New Porsche Cayenne undergoes extensive testing

MANILA: After the third-generation Porsche Cayenne was introduced in 2017, Porsche continued to improve it with significant changes to the powertrain, chassis, styling, equipment, and connectivity.

For the new Porsche Cayenne, the engineers at the Porsche Development Center in Weissach, Germany realigned the drive portfolio and made major tweaks on the chassis system. The goal was to create an even wider range between the traditional Porsche on-road performance, long-distance comfort, and off-road capability.

“It’s one of the most extensive product upgrades in the history of Porsche,” Porsche Cayenne Series Manager Michael Schatzle stated.

To do this, the Porsche Cayenne will have a new, semi-active chassis. A new, highly digitalized display and operating concept with improved connectivity features will also be available to the driver and passengers. The new Porsche Cayenne's HD-Matrix LED headlights use cutting-edge lighting technology that improves both comfort and safety.

Given the several new technologies, extensive testing was necessary to fine-tune the parts, the majority of which were entirely new innovations.

“We’re subjecting the new Cayenne to a complete and comprehensive testing program, just as if we'd developed it from scratch,” Porsche Test Manager Ralf Bosch said.

Porsche continues to place a strong priority on real-world testing in addition to increasingly accurate virtual simulations. It serves as a test for the readiness of any new model. The goal of the complete vehicle testing is to guarantee the operational stability and functionality of all systems and components as they work together in real-world and extreme situations.

During endurance tests, a vehicle's life is simulated under demanding situations that a customer would rarely encounter. Within a few months, the vehicles travel well over 200,000 kilometers under normal circumstances in city traffic, on highways, and in rural areas.

In order to assess their quality and endurance in various climate zones, the prototypes also travel around the world. Tests for the new Porsche Cayenne were conducted in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Altogether, more than four million test kilometers were traversed.

“What we demand from the new Cayenne in tough off-road tests in Spain, on punishing sand dunes in Morocco, or during highly dynamic drives on ice tracks in Finland and on the Nurburgring Nordschleife isn’t something we presume many customers will ever do,” Porsche Prototype Assembly and Testing Head Dirk Lersch stated. “Anyone who purchases a Porsche should know that it can withstand exceptionally high loads – regardless of the surface being driven on.”

Photos from Porsche

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