Porsche Cayenne Diesel 2015 Review

Is this the most un-Porsche Porsche you could buy? A turbo-diesel V6 all-wheel drive wagon for goodness sake. Could there be anything more different to a 911 and still wear the Porsche badge?

Nope, probably not, except maybe the petrol-electric plug-in Cayenne we tested a few weeks ago.

But here’s the rub – or the rub it in your face if you are a ‘Porsche is a sports car company’ delusional. Porsche Cars Australia had sold 549 Cayennes in the first five months of 2015. Of that 105 were diesels. Its total 911 output in the same period? One hundred and eighty six.

Put all the mechanical and conceptual stuff aside and there’s another very important difference between the Cayenne Diesel and a 911 – about $100,000.

At $106,100 (plus on-road costs), the Diesel is the cheapest Cayenne you can buy. And until the advent of the Macan SUV, vied with the base model Boxster to be the cheapest Porsche of all. So that’s a temptation, drive a cheaper Porsche and carry the family and the dog around too.

Mind you that price went up in May from $104,700, which itself was only introduced along with a facelift back in November.

That facelift brought with it a new nose, tail and those distinctive four-point LED headlights. Extra equipment included bi-xenon headlights, tyre pressure monitoring (TPM) and – for the Australian market – larger 19-inch wheels and auto-dimming interior and side mirrors. Along with the rest of the range there was also a new 918 Spyder-style multi-function steering wheel with shift paddles.

At that time the price hiked from $101,100. This time round the price increase comes with no new equipment to soften the blow. So overall, the price of the Diesel has gone up $5000 in six months…

Other standard Cayenne Diesel equipment includes front, front-side and curtain airbags, a reversing camera with front and rear sensors, partial leather and black high-gloss interior trim, sat-nav and telephone functionality, fully powered front seats, a powered tailgate, dual-zone climate control and cruise control.

But the Cayenne Diesel is not at the forefront when it comes to gear. For instance, there is no sign of autonomous braking or keyless start, while the steering column adjusts manually and the spare tyre is an 18-inch space saver.

The Cayenne Diesel lines up against the usual German opponents – the about to be replaced Audi Q7, the third-generation BMW X5 and the about to be renamed and updated Mercedes-Benz ML (nee GLE). It’s more expensive than the logical rivals from all camps and lacks the ability to carry seven passengers – as the Q7 does standard and the X5 optionally. The Benz is strictly a five seater too, leaving the third-row exclusively for big brother GL (soon to be GLS).

Technically, the Cayenne is something of a bitza, reflecting Porsche’s increasing integration within the Volkswagen Group. Fundamental platform building blocks are linked with the VW Touareg and the Q7, while the 3.0-litre turbo-diesel V6 engine is also shared with them.

However, Porsche has gone its own way on tuning of the Cayenne Diesel. With this facelift the engine output is lifted to 193kW (up from 175kW) and 580Nm (up from 550Nm). Driving all four wheels permanently via an eight-speed ZF automatic transmission and self locking centre differential, Porsche claims a top speed of 221km/h (for the Northern Territorians) and a 0-100km/h time of 7.3sec.

It also claims a combined fuel consumption average of 6.8L/100km with the assistance of idle stop-start, active air flaps and a ‘coasting’ function which decouples the engine when the throttle is lifted. Combined with a 100-litre fuel tank that delivers a theoretical range well beyond 1000km. Our economy rate on test ran around the nine-litre mark, which is still pretty decent.

Porsche has, as is to be expected, performed its own dynamic tuning of the double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension and the Diesel is now the only Cayenne to come with orthodox steel – rather than air – suspension. The nice thing is it actually works pretty well.

As large and heavy SUVs go – the Diesel is 4855mm long, 1939mm wide and weighs in at a 2110kg – it is very well behaved and even moderately entertaining to drive.

The engine provides strong response from mid teens through to about 4750rpm. It’s obvious in the cabin in a way smoother petrol engines avoid thanks to a constant background tingling. But it is relatively free-revving, accelerates hard and provides a decent, aggressive sound track when going hard.

Yet it also cruises with civility and only a hint of lag off the bottom. The eight-speed auto shifts without fuss through the range, or holds gears longer and more obviously in ‘Sport’ mode. Shift manually and it will bang against the redline in your chosen gear all day long (not recommend, but nice the driver keeps that control).

It’s also nice the driver doesn’t have to trundle up and down through a range of suspension options. The Diesel behaves with a firm yet compliant responsiveness, really flowing nicely through a set of esses. You can feel the weight and size of the car; you wouldn’t call it nimble but it is well contained.

The AWD system is rear-biased and the rear-end can be flicked around, but it is all very controllable. Off-road? Well we tried some dirt roads and the Cayenne behaved itself. That was enough for us in a $100,000-plus vehicle.

Feel from the electric-assist steering is good, weighting quite pronounced and perhaps a tad heavy for some at lower speeds.

The brakes have been handed a task to haul this thing up, but six piston front and four piston rear aluminium monoblock callipers working on 350mm front and 330mm rear discs provide substantial stopping power.

The ride isn’t sloppy SUV at all, but nor do those big 19s bang away at your behind over every corruption. Suburbia at lower speeds will be survivable, but you will always be conscious of that size in tight spaces.

The interior is high quality, functional, comfortable and quiet. Up-front the driver is confronted by the usual five-dials with central tacho. The seat is large and supportive and the left footrest is large and in the right place. The centre stack is crowned by a media screen and the centre console is a blizzard of buttons.

There is plenty of rear-seat space for two adults, even with an optional sunroof ($3290) fitted, headroom is not challenged. Lower extremities are also well looked after. The doors open wide, the view out is clear and the rear seat slides fore-aft in sections. There are small door pockets, two seat-back pockets and adjustable air-vents. Five 12-volt outlets are spread around the interior.

Head all the way to the back and a substantial 670-litre luggage area awaits. Split-fold the 40/20/40 bench and that expands to a voluminous 1780 litres. A mountain bike can be carried without having to take out the front wheel.

So it’s big, spacious, comfortable and an adequate performer. Yep, the Cayenne Diesel is indeed as far from a 911 as a Porsche can get. It’s also a worthy competitor in the luxo-SUV segment.

*Overseas model shown for illustrative purposes.

2015 Porsche Cayenne Diesel pricing and specifications:
Price: $106,100 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo-diesel
Output: 193kW/580Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel: 6.8L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 179g CO2/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: N/A