2011 Porsche Cayenne Overview

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A few weeks ago, if you had told me that I could drive a luxury SUV that would make the 2009 Porsche Cayenne feel sloppy and outdated, I'd tell you to get your head examined. But now that I've driven the 2011 Porsche Cayenne, I'd be willing to testify on your behalf at a Section 8 hearing. The 2011 Porsche Cayenne will come with a 4-year/50,000 mile warranty, with pricing and EPA estimates to be announced later this summer. Let's drive.

Larger Exterior Photos: Front Rear

Porsche brought me and a group of journalists to Birmingham, Alabama to drive the second generation Cayenne S, Cayenne S Turbo and the all-new Cayenne Hybrid. Why Birmingham? Well, actually, we were originally supposed to go to Leipzig, Germany for this drive, but a pesky Icelandic volcano (Eyjafjallajokull) cancelled all flights in and out of Europe. So, we went to Barber Motorsports Park instead, because it is the location of the Porsche Sport Driving School. The facility is so spectacular that it was hardly a compromise. I got a chance to drive each variant of the new Cayenne on the track with expert driving instructors. I also got to drive each vehicle on loops on public roads, and I had a brief foray off-road in the Turbo along a nicely-plotted demonstration course on the Barber property.

Cayenne underwent few changes during its first generation (2003 - 2010), and in fine Porsche tradition, the second-generation vehicle closely resembles the first. The new design is a little sharper, a little crisper than before, but it will take a dedicated Porsche spotter to distinguish between the generations. To my eye, that's a good thing. I liked the old, and I love the new. Fit and finish on the prototype vehicles that I drove was superb, and I expect world-class levels of finish on the production models.

Larger Interior Photo

An even more elegant evolution has taken place in the cabin of the Cayenne. The previous generation's dash was a little stark and horizontally arrayed. The center stack was overpopulated with buttons, and the nav screen was planted directly in the middle of the stack. For 2011, the dash has been reconfigured with a more aeronautic feel, with more switches than buttons and a decidedly vertical emphasis. The nav screen has moved to the top of the center stack, requiring a much smaller glance away from the road. Both driver's and front passenger's seats have gotten an upgrade, with improved lateral and thigh support.

The second row has benefitted from a reconfiguration of the cabin. There's more leg and headroom than before. The second row feels like a compartment in an executive jet now, rather than a bit of an afterthought. I would not object to taking a long ride back there, as long as I got a chance to drive, eventually. Every aware of its drivers, Porsche offers headrest-mounted monitors for rear seat passengers rather than a view-blocking roof-mounted screen.

Luggage capacity is a very SUV-like 23.7 cubic feet, and should you choose to haul cargo, the Cayenne can carry 60.2 cubic feet of it with the second row folded flat (Hybrids have a little less capacity, 20.5/59.7, because the batteries are stored under the rear load floor). Load capability is about 1,700 lbs (1,477 for Hybrid), and towing capacity is between 5,900 and 7,700 lbs, depending on configuration.

The great virtue of testing an SUV on a racetrack is not speed, but safety. You'd never think of racing an SUV on a track, but testing it there gives you the chance to explore handling, braking and acceleration properties that you can only imagine on public roads. There's no oncoming traffic to consider, no speeding tickets to fear. And, it's great fun.

The new Cayenne is one of the few SUVs that I can imagine participating in a race on a road course. The big change between generations has been beneath the skin, and the most striking advancements have been to handling. I don't have the space to describe all of the technology that has been brought to bear on the Cayenne's chassis, but Porsche's attentions have delivered a sublimely balanced vehicle that simply levels out a racetrack. It's a joy to drive, and the more optional enhancements you choose to add to your handling system, like ceramic brakes and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), the more spectacular the Cayenne gets.

The Cayenne S gets a direct injected 4.8-liter V8 producing 400 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque; the Turbo cranks that same engine up to 500 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. The Hybrid uses a direct injected 3.0-liter V6 along with an electric motor to produce 380 hp and 427 lb-ft of torque. A 3.6-liter V6 "base model" will follow soon -- I haven't driven that one yet. Each level of engine/motor comes bundled with a host of standard equipment, and commensurate jumps in base price. Porsche has promised pricing very close to 2010 levels, which is to say, eyeball popping for most of us.

I left Alabama with my head in a cloud. I really didn't expect to be so blown away by the improvement between generations of Cayenne. I honestly didn't realize that there was so much room for improvement. If you're considering a 2010 Cayenne purchase, I'd advise you to wait until you get a chance to drive the 2011 and 2010 vehicles back-to-back. I don't expect a whole lot of 2010 Cayennes to move off the lot at full price once the 2011 becomes available for comparison.

If you're seriously considering a Cayenne, you owe it to yourself to check out a few other sport luxury SUVs. The Mercedes-Benz ML-class is quite classy, and in AMG trim can even deliver surprising performance. The Land Rover Range Rover Sport is even more elegant, and the supercharged version boasts great horsepower. I love the low center of gravity on the Infiniti FX50, and many drivers are fans of the BMW X5.

I may never be in a position to buy a vehicle as expensive as the 2011 Porsche Cayenne. But it is inspiring to know that automotive engineering and design have advanced to the point where such astonishing performance, luxury and capability have converged. I can't even begin to wonder where Porsche will go with the third generation Cayenne. My head is spinning.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.