Siberia might be the last place you’d think of driving a luxury SUV, but Porsche believes it may be the best place to showcase the full capability of its powerful Cayenne. Fortunately, you don’t have to go there to experience the upshot of such “testing.”
In the Porsche view, racing is the best way to prove – and improve – a vehicle. Drive any Porsche, and you benefit from the carmaker’s experience of winning more than 28,000 races over six decades.
Where do you race an SUV? In one of the world’s most grueling rallies, that’s where.
The Transsyberia Rally runs from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. The two-week, 4,500-mile trek takes participants over mountain passes, through subarctic forests and across wide-open desert. Much of the race is over what could only charitably be called “roads.” Contestants need to cross many rivers – by driving through them, not over them.
Specially prepared Porsche Cayenne models won the Transsyberian Rally three times in a row: 2006, 2007 and 2008. In the 2008 race, the top six places went to Cayenne teams. That’s not just winning, that’s dominating.
When some carmakers refer to “specially prepared” models winning races, it often means the race vehicle has little in common with what you can buy in the showroom. The opposite is true with the Porsche Cayenne. Aside from a roll cage and other safety equipment, modifications to Cayenne S models were limited to beefed-up chassis components, special tires and a snorkel-type engine air intake to enable the Cayenne to cross water up to 30 inches deep.
So, yes, you could buy a Cayenne, make the necessary modifications and run the Transsyberian Rally, or you could get the most out of any Cayenne right here at home. Either way, why not start with a new special edition Cayenne S that Porsche is offering – a model to commemorate its hard-won Transsyberia Rally victories? Only 600 examples of the Cayenne S Transsyberia (MSRP $70,800) are coming to the U.S.
The Cayenne S Transsyberia starts with something even the race vehicles did not have – the more powerful 405-hp engine from the Cayenne GTS. For the full rally flavor, choose one of the paint schemes featured on the race vehicles – black-with-orange or silver-with-orange. Select the roof-mounted rally lights, a no-cost option. Two other, subtler paint combinations are also available.
The special Cayenne S Transsyberia model comes equipped with front and rear steel skid plates, Alcantara-covered sport seats and special trim.
With Porsche's six-speed Tiptronic® automatic transmission, the Cayenne S Transsyberia can move from zero-to-60 mph in 6.1 seconds, compared to 6.5 for the standard Cayenne S. In rallying, a half-second can mean the difference between winning and losing.
No Cayenne is lacking in power or performance, of course. The regular Cayenne S (MSRP $60,000) features the 385-hp version of the incomparable Porsche 4.8-liter V8. All Porsche engines employ direct fuel injection, which helps to increase power while reducing fuel consumption. The base Cayenne (MSRP $45,000) – as if you could call any Porsche “base” – tames the road or trail with a 290-hp 3.6-liter V6. It can be equipped with a six-speed manual transmission or the six-speed Tiptronic® automatic.
If your idea of track time leans more toward asphalt than the Mongolian countryside, then Porsche has the machine for you – a new for 2009, top-of-the-line Cayenne Turbo S. Its special version of the 4.8-liter twin turbo V8 produces a road-scorching 550 hp and 553 lb/ft of torque, both 10 percent gains over the Cayenne Turbo. The Turbo S can blast from rest to 60 mph in just 4.7 seconds.
Exclusive exterior styling and interior luxury features further set the Turbo S apart, as if its blazing performance weren’t enough.
Whatever your road (or un-road) traveled, and whatever Cayenne model suits it, here’s to Porsche for putting true “sport” in a sport-utility vehicle.
