From the March 2007 issue of Car and Driver.
Here's a perfect example of how Porsche has made itself the world's most profitable car company: Take the mine-is-bigger-than-yours Cayenne Turbo, bump the horsepower from 450 to 520 by simply adding another 4.3 psi of boost to the twin-turbo V-8, raise the price $21,400, to $112,415, and call it the Turbo S. Egomaniacs with a lot of stock in Google won't be able to resist, right? (The S goes away with next year's face-lifted 500-hp, 4.8-liter Turbo, however.)
Current sales figures show that between the two turbo Cayennes the S outsells the Turbo by 63 percent, and it's probably not because it has larger brakes. Meanwhile, sales of the no-longer-the-best $91,015 Turbo have plummeted some 75 percent.
Surprisingly, we had to squint to see the performance improvements, even though the 70-to-0 braking was a stellar 161 feet. The Turbo S shot to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and whizzed by the quarter-mile in 13.5 at 107 mph, just 0.1 second quicker to 60 mph and no quicker through the quarter than the Turbo. However, the extra horsepower is apparent at higher speeds, as the Turbo S was 5.7 seconds quicker to 140 mph and topped out at 166 mph versus 161.
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Like all Cayennes, the Turbo S is at its best cruising the highway, empowered driver perched on the throne-like front seats, glaring down at the surrounding serfs. But at any time—after a slightly hesitant kickdown from the transmission—confidence-inspiring, road-rage-inducing thrust is available. Good thing the S is extremely poised when it reaches triple-digit speeds, even in a downpour we encountered. Steering feel is reasonably precise, and the limits are fairly high—0.87 g on the skidpad—but not surprisingly, the nearly three-ton Cayenne never feels anything close to light on its feet.
Unlike some other big-horsepower SUVs, the Turbo S retains a high, 7700-pound tow rating and off-road gear (low range, adjustable air suspension). Even so, it seems pathetic that the Turbo S can't outrun a $40,800, 420-hp Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 or an $86,275, 503-hp Mercedes ML63 AMG and has a back seat no more accommodating than a Honda Accord's.
Specifications
Dave VanderWerp has spent more than 20 years in the automotive industry, in varied roles from engineering to product consulting, and now leading Car and Driver's vehicle-testing efforts. Dave got his very lucky start at C/D by happening to submit an unsolicited resume at just the right time to land a part-time road warrior job when he was a student at the University of Michigan, where he immediately became enthralled with the world of automotive journalism.
