Where the Turbo is all theatrical
thump, the S feels more rounded, more
usable every day and more fun to
drive when the roads get interesting.
It has a broader torque range than its
more expensive sibling, and 550Nm is
usually enough from 1800rpm. It has
abroaderpowerrange,too,andfeels
and sounds far happier about revving
to its 6800rpm limiter, as if by nailing
the throttle, you’ve asked it to do what
it wanted to do all along.
Youdon’trealisejusthowsweetand
smooth the new 2.9-litre twin-turbo
V6 is until you drive the Turbo, and
324kW is more than enough to make
its short ratios (astonishingly, 5.00 for
first, with a 3.24 final-drive ratio) of
fleeting relevance.
It’s so clean and strong that Porsche
says it hits its 265km/h top speed in
the direct-drive sixth gear, with the
last two long cogs there for cruising
with better fuel economy and a
quieter cabin.
It’s a wonderful motor to drive,
punching out of corners on either
torque or high-end power, capable
of terrific feats of throttle response
and there’s enough of everything
to drift the big SUV on dry tarmac.
Porsche claims it will hit 100km/h in
4.9 seconds, but that’s only with the
optional Chrono Package, otherwise
it’s a 5.2-second exercise.
But for all the potency, the star(s) of
the show live below decks and include
such notable techy stuff as all-wheel
steering, an electro-mechanical
anti-roll bar and a three-chamber air
suspension system that finallyworks
properly. Driving most of that stuff is
a 48-Volt system that replaces Audi’s
battery with a lighter capacitor.
Thestockbrakepackagedoes
without the Turbo’s new tungsten-
carbidecoatedbrakediscinfavourof
a steel frisbee with six-piston calipers
up front, all surrounded by 255/55
ZR19 rubber at the front and 275/50
ZR19s at the back.
Its ride and handling stand out,
capable of comfortable cruising,
effective pothole masking and, with
the hang-on rear differential, a terrific
ability to shrink in tight corners and
stretch for stability on the faster ones.
And the well-weighted steering,
wide power curve and clean gear
shifting make it massively flexible
and forgiving in hard driving. And,
surprisingly, fun.M
New Cayenne
steals its sleek,
touchscreen-heavy
interior out of the
updated Panamera,
onlyforamuch,
much lower priced motorofficial f motor_mag^35