Porsche shows 'muy caliente' new Cayenne before Geneva unveiling

Porsche Cayenne. Love it or hate it, you're not alone. The dance floor was pretty much split between people in either camp, some lined up for a spot on it's dance card while others leaned up against the wall and glared at it for waltzing in and stealing all the prettiest girls. No matter where you stood though, the Cayenne was a sales hit for Porsche, and it allowed them to pour extra resources into the 911 and its other like-minded siblings. Mention this little tidbit and the anti-Cayenne camp may grumble a little, but they have nothing to say. The new hottest 911 Turbo S? Might as well come with a badge that says 'Brought to you by the Porsche Cayenne'.

So, the Cayenne in its first-gen guise was getting a little long in the tooth. And when we say a little, we mean a lot. The Cayenne was introduced to Canada in 2003, and yes, it received a refresh in 2008, but it didn't look substantially different. So saying that a new one was overdue wouldn't raise too many arguments from the panel.

Click through to find out what makes the 2011 Cayenne all-new, and check out the high-res gallery.

The new design of the Cayenne is instantly recognizable as a new Porsche, and clearly takes cues from the Panamera sedan, like the headlamps. The overall design of the body is sleeker and more aggressively styled, and somehow makes the new model look smaller and lower, when actually it is almost 2 inches longer.

The first thing Porsche really wants to tell you about the new Cayenne is that it is taking big steps into the green game. An all-new variant of the Cayenne is tagging into this match, and its name is Hybrid. Cayenne S Hybrid, to be exact, and it comes to the fight packing some pretty serious potential. The realm of fuel efficiency under 10 litres/100 kms is generally not open to many SUV's, and you certainly wouldn't expect Porsche to fit into that category, but surprise! They're not only there with the S Hybrid at 8.2 litres/100 kms, but in Europe where a diesel is offered, three out of the five Cayenne variants play in the under 10 category.

The Cayenne also benefits greatly from a little lipo treatment, which has shaved off a not-so-insignificant 400 lbs (approx, depending on model) from it's former portly self. Combine this with a new 8-speed automatic with auto start/stop and a light sprinkling of fairy dust, and the entire lineup of el nuevo Cayenne boasts reduced fuel consumption to the tune of 20 percent!

North America will get four models starting with the baseline 3.6-litre V6 Cayenne, which now produces 300 hp while achieving fuel economy of 9.9 litres/100 kms. Next in line is the Cayenne S which features a naturally aspirated 4.8-litre V8. Power has been bumped from 385 in the previous model to an even 400, with fuel economy at 10.5 litres/100 kms. At the top of the power heap stands the Turbo, sporting a 500 hp twin-turbo (obviously) 4.8-litre V8. Oh, also it creates 516 lb/ft of torque! Why are we still using big-rigs to haul goods around when we could be using the Porsche Cayenne! Or if you plain just want to go fast, this thing hauls 0-100 km/h in 4.4 seconds! This is an SUV bordering on ridiculous. And being a Porsche, you can bet it will handle pretty well to boot.

Porsche's pièce de résistance, however, is the Cayenne S Hybrid. A 333 hp supercharged 3.0-litre V6 is partnered with a 47 hp electric motor for a total output of 380 hp and 428 lb/ft of torque. This puts it pretty much on par with the performance of the V8 in the S while using significantly less fuel. For short distances, the electric motor can power the vehicle independently up to speeds of 60 km/h. A neat new feature that Porsche calls 'sailing mode' is introduced on this model, which allows the combustion engine to completely shut off at highway speeds of up to 156 km/h if no extra exertion is required to help the vehicle along.

The new Cayenne has not yet been priced for the North American market, but expect it to be similarly priced to the outgoing model. All fuel economy figures used in this write-up are as quoted by the New European Driving Cycle and may vary slightly from the numbers it will receive from Transport Canada.

Click here for our high-res photo gallery.

[Source: Porsche Press]