Friday, February 26, 2010

2011 Porsche Cayenne




Following leaked images onto the internet the all-new 2011 Porsche Cayenne has now been officially revealed ahead of its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show.

The second-generation Porsche SUV is set to go on sale in Europe from May and will offer more room, improved technology, and increased performance but most notably significantly less weight and fuel consumption.

Every model in the Cayenne range from the entry-level V-6 to the top-spec Turbo will have improved performance while using less fuel and producing fewer emissions than the previous generation.

The big news is undoubtedly the Cayenne S Hybrid, which features an advanced parallel hybrid drive system that combines a supercharged 333 horsepower 3.0-litre gasoline V-6 engine with a 47 horsepower electric motor running on lithium-ion batteries. The combined result is a V-8 like 380 horsepower and 427 pound-feet of torque, which is available from a low-down at 1,000 rpm. With correct driving conditions, either the supercharged V-6 or electric motor can operate independently or together. This means that the Cayenne S Hybrid can cover short distances running solely on electric power alone, up to speeds of 70kph.

In terms of the gasoline-only Cayennes, Porsche are claiming that on average they are 23% more fuel-efficient than the current Cayenne range, although no official fuel economy figures have been released yet.

When it comes to power the figures are tidy, the base Cayenne with a 3.6-litre V-6 engine will get 300 horsepower, while the Cayenne S gets 400 horsepower from its 4.8-litre V-8 unit. The king-pin Cayenne Turbo stays with a twin-turbocharged 4.8-litre V-8 engine and 500 horsepower.

All Cayennes will be offered with an eight-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission as standard. A low-speed transfer case has been dropped, making the new Cayenne even more of an on-road vehicle than the outgoing model. A stop-start system and thermal management of the engine and transmission are also set to help improve fuel economy.

While there isn’t a massive power increase for the new Cayenne it does weigh on average 180kg less than its predecessor. The weight saving has come from a new construction processes the increased use of aluminum and the removal of the two-speed transfer case.

In terms of size, the Cayenne is grown slightly in length and wheelbase.

Sales of the Cayenne in New Zealand begin on July 24. Initial models to go on sale will be the Cayenne S, S Hybrid and Turbo. These will be joined later by the V6 Diesel and V6 Petrol models.

New Zealand specification and pricing is still yet to be confirmed and will be announced nearer to the arrival date.

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