. A particularly interesting improvement stands for the fog lights: it is still hard to accept the ubiquitous circles in such a big, imponent car, but wrapping them in those three-dimensional housings made of black plastic aids to a better overall impression. The two-part tail lights, in turn, were refreshed and implied similar operations on both tailgate and bumper. Like the outgoing Cayenne, some trim levels will have slight design exclusivities, like more exhaust pipes and bigger air intakes.

Inside, the multi-functional sports steering wheel will give a strong déjà vu to anyone who has seen 918 Spyder’s cabin. This is a new standard item for Cayenne, as well as cruise control, front and rear park assist, four daytime LEDs below each headlight, paddle shifters and powered tailgate. Other additions will be restricted to some trim levels, although there is not much information about them so far – base, sporty GTS, high-performance Turbo S and any other possible variations will be showed in the future. Now, the refreshed SUV appears only in S, Diesel, Turbo and the all-new S E-Hybrid. The latter one borrows the name of Panamera’s equivalent version in order to replace S Hybrid as its ecologic variation.

Actually, the latter Cayenne repeats the four-door coupé’s entire powertrain, too. It is a plug-in set consisting of a much better electric engine (95 hp against 47) and the same 3.0L V6 supercharged engine, which uses gasoline and produces 333 hp: the combined result is 416 hp and 435 lb-ft, which allow 79 g/km of CO₂ emissions and an all-electric autonomy of 35 km. When it comes to the other engines, Cayenne S dropped the naturally-aspirated 4.8L V8 for a twin-turbocharged 3.6L V6 good for 420 hp and 406 lb-ft (it gained 20 hp). Diesel and Turbo were kept untouched, which means a turbocharged 3.0L V6 for the first (240 hp) and a twin-turbocharged 4.8L V8 for the other (520 hp). Europeans will also have an S Diesel, with a 4.2L V8.

If you found the SUV’s facelift smaller than expected, your thirst for the word “big” will be regretted soon. Do you remember that, when little brother Macan appeared, people got impressed with how expensive it was? More specifically, with how close were its prices to Cayenne’s? Well, this problem was solved now – not in the way of turning Macan cheaper, of course. In United States, for instance, Porsche’s biggest car became from US$ 3,200 to US$ 7,300 more expensive compared to its predecessor, according to the trim. In other words, Diesel now starts at US$ 62,695, S at US$ 75,095, S E-Hybrid at US$ 77,395 and Turbo at US$ 114,595. All of them free of optional items, by the way. The new Cayenne goes on sale later this year.

Lançamento no Brasil (29/10/2014)

Durante o Salão do Automóvel, a Porsche aproveitou para “começar” a lançar o Cayenne re-estilizado no Brasil. O SUV de alto luxo chega na versão Turbo por R$ 679 mil, deixando a versão Turbo S para o ano que vem. Assim, já é possível desfrutar de um motor V8 4.8 biturbo, que alcança 520 cv e 76,5 kgfm. Isso é suficiente para acelerar de 0 a 100 km/h em 4,5 segundos, chegar à máxima de 279 km/h, consumir uma média de 8,9 km/l, e emitir 261 g/km de dióxido de carbono, mas estes números melhoram um pouco com o pacote Sport Chrono. Entre os equipamentos, os destaques vão para o Porsche Light System e o interior redesenhado, cujos novos detalhes foram inspirados no superesportivo 918 Spyder.

Porsche Cayenne GTS (09/04/2015)

Importado da cidade alemã de Leipzig, o SUV de luxo agora chega ao Brasil em nova versão. A GTS expressa sua vocação esportiva principalmente por fora, com luzes escurecidas, pinças de freio vermelhas, rodas pretas de 21”, saídas duplas de escape, detalhes externo em preto, e bancos esportivos. Já a lista de equipamentos repete a fartura de sempre, apesar de esta ser uma versão intermediária. Sob o capô, estão lá o motor 3.6 V6 biturbo de 440 cv e o câmbio automático de oito marchas, capazes de levar o modelo de 0 a 100 km/h em 5,1 segundos e à velocidade máxima de 262 km/h. Este Cayenne custa R$ 579 mil.