tommallett

That the Cayenne is ugly is beyond question. I didn't actually mind the first one, contrary to popular beliefs among everybody. But age has not improved the car to my eyes. Porsche has jumped on the bling bandwagon without a look back to their subtle past. One of the things I like about the venerable 911 is that it is both fast and subtle. To my eyes this makes it usable. The Cayenne on the other hand deals in ostentatious excess.

One of the options this particular car had was 20 inch wheels. Anyone that knows me will know that I am not seduced by the size if a wheel, but more the dynamic qualities that a wheel imbues a car with. Alpina 19 inchers are a particularly good example of wheel design, but I digress.
So, before I got in the car I had decided that I hated it. I didn't like the dark glass, I didn't like the 20 inch wheels and I didn't like the stupid spoiler attached to the rear of the car. That I got out of it with a smile on my face says a lot about Porsche's abilities to make a car drive like Ferdinand wanted them to.

Even on 20 inch wheels the Cayenne actually rides quite well and how it steers is nothing short of a 4x4 revelation for a country that was heralding the dynamic capabilities of the opinion splitting BMW X6. I was also quite impressed with the engine, it is a significant improvement over the old 3.6 litre unit, and mated with the batteries it is nearly worthy of the S moniker that sits on its ugly rump.

I am not sure that the drive train is quite good enough. It is slightly too noticeable when the batteries engage at lower speeds and I wondered if the gearbox could be a touch better, especially if we are comparing it to the best gearboxes from Stuttgart and Munich.

Overall I liked it, but you would have to be an absolute mentallist if you thought you were saving the planet by buying one.

Photos: courtesy of Porsche