| 2012 Porsche Cayenne Turbo; Is it a real Porsche? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 5 2012, 01:34 AM (90 Views) | |
| Buddha | Sep 5 2012, 01:34 AM Post #1 |
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2012 Porsche Cayenne Turbo After a long wait, Turn 10 has added Porsches into Forza 4. One of the included models is also one of the most controversial models ever added to the Porsche line: the Cayenne. This SUV was conceived as Porsche’s entry into a highly profitable segment and would help to increase their sales and profits. Did it work? Despite complaints from Porsche purists, the Cayenne has gone onto be one of Porsche’s strongest sellers (take that 911), as well as a strangely competent vehicle in its class of overpriced vehicles for rich housewives. Even stranger, the first generation Cayenne was actually a competent vehicle off-road (once you removed the performance tires and excessively large rims). Granted most of this likely comes from the Cayenne riding on the same platform as the Volkswagen Touareg and Audi Q7, but nonetheless this seems rather un-Porsche like. For the 2010 model year, the Cayenne was redesigned adopting a lighter platform which aids it in going to the supermarket faster than almost anything else as well as getting better gas mileage while doing so. Though, in all honesty, everything after this point I’m likely to say doesn’t apply to virtually any Cayenne you’ll see in reality. Well maybe peeling out with kids in the backseat or flying down the freeway threatening to cause accidents. Anyway, is the Cayenne a good vehicle? More importantly is it a good Porsche? Since SUVs are typically implied to be good off-road, most never see more than a gravel path or a light dirt patch. Same is true of my virtual Cayenne. Since I’m testing its off-road prowess (of sorts) I’ll be running it around Rally di Positano. Why you ask? Well, it’s the roughest track I can actually think of (in terms of total length). Plus it’ll give me a chance to see how well the Cayenne actually turns. As one would expect from something with 500 horsepower, the Cayenne hauls ass off the line. The acceleration is actually really good, likely aided by its 8 nicely spaced ratios. Of course being Positano, I had to brake shortly after having fun with the Cayenne. Needless to say, the Cayenne didn’t disappoint here either. For something weighing this much it actually stops pretty damn well. Cornering around this track was surprisingly decent considering this is an SUV not a 911. The Cayenne does have mild understeer and suffer from quite a bit of body roll (for Forza), though compared to other trucks/SUVs/vans, this is pretty much the benchmark. Once I stopped screwing around, the Cayenne turned a decent lap time of 1:12.168. Not bad for a vehicle this large. Well the Cayenne proved itself to me so I decided to see how it fared when put up against Porsche standards, not SUV standards. Well the 911 is quite possibly one of the cheapest drag cars on this planet. Let’s see if the Cayenne can beat one. For this, I chose the 911 Sport Classic, which was the lowest PI 911 that the Cayenne wouldn’t have overpowered completely. The Sport Classic hit the Top Gear quarter mile and ran a 12.496. The Cayenne then beat that with a 12.329 run. Honestly, I think the Cayenne’s torque and AWD won that for it. But like Vin Diesel famously said “winning’s winning”. There’s really nothing to say about the Cayenne for this round aside from its engine being extremely torquey and well matched to its gearing. Next, I got curious as to how fast the Cayenne would actually go. Porsche’s are measured in speed like all sports cars. So once again, I hopped in the aforementioned 911 and set a top speed benchmark of 191mph on the Test Track oval. Obviously, the Cayenne isn’t nearly as low slung and sleek as a 911, so I grabbed its closest competitor, the BMW X5M and ran it up to its top speed of 175mph. Next up was the Cayenne which ran 174mph. Despite having 8 gears, the Cayenne was barely in 6th at this speed. Damn MPG, I wanted them a bit closer for the sake of squeezing out top end. I was a bit disappointed in its speed but honestly it wasn’t bad. Next up is the subjective portion of the review. My personal thoughts on the Cayenne are its actually good enough to wear a Porsche badge. While it’s not perfect, it’s still an excellent vehicle. For an SUV in Forza, this is tied with the BMW X5M as the benchmark. Why doesn’t the Cayenne edge out the BMW? Well for starters, the BMW is a lot cheaper at 82,000 credits versus the Porsche’s 110,000. Yes this is Forza and that’s like 2 races, but still the BMW is a better value. Second, the BMW drives better in my personal opinion around most courses. Third, the Cayenne isn’t the prettiest of vehicles. I really wish Porsche would stop insisting on using the 911 as its design basis in other vehicles. Yes I realize it’s your baby, but stop insisting every damn vehicle look like one. Honestly, when I see an SUV with an $110,000 price tag and stupid ass options such as a trailer hitch for $650, a $2400 black painted interior, I know it’s a damn Porsche. Most of things come standard in other cars, as such, I feel if you’re going to pay that much for a vehicle, and you’re going charge that much for stupid options, then don’t make my luxury crossover look like a bloated 911 on stilts. Make it look special if you’re going to put effort into making it look different, otherwise do what BMW did: make it look like an SUV and leave it as such. Thankfully, the Cayenne isn’t actually that big. Like the aforementioned BMW, it’s of reasonable length so the chase cam doesn’t look awkward forcing me to drive in-car or hood view. Would I recommend the Cayenne in Forza? Yes, in a heartbeat. However, if you’re looking for a vehicle to replace your 911, look elsewhere. Much like reality, this is meant to sit in the garage alongside a 911 or to tow the 911 out of a ditch. If you’re looking for something that doesn’t fit an automotive stereotype, then look no further. The Cayenne is here, and yes, it’s a true Porsche. |
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