Introduced in 2002, the Porsche Cayenne is one of the company’s best-selling sport utility vehicles (SUV). And as the nameplate turns 20, the German automotive brand looks back at how the Cayenne became a sporty and fuel-efficient SUV.
Porsche shared that it is now hard to imagine the marque’s product portfolio without the Cayenne. After all, it exceeded the expectations not only of Porsche’s customers but also of the carmaker itself, especially in terms of sales figures.
Due to its commercial success, designers of the second-generation model had a little more creative freedom. When designing the second Cayenne, they planned to implement fundamental changes to its design and its drivetrain.
Michael Mauer, the famed German automobile designer, wanted to take the idea of the Cayenne further. He kept the doors of the first-generation Cayenne, which was similar to the Touareg from Volkswagen, but changed its windows.
“At the front, the exterior mirrors moved from the window corner to the shoulder of the door, creating a more dynamic look and making space for additional quarter lights at the A-pillars. At the rear, the side windows were pulled in higher behind the doors, the roof spoiler of the Cayenne extended further back, the taillights were positioned a bit higher, and the D-pillars were more slanted. The result was an elongated window geometry and a roof line — known as the flyline at Porsche — that sloped noticeably towards the back. This made the Cayenne look fast even when it was stationary,” Porsche explained in a press release.
Porsche designers also had the liberty to make several changes to the second-gen Cayenne’s interior. Like the exterior, the cabin of the Porsche Cayenne now had a slanted design. The seating position dipped lower and the center console (which was based on the design of the center console in the Panamera sports sedan) rose higher toward the front.
The sitting position promoted more aggressive driving and gave those behind the steering wheel the feeling that they were driving a sports car instead of an SUV. Speaking of steering wheels, the steering wheel of the second-generation Cayenne was borrowed from the iconic Porsche 911.
With both the exterior and the interior receiving the sporty treatment, engineers of the second-generation Cayenne directed the SUV in more daring directions.
“The first use of an eight-speed Tiptronic in combination with the new controlled hang-on all-wheel drive with Porsche Traction Management (PTM) gave the new Cayenne agility on the road and reliability off-road via electronic means. The new PTM also enabled lighter Cardan shafts on front axle Cardan shaft tubes, as well as a lighter axle drive,” Porsche said.
It is clear by that Porsche treats the Cayenne like a sportscar, not like an SUV. That said, weight-saving measures were also pursued. Together with the Tiptronic tranny and the new engines. And while these changes contributed to improved performance, they opened up new doors for Porsche in the changing automotive landscape.
The second-generation Porsche Cayenne also achieved good fuel consumption figures. The entry-level Cayenne clocked in at 11.2 liters per 100 kilometers — figures that the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) considered valid during that time, thereby attracting more customers.
Furthermore, the optional eight-speed Tiptronic transmission was able to clocked in at 9.91 liters per 100 kilometers (around 20 percent below that of the first entry-level Cayenne).
Good fuel consumption figures are not enough, especially with the evolving trends and the dynamic needs of its customers. After Porsche laid the foundation for its successful electrification strategy in 2010, the Cayenne nameplate delivered by offering Porsche customers the first plug-in hybrid in 2014.
Despite being electronically-assisted, the Cayenne S Hybrid still boasted a sporty design and performance. It could produce 375 horses and also had an fuel efficiency of 8.2 liters per 100 kilometers (based on NEDC studies).
The second-generation Porsche Cayenne became an instrumental vehicle until the Stuttgart-based brand decided to introduce the third-generation model in 2017.
Today, the Porsche Cayenne offers a host of models that are both sporty and fuel-efficient including variants like the Porsche Turbo, E-Hybrid, and Turbo S E-Hybrid. The pinnacle of the Cayenne roster is represented by the range-topping Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT.
Photos from Porsche
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