Since I’d already been bashing on the Cayenne a fair amount, I thought I better wait to post any thoughts about this new rendition of what I consider to be the ugly duckling in the Porsche family.

Over the last couple of weeks, in thinking about this post, I’m beggining to see some of the draw in the Cayenne diesel, and more importantly what this potentially represents from a technology perspective for the Porsche brand overall.  Heck, one of my favorite times in Porsche history was the debut of the 959 with all of it’s futuristic wizardry.  It was exciting to see in the years following the impact that had on the vehicles geared for us “common” folk.

Maybe my initial reactions of…

“…diesel equals slow.  Porsche is all about SPEED!”
“…since when is owning a Porsche about saving money?”
“…aren’t diesel motors for old trucks?  Let’s have some modern day technology!”

Should instead be more like…

“…a turbo just-about-anything will blow 90% of the cars off the road.”
“…kudos to Porsche for wanting to have a positive impact on the environment AND owner’s wallets.”
“…a diesel engine with things like spontaneous throttle response and high torque characteristics?  Exactly what I have come to expect from Porsche!”

I suppose this new version of the Cayenne could turn out to be an……ahem……good thing.  I hope the essence of Porsche is not lost along the way.

If anyone can pull it off, however, it’s Porsche.