There was a time when a SUV was not associated with high speed and high performance. It was a utility vehicle (that’s what the ‘U’ in SUV stands for) and it was intended more for slower off-road motoring than speeding around a racetrack. Then the Germans changed things – carmakers like Porsche and BMW wanted to offer SUVs as their customers wanted them but the performance DNA was too embedded. They could not bring themselves to offer a vehicle with their badge on it that did not have high performance.
BMW didn’t even want to use the term ‘SUV’ and has instead insisted on using SAV – for Sports Activity Vehicle – starting with its X5 in 1999. With its first SUV, the Cayenne, Porsche tried to play down the SUV character in initial communications, introducing the new model as ‘not another new SUV, but another new Porsche’. The company wanted to emphasise that even though it looked like a SUV, it was no less a sportscar like all other Porsches.
High-performance part of DNA
When the first Cayenne was launched, Porsche made sure to take it ‘for a drive’ around the famed (or infamous) Nurburgring Nordschleife. In that first run of a Porsche SUV, the Cayenne Turbo S achieved a lap time of less than 8 minutes. Over the years, Porsche has spent much time at the track nicknamed ‘Green Hell’ and as performance improved, times got quicker.
Recently, the new performance model of the Cayenne (to be launched soon) covered the full lap distance of 20.832 kilometres at Nurburgring in 7:38.925 minutes. The time was registered in the official rankings of Nurburgring GmbH, certified by a notary public and now stands as a new record in the ‘SUV, off-road vehicle, van, pick-up’ category.
“Over the first few metres of the Nordschleife in this Cayenne, you’re tempted to turn around to make sure that you’re really sitting in a spacious SUV. Its high steering precision and stoically stable rear axle gave me a lot of confidence in the Hatzenbach section,” said test driver Lars Kern, who accompanied long periods of the car’s development, of his record drive.
“It changed direction at lightning speed in the fast curves such as between Hohe Acht and Eiskurve, with no wobble and no tendency to understeer. Even in this technical stretch, the Cayenne is a real driver’s car that is easy to control,” according to the test and development driver. “The wheels normally leave the ground at both the Pflanzgarten I and II crests but these sections felt smooth and quiet in this Cayenne. There is a lot of wheel travel, and the body stays solid and controlled. The drivetrain makes a really strong impression. It delivers power in every situation as well as perfect gear changes.”
Cayenne-typical all-rounder
According to Stefan Weckbach, Vice-President Product Line Cayenne, this new Cayenne model promises to be a top performer. During its development, exceptional on-road performance was the focus, which would be expected. “Our record-breaking Cayenne is based on the Cayenne Turbo Coupe, though more systematically designed for maximum longitudinal and lateral dynamics,” he explained.
Kern recorded his fast lap of the Nordschleife with a camouflaged vehicle, equipped with a racing seat and roll-cage for safety reasons. The tyres fitted were 22-inch Pirelli P Zero Corsas that were specially developed for the new Cayenne model and will be fitted as standard.
