Are You Crazy Enough to Off-Road a Porsche Cayenne?
After year of dominating on the track, and the street, Porsche built a vehicle for where the road ends. Most SUV owners never take their vehicle off the paved roads, but Porsche says Cayenne owners are different. Are you one of the few, the proud, the Porsche off-roaders?
1. Don't Count it Out
For years, we've been seeing Jeep Wranglers and Land Rover Discoveries tackle terrain like this, but now Porsche offers a tough contender among these off-road legends. The current generation offers a variety of turbo V6 engines, delivering 300-horsepower in the base model, or 440-horsepower in the Cayenne S; it obviously does not lack power. Cayenne is designed to handle on road just as well as it would off, making it one of the most well-rounded SUVs on the market today. With features like Dynamic Chassis Control, the Cayenne always has active anti-roll systems looking out for you, anticipating lateral chassis movement on turns, on any terrain or surface. For off road use, there are available options like locking diffs, and computer assistance for bad terrain.
2. New Kid on the Rocks
Porsche's cars are usually spotted on paved roads, but there is a new kid on the off-road trails. From the start, the Cayenne was designed to be the best of all worlds, with a real all-wheel drive system including low range. The luxury-SUV is already equipped for greatness right from the get go. The first generation Cayenne came equipped with adjustable air-suspension, allowing the perfect ground clearance to tackle the unknown that lay beyond the normal roads.
3. Wipers On - Windows Up
With the right option package, you can take the Porsche Cayenne off the dealer's lot and directly onto the toughest of terrain. There aren't a lot of surfaces that can pose a threat to the Cayenne's Torque Vectoring Plus system, a feature that controls the rear differential to allow it to tackle various types of off-road scenarios. You can simply raise the air suspension six-inches and watch what the German masterpiece of engineering can do.
4. What Road?
Taking your Porsche Cayenne off the road is not that crazy actually, as it comes with three off-road modes to turn it into an absolute beast with the right off-road package. Off-Road Mode One will ensure all of your systems are adjusted to the maximum traction possible, including your ABS and suspension. With this mode engaged, you can also adjust the ride height (on air suspension equipped models) even higher to increase the approach/departure angle and wading depth of your Cayenne depending on the type of off-roading you're doing.
5. Nice Beach Day
After your Golden Retriever, a Cayenne is the closest thing to a best friend, simply because it can go with you wherever you go. With Off-Road Mode Two, the Cayenne improves its traction further by completely locking the multi-plate clutch in the transfer case, to send power to the front and rear wheel equally. So if possible, switch to Mode Tow, and don't use the parking lot at the beach. Just take your Cayenne right up to the water with you and don't even worry about getting stuck.
6. Lock It Up
Off-Road Mode Three allows for the most extreme off-roading, by locking the electronically controlled variable rear differential. This is the mode you would choose when you plan on getting a car wash later and are tackling seriously slick mud, sand or crawling over rocks. If you plan on using Mode Three, you should probably not choose the available high performance summer tire option.
7. No Terrain Left Behind
Porsche is well respected and their reputation precedes them, so with that in mind, any car that rolls off their production line must be a capable one. The Cayenne in particular comes with an advanced braking system, featuring the Ceramic Composite Brake Discs; a lightweight system that can withstand the abuse of a 5,000 lb SUV being driven hard. The on-road/off-road monster is sporty an luxurious on the road, thanks to the advance chassis engineering and air suspension, as well as off-road ready, thanks to the very same versatile features. If you want the full package, you won't find a better, more-capable SUV than the Porsche Cayenne.
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