Review and photos by
Jil McIntosh, CanadianDriver.com

If I had to come up with the ultimate definition of a “hard sell,” I’m guessing it was the day that someone stood before the bigwigs at Porsche and suggested they build an SUV. Of course you know the rest of the story: the Cayenne skyrocketed to success and still remains the company’s best-selling model in Canada.

2011 Porsche Cayenne Turbo

For 2011, the Cayenne morphs into a new generation, with sexier styling (especially at the rump), new grille, more interior space, and of most interest to drivers, a substantial drop in weight. Wait for it – this would make Jenny Craig’s jaw drop. Rather than the 20 or so kilos that would normally send automakers crowing about their weight loss, the S shaves off a startling 180 kilograms, the Turbo 185, thanks to a new all-wheel drive system and considerable use of lighter-weight materials. It translates into much more lively handling, as you’d expect, along with better fuel economy. Between the styling and the weight, it both looks and drives smaller than its predecessor even though the new one is slightly larger. I test-drove two of the 2011 variants, the Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo, which were alike enough in their styling and interior appointments that I’ve combined them here into a single story. Buyers can choose from four Cayenne models overall: the 3.6-litre V6 Cayenne; 4.8-litre V8 Cayenne S; Cayenne S Hybrid with supercharged 3.0-litre V6 and electric motor; and the Cayenne Turbo, with twin-turbocharged 4.8-litre V8. (more…)