The 2011 Porsche Cayenne V6 is available now for export from the USA with MSRP at $64,765.00.

 

2011 Porsche Cayenne V6

 

The 2011 Porsche Cayenne V6 is powered by a 3.6L engine, but it’s not the same one used in the Panamera. Instead, the Cayenne is sharing a new narrow angle VR6 with the Volkswagen Toureg. The Panamera’s engine is a full aluminum 90-degree V6, while the new Cayenne’s is iron block as well as aluminum with direct injection and a 10.6 degree V6 engine.

Of course, Porsche has tweaked this new engine to properly handle the Cayenne and they’ve added a new intake manifold resulting in 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Also, they’ve bolted in a standard 6-speed manual transmission to the rear of the engine, which sends power to all the wheels with an electronically controlled AWD system -which is also used by the new 8-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission. With it’s new-found smaller V6 engine the Cayenne didn’t miss a beat and can still tow the same 7,700 pound trailer as the other Cayennes.

The engine isn’t the only thing Porsche decided to downsize on the new Cayenne, as the standard brakes are now just a bit smaller as well. On the front are 6-piston black painted aluminum monobloc calipers set on 13.78-in. iron rotors, and on the back are 4-piston calipers on 13-in. rotors.

The new base Cayenne did take something from the V6 Panamera, and if you look around the back you’ll notice the familiar twin brushed stainless steel oval exhaust pipes.

Having a lighter powertrain helps the Cayenne V6 undercut the Cayenne Turbo on the scales by nearly 400 pounds. The turbo isn’t the only one trailing behind the new Cayenne in weight class, the Mercedes ML350 weighs an extra 330 pounds and the BMW X5 has an extra 531 pounds.

Inside the Cayenne V6 looks much like the Panamera, with elegant styling cues, wood and aluminum accents and leather stitching. There is no option for a third row seat, but the seats in the second row slid back on rails, and their backs both recline and fold, making loading and unloading a snap.

The 3.6-liter V6 Cayenne is a heavily discounted way to enjoy Porsche’s superb eight-speed Tiptronic, bulletproof platform, refined chassis dynamics, luxurious cabin amenities, surefooted all-wheel drive, accurate steering feel and impressive braking capabilities at less than half the cost of the Cayenne Turbo. Now who could say no to that?