Review Car

2011 Porsche Cayenne S

Barely 10 years ago, the idea would have been dismissed as absurd. A Porsche sport-utility vehicle? What’ve you been smoking? Its quick, nimble, relatively small sports cars, cars built on values almost diametrically opposed to those represented by a big SUV. It speaks to our changing automotive tastes, if not the times, that Porsche felt the need to invest in an SUV and a new factory to build it. Ready or not, the most anticipated new Porsche in decades, The 2011 Porsche Cayenne S, is here. For style, pure performance and a balance of sport-utility virtues, The 2011 Porsche Cayenne S is very tough to be beat.

There are two versions of The 2011 Porsche Cayenne S, both built around Porsche’s new 4.5-liter dohc V8 engine with automatic transmission and full-time, variable-torque all-wheel drive. The normally aspirated 2011 Porsche Cayenne S delivers 340 horsepower.

Beyond the electronic skid management and the latest-generation antilock brakes, all 2011 Porsche Cayenne S get luxury-grade passive safety features, starting with six air bags: dual-stage front and side-impact air bags for front passengers, and curtain-style head protection air bags on both sides of the cabin. All five seating positions have three-point belts with pre tensioners to instantly tighten them and limit stretching on impact. The front belts also have automatic force limiters, reducing potential for belt-related injuries. The 2011 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Turbo also adds adjustable air suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), a variable dampening system that uses five accelerometers and electronically controlled adjustable shocks to manage body weight transfer both on and off road.

The 2011 2011 Porsche Cayenne S includes upgrades such as heated front and rear seats, electric steering wheel adjustment and park-assist radar warning front and rear. It’s equipped with Porsche Communications Management (PCM), a GPS navigation system with integrated telephone and audio controls. Finally, the Cayenne Turbo has bi-xenon headlights that turn, Tucker-style, with the steering wheel. Other popular options include a six-disc CD changer and huge, 20-inch sport wheels. There are seat upgrades and a full Smooth Leather package that covers everything from grab handles to the center console in hide. There’s also a light Olive wood package, two different wood-trimmed steering wheels and Porsche Entry and Drive, which allows a driver to unlock and start The 2011 Porsche Cayenne S by pulling the door handle and touching the shift lever. Owners can customize their SUV with Porsche’s Tequipment line of dealer-installed accessories, from stowage systems to running boards to stainless steel brush guards. 2011 Porsche Cayenne S is not a small vehicle? Measuring 188.3 inches in length, with a wheelbase of 112.4 inches, it’s longer than the BMW X5 and Mercedes M-Class and a few hundred pounds heavier than both. Conversely, at 4949 pounds in its lightest specification, 2011 Porsche Cayenne S weighs 550 pounds less than a Lincoln Navigator, which is two feet longer. An inspection underneath this SUV suggests that it’s well engineered, perhaps over-engineered, compared to many mass-market sport-utilities. Apparently Porsche engineers preferred not to take chances with their first SUV, in the event that some owners actually drive it aggressively off road.