What happens when Porsche adds a turbocharged diesel V6 to the 2013 Cayenne? MotorWeek’s John Davis has the road test review.
Motorweek is made possible by rock auto firing and 3m few utilities can challenge the porsche cayenne when it comes to street performance but today even luxury brand buyers are putting better fuel economy at the top of their must-have list but while porsche already offers a hybrid cayenne us porsche buyers prefer a more european approach to fuel saving and they’ve
Been begging porsche to bring the cayenne turbo diesel to the states well their wishes have finally been granted the 2013 cayenne diesel is porsches first american diesel offering and while many of us scoffed at porsches entry into the suv ranks with the original cayenne it has proved to be incredibly popular even becoming their top selling model so what does
A turbocharged diesel v6 add to the cayenne well a whole lot of torque and a whole lot of range fill up the larger 26.4 gallon tank and you can cruise for over 700 miles before you’ll need to refuel but surprisingly the diesel does not get you more towing ability it remains at 7716 pounds and with a higher curb weight payload weight actually drops so the cayenne
Diesel is chiefly about government fuel economy ratings which are 19 city 29 highway and 23 combined which actually beats the cayenne hybrid by 2 we did even better at 29.4 miles per gallon the energy impact score remains below average however at sixteen point six barrels of oil consumed per year and annual co2 emissions of 7.4 tons the diesels 406 pound-feet of
Torque and 240 horsepower are from a three liter turbo v6 extra weight is moderated by using a compacted graphite iron block and aluminum heads the diesel doesn’t have automatic stop start like other car hands and that’s just fine by us and the permanent all-wheel drive system has an automatic locking center differential the 8-speed tiptronic automatic gearbox does
Come with proper porsche steering wheel shifters to meet emission standards the diesel uses a selective catalytic reduction system with add blue urea injection otherwise the cayenne gets only very minor upgrades for 2013 mainly new door lock buttons and dash mounted analog clock or you can opt for this cool digital compass who needs gps still in our cayenne above
The sloping panamera style center console sits an optional navigation screen the large leather covered front bucket seats deliver extreme comfort with firm back and tall side support rear seats slide for added legroom and split 40/20/40 or flexibility between people and long cargo on that there’s 20 3.6 cubic feet of luggage space behind the rear seats and sixty
Two point nine cubic feet with all seats down that’s a little less than the jeep grand cherokee exterior styling is all porsche and while unchanged for 13 the 911 inspired styling has aged well 18-inch wheels are standard up to 21s optional but it’s the 911 inspired performance that really sets the cayenne apart so we were anxious to see how it would translate in
The diesel and we have few complaints to report all of that torque off the line makes for a strong launch as it bolts to 60 in just 7.2 seconds quick but still a second and a half slower than the last cayenne s v8 that we tested the quarter mile arrived at 15.6 seconds at 91 miles per hour still impressive for an suv as is typical with a diesel ships come early
And often and power seem to dissipate a little with each one slow and soft ships didn’t help matters any as expected the diesels powertrain its 320 pounds to curb weight and it did have an effect on handling the car turns in amazingly tight but there’s a weird bouncing sensation coming from the rear and in extreme times coming from the front – it feels like the car
Dribbling down the track almost fortunately there was good steering feel and traction throughout our tests and we do suggest ordering the adjustable air suspension option breaking is still sports car worthy however with an average stop of only 118 feet from 60 in addition to the diesel being less complex than the cayenne hybrid it’s less pricey as well starting
At fifty six thousand seven hundred twenty-five dollars that’s 14 grand less and better fuel economy to boot still pricey options can easily push this luxo suv north of 90 grand so was the 2013 porsche cayenne diesel worth the wait well if you’re looking for an suv to be the chase car for your 911 turbo then the cayenne turbo is the best choice but if your idea of
Suv performance is better than hybrid fuel economy and super long range but still with a porsche experience then this is the ute for you you
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Road Test: 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel By MotorWeek
