2008 Porsche Cayenne Review

The new 2008 Porsche Cayenne has amazing engine power and acceleration and comes with one of the finest luxary interiors. With its 4.5L 32 valve V8 with variable valve timing, this SUV may be the most powerful ute to come off the production line. Not the largest SUV, but, for a midsize contender, the new 2008 Porsche Cayenne packs a heavyweight punch with an engine that cranks out 340 hp @ 6000 rpm and 310 ft-lbs torque @ 2500 rpm this is an SUV dragster.

Keeping with the legacy of Porsche engineering and performance, the new 2008 Porsche Cayenne adds safety features and standard equipment that many nameplates charge extra for. The road test tells the tale with the new 2008 Porsche Cayenne. Take the Cayenne out and see why it lives up to its namesake and goes beyond your wildest expectations for an SUV.

Audi R8 V12 TDI

Audi displayed this turbodiesel-powered Audi R8 at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show earlier this month. Peek through the rear hatch where the engine bay is and you will see the huge 6.0 liter V12 TDI turbodiesel engine based on the 5.5 liter V12 TDI engine used in Audi’s 24 Hours of Lemans 2006 and 2007 winner, the Audi R10 race car. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox.











This road-going, Euro VI-compliant version of the engine is built at Audi’s Gyor plant in Hungary, and puts out 500 horsepower and 1,000Nm of torque from as low as 1,750rpm, just over idle speed! This massive amount of power and torque sends the Audi R8 V12 TDI to 100km/h in just 4.2 seconds. Putting all that torque to the wheels is Audi’s famous quattro system, sending power to all four wheels in a 40:60 front to rear ratio. The engine bay is illuminated at night with LEDs and can be seen through the rear glass hatch.

The V12 TDI’s crank case is made of gray cast iron with vermicular graphite, a material that Audi calls GJV-450. Audi is already using it in its V6 TDI and V8 TDI engines. This material is 40% more rigid and 100% more fatigue-resistant than conventional gray cast iron. This allowed Audi to make the engine block thinner, cutting weight by 15%.

The mind-boggling grand total of 1000Nm of torque between 1,750rpm and 3,000rpm are thanks to two variable turbine turbochargers located outside of the V bank that blow up to 2.6 bar of boost pressure into the two banks of cylinders. These turbos have two large intercoolers. Exhaust exists from each turbo into its own exhaust system - this means twin exhaust and even twin particular filters.

W204 Mercedes Benz C63

The new W204 C-Class now comes in AMG form as the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, a compact monster powered by a normally aspirated high 11.3:1 compression 6.3 liter V8 engine putting out 451 horsepower at 6,800rpm and 600Nm of torque at a high 5,000rpm - but this does not mean the 6.2 liter engine doesn’t have any grunt on the low end! At least 500Nm of twisting force is already available from 2,000rpm onwards.

Straight line performance is naturally good - 4.5 seconds from 0 to 100km/h through a fast-shifting AMG SPEEDSHIFT PLUS 7G-TRONIC transmission, which enables you to shift gears automatically or through steering wheel shift paddles. The shift modes include a Sport, Comfort and Manual mode. The engine and gearbox combo also features automatic throttle-blipping during downshifts.

The front axle has been redesigned to take all the new power. It has a new three-link front axle design which has a 35mm wider track, supplemented by flared wheel arches. The suspension has been upgraded to an AMG sports suspension. The rear suspension has a 12mm wider track, and drive shafts have been reinforced to take the increased torque.

Steering is via an AMG speed-sensitive sports steering, which might be disappointing to some as the whole perception with speed-sensitive steering is that you lose alot of feel, but AMG promises a direct ratio feel when you are driving spiritedly.

For safety, the car’s 18 inch or 19 inch wheels hide huge 6-piston caliper 360×36mm discs at the front and 330×26mm discs with 4-piston calipers at the rear. The Electronic Stability Control program is also enhanced with a 3-stage ESP program. You can pick from ESP ON, EPS SPORT, and ESP OFF, much like BMW’s DSC, DTC and DSC Off functions.

However, traction control logic is never completely off in AMG’s ESP software, even in ESP OFF mode. Brake pressure is still applied sometimes to create the effect of a mechanical diff-lock.