Porsche Car

Porsche AG, or just Porsche, is a German manufacturer of automobiles. It was founded in 1931 by Ferdinand Porsche, an Austro-Hungarian engineer. Currently they are producing sports cars, super cars and sport utility vehicles.

Over the years, Porsche transformed itself from serious money-loser into one of the most profitable car companies in the world. Porsche has constantly rolled out new products and despite the costs and risks is has quadrupled its annual unit sales in just under a decade. The most recent debuts are the Boxster and the Cayenne. We are going to consider Cayenne V6 more in details.

When it goes on sale in the UK from February 2008, the Porsche Cayenne GTS will cost from 54,350 British pounds. Being the first Porsche to be priced under $100,000 in 20 years is a worthy achievement. In price terms it also matches up okay against other six-cylinder petrol-engined luxury SUVs like the new BMW X5 3.0si, the Mercedes-Benz ML and the Audi Q7.

The 3.6-litre narrow angle V6 - not a flat six as is the Porsche tradition in its sports car models - is sourced from the Volkswagen Group. The same fundamental engine is used in both the Touareg and Q7. This makes sense because Cayenne also shares its fundamental structure with those vehicles. The engine is a dohc, 24-valve design with variable valve timing and direct fuel injection, producing 213kW and 385Nm. It enjoys a rev and hauls the Cayenne's 2160kg kerb weight along pretty impressively. However, its 0-100km/h acceleration claim is slower than the BMW X5 and its official fuel consumption average is higher.

The Cayenne is competent rather than special in this regard. On air springs the ride is quite acceptable, while noise intrusion is not a big issue. The seating is comfortable in both rows, but there's nothing particularly clever or simple about the way the interior is folded and flipped to create space. Other vehicles in the class do it better. Modified suspension and a lower chassis are said to improve handling. Air suspension, which provides great dynamics, is still available as an option. Standard equipment includes traction control, four-wheel drive and active suspension management to smooth the ride and improve handling. Interior tweaks include new front sports seats and additional use of leather and Alcantara trim.

No NCAP independent crash test rating available for the Cayenne, but Porsche's engineering standards are high enough to have faith in its structure. Safety equipment includes six airbags, traction and stability control, ABS and roll-over sensing. The Cayenne's impressive dynamics are a fundamental primary safety asset.

Overall verdict: it would be a great gift to the Porsche fans with its quite low cost!