The Good 12 v4.0 Part 11 - Porsche Cayenne

PORSCHE CAYENNE

Like a frog turned into a prince, the Porsche Cayenne was once useful and dynamic but is now, in generation deux, useful, dynamic and handsome. The first-generation Cayenne's 2007 facelift did it no favours, but one never heard an argument against the Cayenne's shocking handling or wicked straightline performance. Now the 2011 Porsche Cayenne has added clean and classy looks to the mix. Performance, of course, was not left by the wayside.

This is the Porsche of SUVs, even if that does sound a bit too cliche. Yes, there are five doors, a roomy backseat, a lofty driving position, and an utter dearth of horizontally-opposed boxer engines. Apart from those very un-Porsche-like facts, the second-gen Cayenne makes Zuffenhausen rich and proud; not just rich.

Truthfully, the Porsche Cayenne's repertoire of winning attributes doesn't just relate to clean styling and gobsmacking down-the-road execution. Take a peek inside at Porsche's contemporary dashboard design. Gain an appreciation for the benefits of an 8-speed automatic: improved fuel efficiency with quicker acceleration. Consider the copious P-centric abbreviations: PTV, PASM, PDCC, PSM, PDK. The 2011 Porsche Cayenne is more than just a fast and handsome SUV for the Porschephile.

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Engines: 300 horsepower; 295 lb-ft of torque from a 3.6L V6 or 400 horsepower; 369 lb-ft of torque from a 4.8L V8 or 380 horsepower; 428 lb-ft of torque from a 3.0L V6/electric motor parallel hybrid

Base USD/CAD Price: $46,700 / $58,200

City Fuel Economy: 15-21 miles per gallon

Cargo Capacity: 23.7 cubic feet or 62.9 cubic feet with rear seats folded

Sales Stats: Although GoodCarBadCar.net excludes the Porsche Cayenne Turbo because it exceeds the $75,000 USD price barrier, the Cayenne's overall sales total is certainly helped by the 500-horsepower Turbo. The arrival of the second-generation Porsche Cayenne is responsble for Porsche's 141% U.S. SUV sales jump in October. Cayenne sales in Canada in October (103) were nearly triple that of the next-closest Porsche, the profoundly ugly Porsche Panamera.

The Good 12

Audi Q5 - Buick Enclave - Cadillac CTS Sport Wagon
Fiat 500 - Ford F-150 - Ford Mustang V6 - Infiniti G25
 Jeep Wrangler - Nissan Juke - Porsche Boxster Spyder - Toyota Venza

The Bad 8

Acura ZDX - BMW 5-Series GT- BMW X6
 Honda Accord Crosstour - Lexus HS250h
Lincoln MKT - Nissan Leaf - Nissan Versa Sedan

Rules & Nominees