Was thinking today about how Porsche could improve the Cayenne when it's redesigned in a few years. It seems that a move to Unibody construction from the current body on truck frame would significantly improve the already great performance of the Cayenne. Mercedes made this change for their current generation MLs with exceptional results. There would be a slight reduction in towing capacity and off-road toughness, but these would be more than made up for with major advances in the handling/performance department which is Porsche's claim to fame, after all. A Unibody redesign seems like an obvious move, what do you guys think??

 

I think Cayenne will get smaller and the engine will have slight modifications, resulting in high performance gains since the weight is reduced and engine is boosted. I think they will also remove the gasoline Cayenne and make the Hybrid cayenne standard by that time. Any other opinions?

 

I can't see them totaling removing the gas engine option. I don't think a hybrid engine really is something a Cayenne owner would want, yes some people would, but many who pick the Cayenne pick it for 2 reasons.

Name and Performance, and at this point many people don't equate hybrid with performance.

 

Well, some may think I am an ignorant person but I would never ever buy a Hybrid Cayenne, even if they offer the same performance with the Hybrid model. I think a Porsche must be a gasoline guzzler, and I am proud of my car guzzling that much gasoline. However, it looks like they will only offer hybrid cars in the future. This is what I saw at the Detroit Auto Show 2008. But they are trying to reach the same performance with hybrid cars, and they will by the end of 2009, I hope..

 

1st....Cayenne's are already a unit body construction. the chassis was ground up designed as a serious offroader/SUV, that is why it is so heavy. I think what you mean to speculate, is that they will have a go at making it lighter, possibly by utilizing a more car like chassis, as the offroad capabilities of the Cayenne are not the reason many but one.

2. Porsche will never get away from petrol engines in the near to distant future. possibly when Hydrogen is a more realistic possibility, and it becomes more of a true alternative fuel, then they might consider a switch, as there are not any performance disadvantages with Hydrogen

 

We are all telling our opinions, but you seem to know everything about the future of Cayenne. Maybe you should consider using "Porsche would" instead of "Porsche will"...

 

[QUOTE=GossettPorsche;1710626]1st....Cayenne's are already a unit body construction. the chassis was ground up designed as a serious offroader/SUV, that is why it is so heavy. I think what you mean to speculate, is that they will have a go at making it lighter, possibly by utilizing a more car like chassis, as the offroad capabilities of the Cayenne are not the reason many but one.

I have no idea what "Unit Body" is ???? Do a Wikipedia search for "Unibody" and you'll understand my question. If, in fact, you are referring to "Unibody" construction then you DO understand what I'm talking about.

Now, do you think that the 2010/2011 Cayenne may go to a Unibody platform from the conventional truck platform?

 

the cayenne is already a unibody chassis. it is just not based on an existing sedan platform, but rather one that was designed from the ground up as an SUV with credible offroad potential.

also, in the wiki entry under monocoque, I found this:

"Structural skin is another term for the same concept. Unibody is a related construction technique for automobiles in which the body is integrated into a single unit with the chassis rather than having a separate body-on-frame. The welded "Unit Body" is the predominant automobile construction technology today." (in other words, we are both right with our terminology)

Also, here is a cutaway of the current Cayenne Chassis:

 

Dustin: How about a Panamera based Cayenne for 2010/2011

 

hard to say if that will happen. Panamera is due out 2009/2010, hard to say really. it is possible, just depends on if PAG wants to eliminate the offroad potential of the Cayenne. not many use it, but I know that some do, and that is something they have to consider.

 

Dustin: As I think more about this, if Porsche eliminated the off-road and towing capability you end up with an Audi All-Road. What's the point? The Cayenne must retain off-road and towing to be viable in their market segment against BMW X series, Mercedes ML series, etc.

 

i posted earlier, the latest issue of Automobile magazine, the one with the white R8 on the cover, had a great comment on the 2010 Cayenne and it will be much more like this version than earlier expected.


they suggested over 5 years to the real total overdo of the Cayenne,

 

FLB03TT - not necessarily. just some basic chassis lightening, for example if they utilized aluminum throughout the suspension, got rid of the 2 speed transfer case/low range, and then utilized lighter components for certain key items for example front and rear subframes. additionally through the process of lightening the chassis other parts could be lightened as well as the stresses would be reduced.

just some thoughts, kicking around ideas. none of this is official, just from my own mind.

 

May be in 2011 we will have iPod integration?

 

Dustin: I assume that you agree that the next Cayenne will almost certainly retain 5000 lbs.+ towing capacity and X5, ML350/550 level of off-road capability. Component lightening always benefits handling & 0-60/60-0, etc. performance and gas mileage with a higher power to weight ratio.