Porsche claims that the 2008 Cayenne is the "second generation" of the pricey SUV. Well, not quite. The truck's essential anatomies—the chassis, body sheetmetal, and basic running gear—are the same. The 2008 makeover is more about refining the Cayenne's look, powertrains, and suspension.
Visible changes include new headlights, front air intakes, redesigned exterior rearview mirrors, a larger rear decklid spoiler, new taillights, rear undercarriage diffuser, and redesigned exhaust tips. Though these are obviously cosmetic redesigns, Porsche says they combine for a "significant improvement of aerodynamics," with the Cayenne's drag coefficient down from 0.38 (V-6 model) and 0.39 (V-8 models) to 0.35 on all versions of the 2008 model.
More substantially, all three of the Cayenne's engines get boosts in power by virtue of displacement increases, direct fuel injection, variable valve control, and other refinements. The base Cayenne’s original 3.2-liter V-6, which was good for 247 horsepower, is replaced by a 3.6-liter six that’s rated at 290 hp. The mid-line S model’s previous 340 hp, normally aspirated, 4.5-liter V-8 is trumped by a 4.8-liter V-8 that puts out 385 hp. And the 2008 Turbo’s 500 hp, twin-turbo, 4.8-liter V-8 outpoints its predecessor 4.5-liter engine by 50 hp.
This extra power is apparent across the model range in highway driving. Both the base model and the unblown V-8 are noticeably quicker. But we spent most of our time driving the Cayenne Turbo (wouldn’t you?) and found that it easily devours just about anything that gets in its way, most noticeable at cruising speeds where a stab of the throttle quickly puts the speedo needle in triple digits. The response is so instantaneous that a driver may be lulled into forgetting that this is a 5000-or-so pounder with the attendant inertia of that mass. Off road, the Cayenne is good enough for dirt roading, fire trailing, and slop that’s less than of gumbo consistency. It’s not a Rubicon runner but, then again, it’s not meant to be. Either way, for an SUV, the Cayenne handles exceedingly well, despite its somewhat slow and mostly uncommunicative steering, but there’s no compensating for its bulk and height.
Well, almost no compensating. For 2008, Porsche has come up with an interesting new optional techno feature it calls PDCC (Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control). This system uses a bunch of sensors and computer controls to operate hydraulic swivel motors which twist the front and rear anti-roll bars to offset body roll in turns. This agglomeration of hardware works remarkably well. In a fairly rapid slalom it is difficult to detect any body roll and on a climbing, twisty mountain road, the Cayenne almost makes you forget you're in a high-center-of-gravity SUV instead of a pavement-biting sports car.
This feeling, however, comes at a price. The PDCC system is a $3510 option, and the catch is you must have the $2990 air suspension system to get it. So, think of it as a $6500 bit of equipment.
But is price a problem here? Apparently Porsche doesn't think so. For 2008, the Cayenne bottom line creeps upward by 1.2 to 3.9 percent so that the bad news is: Base Cayenne, $44,295; Cayenne S, $58,795; and Turbo, $94,595
