2012 Porsche Cayenne Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Porsche Cayenne review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 Cayenne, and includes Porsche Cayenne safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The Cayenne is a sport/utility vehicle that emphasizes the “sport” portion of the equation. But this SUV isn’t intended solely for paved-road driving; it’s fairly capable in the rough stuff, too. Add plenty of premium materials and features coupled with a variety of ways to customize a Cayenne through trim, color, material, and technology selections, and the Cayenne is a compelling way to spend a big wad of cash.

Porsche updates the year-old second-generation Cayenne in numerous ways, but perhaps the most important development to Porschephiles is a new Turbo Power Kit for the Cayenne Turbo that bumps horsepower by 40 ponies and 47 pound-feet of torque to 540 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of pavement wrinkling twist. The Cayenne Turbo also gets larger front brake discs with the optional Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system, and models equipped with 20-inch wheels can have a 20-inch collapsible spare tire installed. If you’re into statistics, the Cayenne can be outfitted with a display showing acceleration and cornering data.

Remaining modifications are cosmetic in nature. Sand White and Sand Yellow paint colors are discontinued, replaced by White and Carmine Red. Exterior badges are chrome this year, and the wheel choices offer new finishes and available black bolts. Wheel arch extensions are body color, and there are new SportDesign features including black headlamp surrounds, smoked taillight lenses, illuminated stainless steel door sill trim, and Yachting Mahogany wood cabin trim.

There are four different 2012 Cayenne models on sale, each equipped with a unique powertrain and feature set. Additionally, Porsche offers numerous ways to custom-build a Cayenne, and the best way to learn more about your options is to visit the Porsche website and play with the “build your own” configuration tool.

The least expensive model is simply called the Cayenne, and it comes with a V6 engine, a manual transmission, Porsche Traction Management (PTM) active all-wheel drive, and what we would call the luxury basics. Highlights include leather, eight-way power front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power tailgate, and Porsche Communication Management (PCM) with Bluetooth, a USB port, and a seven-inch touchscreen display. The standard stereo includes a CD/MP3/DVD player and an auxiliary audio input jack, and the Cayenne is equipped with LED driving lights, LED turn signal indicators, and LED taillights. Ready for foul-weather battle thanks to standard PTM, the Cayenne is also equipped with heated side mirrors, heated washer nozzles, rain-sensing wipers, water-repellent front window glass, and 18-inch wheels.

The 2012 Cayenne S adds a V8 engine and a Tiptronic S automatic transmission, providing plenty of extra power and performance. The transmission can be manually shifted using the paddle shifters mounted to the standard SportDesign steering wheel, and this version of the Cayenne is equipped with Servotronic speed-sensitive steering. A power sunroof is also standard on the Cayenne S, and it comes with a unique set of wheels.

The Cayenne S Hybrid is equipped the same way as the Cayenne S, except that it has a supercharged V6 engine paired with an electric assist motor and a battery pack that is recharged by a regenerative braking system. The Cayenne S Hybrid also includes unique badges, special hybrid system information displays in the gauge cluster, and different version of PTM all-wheel drive.

The most expensive, and most powerful, Cayenne is the Cayenne Turbo. A twin-turbocharged V8 engine provides plenty of motive force, and this version of Porsche’s SUV is packed with navigation, a Bose surround sound audio system, a park assist system, and 19-inch wheels. Inside, the Cayenne Turbo is equipped with real aluminum trim and an upscale Alcantara headliner, as well as adaptive front sport seats with memory for the driver’s settings, heated front and rear seats, and a heated steering wheel.

Depending on which Cayenne model you select, Porsche provides numerous ways to upgrade the SUV with a variety of options. Among the highlights are a four-zone climate control system, premium Bose or Burmeister surround sound audio systems, a rear-seat entertainment system, and a navigation system with voice recognition technology. A heated windshield, heated steering wheel, heated front and rear seats, and ventilated rear seats are also available, and the Cayenne can be equipped with 14-way power Comfort or 18-way power Adaptive Sport seats. Additional options include a panoramic glass sunroof, Porsche Entry & Drive keyless access and ignition, power rear window sunshades, and skid plates for off-roading.

In the sections below, we’ll cover a few more of the Cayenne’s optional features, but even so, you should know that we’ve only scratched the surface in terms of possibilities. Your best bet to learn more about standard and optional equipment is visit the official Porsche website.

Until this version of the Cayenne debuted, Porsche had never built a V6 engine before. That makes the standard direct-injected, 3.6-liter V6 – which is derived from the 4.8-liter V8 installed in the Cayenne S – a special engine. It makes 300 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 295 pound-feet of torque at 3,000 rpm, directed to all four wheels through a standard six-speed manual or optional eight-speed Tiptronic S automatic, the latter equipped with an Auto Start/Stop function that shuts the V6 engine off under certain conditions to better conserve fuel.

How well does Auto Start/Stop work? It improves fuel economy over the standard manual gearbox, raising it from 15-city/22-highway to 16-city/23-highway. And if extracting the best mileage doesn’t matter, know that Porsche says the standard Cayenne accelerates to 60 mph in 7.1 seconds with the manual and 7.4 seconds with the Tiptronic S automatic. Top speed is 142 mph.

If you can afford the Cayenne S, get it. With fuel economy ratings of 16-city/22-highway, it basically does just as well as the V6-powered model, while delivering 400 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 369 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm courtesy of a direct-injected, 4.8-liter V8 engine. The Tiptronic S automatic with Auto Start/Stop is standard, and the Cayenne S rockets to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds on the way to a top speed of 160 mph.

There’s a good reason the Cayenne Turbo is the most expensive model in the lineup. It has a twin-turbocharged, direct-injected 4.8-liter V8 good for 500 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 516 lb-ft of torque available between 2,250 and 4,500 rpm. Get the new Turbo Power Kit, and those figures rise to 540 ponies and 553 lb-ft of twist. The Tiptronic S transmission is standard, equipped with Auto Start/Stop technology, and the Cayenne Turbo is rated to get 15-city/22-highway. Porsche says that it will accelerate to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and achieve a top speed of 172 mph in standard tune.

If maximum velocity is not as important as balancing power and performance with a reduced environmental footprint, try the Cayenne S Hybrid. The big difference in fuel economy is realized in city driving, where the S Hybrid is rated to get 20 mpg. On the highway, this model doesn’t perform much better than the Cayenne S, checking in at 24 mpg. That said, on a drag strip the Cayenne S Hybrid doesn’t perform much worse than the Cayenne S with a zero-to-60 time of 6.1 seconds and a top speed of 150 mph.

Porsche calls the Cayenne S Hybrid a full parallel hybrid, equipped with a propulsion system that allows the vehicle to be powered by the engine or electric motor independently or in combination with one another. According to Porsche, the Cayenne S Hybrid can travel up to 40 mph on the battery pack alone, and, thanks to standard Auto Start/Stop technology, can coast at speeds up to 97 mph with the gasoline engine turned off to conserve fuel. The system is comprised of a supercharged, direct-injected 3.0-liter V6 engine, a 288-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack, and an electric motor to generate a combined 380 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 427 lb-ft of torque at just 1,000 rpm.

In addition to being fast and relatively fuel efficient on the highway, the 2012 Porsche Cayenne is also well stocked with safety features. Ventilated disc antilock brakes with braking readiness, brake assist, and an Auto Hold function that operates like a hill-start assist system are standard. All Cayennes also have Porsche Stability Management (PSM), and six airbags are included on all models. Extra-cost items include a reversing camera, a Lane Change Assistant blind spot monitoring system and an Adaptive Cruise Control system, as well as a Porsche Dynamic Light System (standard on Turbo) that includes bi-Xenon headlights with dynamic cornering and speed-sensitive headlight control.

As much as we would like to report about how well the Cayenne performs in crash tests, neither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration nor the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has assessed the Cayenne as this report is written.

In terms of dependability, Consumer Reports gives the Cayenne its lowest possible predicted reliability rating, which means owners of the redesigned 2011 model are not pleased with their vehicles from a quality point of view. This attitude is reflected in a below average quality rating from J.D. Power and Associates, though the market research firm remains bullish on the Cayenne’s long-term reliability prospects.

An all-wheel-drive system called Porsche Traction Management (PTM) is standard on every Cayenne. All models except the S Hybrid get an active version that drives the rear wheels until conditions warrant power transfer to the front wheels. On the Cayenne S Hybrid, PTM is different in that it is a permanent AWD system with a self-locking center differential and a 40:60 front-to-rear power distribution.

All Cayennes except the S Hybrid model are available with Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus), a variable torque management system with a rear differential lock that, when cornering, can send the majority of engine power to the outside rear wheel while simultaneously braking the inside rear wheel to improve cornering, grip, and traction.

The Cayenne and Cayenne S can be equipped with an optional Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), which comes standard on the Cayenne Turbo. PASM is an air suspension system with driver-selectable Comfort, Normal and Sport modes, and it can be upgraded with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), an active vehicle stabilization system that reduces body roll in corners.

Internally ventilated disc brakes with six-piston front and four-piston rear calipers are standard on every Cayenne. Brake disc size increases as you go up the model line, and the Cayenne Turbo is equipped with two-piece front and cross-drilled rear discs for maximum stopping capability. Any of the four Cayenne models can be equipped with optional Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes (PCCB), as long as the buyer has upgraded to 19-inch wheels or larger.

The 2012 Porsche Cayenne’s rear seat slides fore and aft with up to 6.3 inches of travel to adjust for leg or cargo space, and the backrest can be reclined to one of three angled settings. Cargo area measures 23.7 cubic-feet with the rear seat in use (20.5 cu-ft for the S Hybrid) and 62.9 cu-ft with the rear seat folded down (59.7 cu-ft for the S Hybrid).

The base Cayenne with the manual transmission can tow a little less than 6,000 pounds. All other models can handle up to 7,716 lbs. of trailer.

With the standard suspension, the Cayenne provides 8.7 inches of ground clearance. Add PASM, the adjustable air suspension, and the Cayenne offers a range of 6.9 inches to 10.75 inches. Planning to cross a stream? The Cayenne’s maximum wading depth is 19.69 inches with the standard suspension and up to 21.85 inches for models with PASM.

Porsche collaborated with Volkswagen during the Cayenne’s development phase (the Touareg SUV is VW’s model), but despite the team effort the resulting vehicles are distinctly different from one another.

Evidently, Cayenne buyers are not happy with the quality of their vehicles, resulting in below average ratings from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates. If that’s not a deal breaker for you, and you really want a Porsche that can go just about anywhere and do just about anything, the Cayenne is the answer to the question of what to buy. We recommend the Cayenne S for its blend of performance, highway fuel economy, and relative affordability.

-- By Christian Wardlaw