Porsche Cayenne muscles in

By Jack Rix

February 2010

	The Cayenne S for example has shed 180kg over the car it replaces.

Lighter, more agile and more efficient, the Porsche Cayenne is turning over a new leaf! These are the first official images of the second-generation off-roader, released ahead of its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show next week.

Amongst a whole host of technical and styling improvements, the highlight is the introduction of the Cayenne S Hybrid which Porsche claims has the power of a V8 petrol but with the efficiency of a V6. In fact, with fuel economy of 34.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 193g/km it's set to become the cleanest model in the entire range.

Gains in fuel consumption, but also handling agility have been achieved across the range thanks to significant weight savings and a new Tiptronic S eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Cayenne S for example has shed 180kg over the car it replaces. But despite the crash diet the new Cayenne has a 40 millimetre longer wheelbase, which creates an even roomier cabin.

The completely overhauled interior has taken a significant leap in quality, and takes its lead from the foor-door Panamera. A rising centre console, oversize vents and a feast of buttons surrounding the gearshift selector give front passengers a real 'cockpit' feel.

Five variants will be offered from launch starting with the 3.6-litre V6 petrol-engined Cayenne. Power has risen to 296bhp, but fuel consumption has improved by 20 per cent to 28.5 mpg. The 3.0-litre V6 diesel Cayenne still offers 240bhp and 550Nm of pulling power but mpg and CO2 emissions have also improved by a fifth, to 38.2mpg and 195g/km respectively.

Fans of large capacity petrol engines won't be disappointed either - the Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo both use a 4.8-litre V8, one naturally-aspirated and one with a turbo bolted one to produce 394bhp and 493bhp respectively.

Despite power hikes, both models have improved fuel efficiency by 23 per cent - to 26.9mpg and 27.6mpg respectively. And no you didn't read that wrong, according to Porsche's figures the Turbo is more economical than the S.

But it's the Cayenne S Hybrid that's sure to get people talking. Featuring the same powertrain as the forthcoming VW Touareg hybrid, it mates the Audi S4's 3.0-litre supercharged V6 with a 46bhp electric motor for a combined output of 375bhp and 580Nm of torque.

A specially deveoped 'separator clutch' allows the car to run on its electric motor (for short distances and up to 40mph) or the petrol engine alone, or with both power sources working together. The result is performance similar to the Cayenne S with returns of 34.4mpg at the pumps abd CO2 emissions of 193g/km.

When the car goes on sale on May 29, prices will start at £41,404 for the standard Cayenne, £53,693 for the S and £81,589 for the Turbo. The diesel will set you back £44,178 while the ground-breaking hybrid weighs in at £57,610.

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