[gavriil1]

Boxster S to be accurate...

By Craig Cheetham

Could this be the Porsche for the people? The German sports car maker is planning a cut-price version of the Cayenne, which will make its debut at September's Frankfurt Motor Show.

Auto Express has learned the new model will be powered by VW's 3.2-litre V6, developing 240bhp and giving a 0-60mph time of around eight seconds. It will go into production next summer, once Porsche has satisfied demand for the Cayenne's initial production, and could also be offered with VW's innovative DSG transmission as an option.

The car will cost around £35,000 - £9,000 less than the current base model - making it a rival to the Jeep Grand Cherokee, BMW X5 and Volvo XC90.

Porsche's UK bosses will use the Frankfurt show to gauge reaction to the car, and will make a decision about when it will be brought here. However, our sources say they're in no hurry. An insider told Auto Express: "The V6 won't come to the UK for a while yet. We don't think it fits in with where we are trying to place the car in the market."

It won't be the first time Porsche has built a car with a Volkswagen engine - the 914 of 1969 was powered by a flat-four air-cooled VW unit, while the 924, launched in 1976, came with the same 2.5-litre water-cooled four-cylinder as found under the bonnet of the LT Van. Ironically, the current VW Transporter can be ordered with the 3.2 V6, drawing an extraordinary parallel between the Cayenne and the 924.

Meanwhile, Auto Express has learned that other variants of the controversial Porsche off-roader are on the horizon. Our source told us: "There will definitely be more powerplant options in the Cayenne. The car has a very large engine bay, which gives us plenty of scope."

That could mean a flagship version of the off-roader using the 612bhp 5.7-litre V10 unit developed for the Carrera GT. Don't hold your breath, though - there's no chance of it arriving until 2005.

Gabriel,
2001 CL Type S
2001 Lexus RX300 Silversport

 

[gavriil1]

By GREG KABLE


Porsche will reveal a lower-priced, lower-powered version of the Cayenne in Frankfurt. It'll be powered by a lightly tuned version of Volkswagen’s 3.2-litre V6 engine—as used in the Golf R32, among other models—at the Frankfurt auto show next month. The VW mill is the first ever V6 of any kind to be slotted in a Porsche factory product.
The V6 offering comes after disappointing sales of the V8 edition of the German off-roader in Europe, where buyers have shied away from the more powerful but notoriously thirsty Cayenne S and Turbo in favor of more fuel-efficient luxury offerings such as the Volkswagen Touareg.

In the United States, the Cayenne went on sale in March and hasn’t experienced any such sales disappointment. The truck is selling at the rate of about 1500 units per month, at which rate it will breeze past the company’s U.S. sales target of 12,500 annually. The U.S. number represents half of the total worldwide production prior to expanded capacity for the newly announced model. The current Porsche truck lineup is priced at $55,900 for the S and $88,900 for the Turbo.

In Germany, the V6 truck costs e47,592 ($52,000), but the price will likely fall below $50,000 to compete with similarly-powered luxo/utes and put some room between it and the V8 Cayenne on Porsche’s pricing scale. The vehicle goes on sale during the first half of 2004 in the United States following the European introduction this fall.

While the forthcoming Cayenne may be a step down in power, it will be the only Cayenne model to be offered with a manual gearbox; a new six-speed should be available by the time it hits the States. The V6, which makes 217 hp in the Touareg, gets a 30-hp bump to 247 at 6000 rpm in the Cayenne thanks to engine controller and exhaust system changes. Torque is rated at 228 lb-ft at 2500 to 5500 rpm. The V6 Cayenne goes from 0 to 60 mph in 9.1 seconds, compared to the Turbo’s estimated 5.6-second run. Top speed is expected to be 133 mph. The normally aspirated V8-equipped Cayenne produces 340 hp and 310 lb-ft, while the Turbo makes 450 hp and 457 lb-ft.

Sources suggest that the 308-hp, 553-lb-ft 5.0-liter V10 turbocharged diesel V10—currently offered in the Touareg—could be next for the Cayenne.


Gabriel,
2001 CL Type S
2001 Lexus RX300 Silversport

 

[jtb]

They may be nice, and they may be Porsches, but they're still ugly.

 

[kloh]

Cayenne was a car I wasn't excited about at all when I saw the first TV commercials. But I think they look much better in real life.