How to save money by buying a Porsche Cayenne Turbo
This rugged off-road machine costs much less than a LandCruiser while offering immense capability off the beaten track.
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Looking for an adventure machine but don’t want to be the latest Toyota LandCruiser or Nissan Patrol to carve its way across the Simpson Desert?
Porsche thinks it may have a solution – and it won’t blow a hole in your bank balance.
The sports car specialist has started offering specialised accessories for the first generation of its Cayenne SUV, some of which have now celebrated their 20th birthday.
While modern Cayennes are more about slick on-road running and brutal acceleration, the original car – codenamed E1 – came surprisingly well set up for tracks and trails.
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That Cayenne’s off-road artillery started with adjustable height air suspension that gave it up to 273mm of ground clearance, which is a whole lot more than most hard core four-wheel drives.
And you can add to that with factory-developed equipment designed to up the off-road ability.
“The Porsche equipment that is now available for first generation models and classic Porsches has been very popular overseas and we are confident that it will be just as well received in Australia,” said Daniel Schmollinger, chief executive and managing director for Porsche Cars Australia.
“We’re seeing increasing interest from Australian enthusiasts, many of whom recognise the early generation as the perfect foundation for building an exceptional off-road tourer.”
It’s that outback-ready ability we wanted to put to the test.
We headed to the outback town of Broken Hill for a proper off-road adventure.
It kicked off in Melbourne with a 2004 Cayenne with 126,000km on its odo.
It may have been well used, but like all Porsches the Cayenne still has performance at its heart.
The 4.5-litre twin-turbo V8 pumps out 331kW and 620Nm, the latter available from 2250rpm.
Driving through a six-speed Tiptronic auto, it feels brisk rather than potent these days.
While a modern V6 hybrid can out blast it, the way the E1 surges past road trains will leave LandCruisers and Patrols in its dust.
You’ll know about it at the bowser, though.
Claimed average fuel use was 15.7 litres per 100km, with highway consumption of 11.9L/100km.
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With some enthusiastic overtakes and a rooftop tent ($8706) up top our consumption was hovering around 17L/100km.
That’s a lot of premium unleaded, although fortunately there’s a 100-litre fuel tank to ensure you at least won’t be stopping too often.
Drive it more gently and forgo the hardware up top and you should be able to sneak closer to low double digits.
Through corners, too, the E1 Cayenne still has poise and talent, although the knobbly all-terrain tyres take the edge off steering precision and outright grip.
Roll onto the dirt, though, and suddenly that off-road focused rubber comes into its own.
As well as having much less chance of a puncture, the more aggressive tread pattern claws the red dirt more convincingly than the high speed rubber originally fitted to the Cayenne.
Ours also came with a swing out spare wheel holder that a small number of cars had fitted at the factory.
It’s an excellent addition and provides the all-important full size spare wheel.
But if the car you’re looking at doesn’t have one there are various aftermarket alternatives.
Getting more adventurous is a reminder of how well set up for off-road work the E1 was.
It also has a dual-range transfer case, giving access to super low gears for slow speed crawling and hill climbing.
Throw in a centre locking differential and the Cayenne surprises with the sort of stuff it’ll clamber over.
There’s even an on-board air compressor and hose to adjust tyre pressures in the middle of nowhere.
That superb ground clearance means you can roll over some gnarly obstacles without risk of scraping the belly.
Ours also had a two-inch Eurowise lift kit fitted for $4500. It makes that already excellent ground clearance even better.
But it’s far less generous with suspension travel in off-road mode, with added stiffness making it easy to hang a wheel in the air.
That then keeps the traction control busy.
While the electronics do a respectable job of triggering the brakes to stop spinning wheels, it can be noisy, especially compared to modern systems.
That’s no biggie – driving a 200-Series LandCruisers gives some similar electronic graunching – but it’s something to be aware of.
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The more time you spend in the Cayenne the more there is to like.
Dual sun visors on either side are interspersed with a small flap that folds out to cover the glare between the mirror and the top of the windscreen.
And the original touchscreen has been replaced by a 7-inch unit that bring digital radio tuning and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto ($2924).
Add it all up and you don’t have to be accountant to work out you may end up spending more on the fresh accessories than you did on the car.
But rolling up to the Birdsville Pub in a Porsche is likely to turn more heads – and get some of that wink-and-nod outback cred – than you’ll get in a Ford, Toyota or Nissan.
Originally published as How to save money by buying a Porsche Cayenne Turbo
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