Cayenne S goes rallying

The Cayenne S by Porsche is sold as a SUV, marketed as a luxury vehicle, but handles like a rugged all-terrain vehicle. The Cayenne S will be put to the ultimate test by taking part in the Transsyberia Rally, covering some of the worst roads between Russia and Mongolia, this July.


Car Reviews
Justin Couture

In the event, which traverses 3,850 miles of wilderness between Moscow and Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, Porsche took the top three spots last year. Having such great success, the iconic brand is back to conquer the wild again in this year's race, and to ensure that it does better in the more grueling sections along the way, it has made some significant updates its lineup of specially prepared Cayenne SUVs.

Porsche has fitted a brand new sump guard, plus new bumpers giving the Cayenne S racers better approach and departure angles. Wrapping the orange-painted 18-inch wheels are new BFGoodrich all-terrain tires that feature an aggressive tread block and high sidewalls that add an additional 1.2 inches of ground clearance! These monster-sized wheels measure in at 265/65R18, and should have no trouble clawing their way through sand, rock or water. Big tires don't just provide grip, they add extra ground clearance too. They do, however, limit the Cayenne's top speed to 105 mph.

The changes to this year's Transsyberia racers might not seem all that great, but they're the sort of alterations that will help Porsche continue its commanding performance in the race, which will take place this July.

Although the Cayenne S only gives 19 mpg on the highway and a disgusting 13 mpg in the city, it does have a flexi-fuel engine. This means that it can use a gasoline-ethanol mix as fuel, with 25% ethanol.

Hayden Panetierre who had said in a GQ interview that she would get the hybrid Prius by Toyota, and dump her Porsche Cayenne S, has not kept her word. Size matters for Hayden Panetierre because she's seen driving around in her Merlot colored (burgundy) Cayenne S.