Autocrossed the Cayenne S this last weekend. Heard from many of the others in the Porsche club that they were quite surprised at how flat the Cayenne handled. Harder to drive than the 911, but still turned some respectable times, considering the novice driver

 

I've been wanting to take mine out to the Auto-X, but am a little scared. I know it can handle it, but my brain still tell me i'm in a SUV...if I can just get past this mental block.

 

I too was hesitant, as this is really my wife's "SUV", and not my toy. First thought was that I was going to roll this thing, and that would be hard to explain. Then feared it would not do well, and reflect badly on the Porsche marque. Neither was the case. The starter said it looked just like a 911 out on the course, totally flat, except it was up high! Tiptronic, left in manual, whether started in 1st and quick shifted, or started and left in 2nd, was just the right gearing, with plenty of grunt to handle out of corner acceleration. I tried with and without PSM, and definitely more fun with PSM off, giving you better opportunity to get the vehicle sideways, and times were faster. I'd suggest you go out and try it and you'll gain a new respect for the car. I don't plan on doing again, as the 996 is better suited, but happy that I tried the Cayenne.

 

At the Porsche Driving Experience, one of the skills courses has a Boxster S for autocross team time competition. At the days end, you can drive the turbo Pepper and it is amazing how well and FAST the Cayenne platform handles.