Porsche Launches New 550 Horsepower Cayenne Turbo
Porsche is moving the performance SUV bar. Again.
Does your family hauler really need a 550 horsepower 4-liter twin turbo V8, active aerodynamics, and 315mm rear tires? Probably not, but that won’t stop buyers like you from snatching all of these monsters up when they land at dealerships next fall. The fact is, Porsche is selling Cayennes as quickly as they can build them. Whether you like that Porsche has become a predominately SUV-oriented brand or not, they’re selling like proverbial hot cakes. With a new Panamera Turbo already launched, it’s time for Porsche to move that new design language and technology into its taller and more handsome brother, the Cayenne Turbo. It’s faster and quicker than the current Turbo S model, not to mention more efficient, and more capable than the model it replaces. So, do you need one?
The new Cayenne Turbo finally kills off Porsche’s venerable 4.8-liter V8 in favor of the turbos-in-the-vee 4.0-liter found in the current Panamera Turbo. This pumps power up to 550 horses from the current truck’s 520. This means that the new Cayenne Turbo will sprint from 0-60 miles per hour in just 3.7 seconds when properly equipped, and continue on to a top speed of 177 miles per hour. It wasn’t long ago that this kind of performance was limited to very powerful sports cars. Porsche is claiming that this is exactly what a Cayenne Turbo is; a sports car.
With three-chamber adjustable air suspension, active shock-absorbers, six selectable ride heights, optional rear axle steering, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (with a 48-volt rear suspension roll stabilization system), torque vectoring, an active rear spoiler, and huge 285/40 front 315/35 rear tires, Porsche claims the new Cayenne Turbo handles more like a sports car than ever before.
On top of all of that, the new Cayenne Turbo features a more futuristic and sporty design language, cribbing design language from the rest of Porsche’s current lineup. While all Cayennes look much better than the ones that came before, the Turbo benefits even more from some model-specific design pieces. The Turbo will receive wheel arch extensions and a special set of 21″ wheels, as well as a different exhaust tip layout, and ‘double-row front light modules’ in order to set it apart from the 6-cylinder base and S models.
The new 2019 Cayenne Turbo will be available for ordering in the U.S. market in December, 2017 with arrival at dealers in Fall 2018. MSRP is $124,600 excluding $1,050 for delivery, and processing.