Porsche Cayenne Transsyberia
Published: 6th August 2007
Porsche Cayenne on the Transsyberia Rally
The Sporting All-Round Performer
The Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia is a typical Porsche through and through, tailored precisely to the needs and requirements of the sporting, ambitious customer – which in this case means a car tailored specifically to the requirements of long-distance rally racing.
Compared with the “regular" version of the Cayenne S, the Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia as a special rally version has been modified on a number of points serving first and foremost to enhance safety and the car's racing performance.
Production Engine, Shorter Transmission Ratio
The power unit of the Porsche Cayenne S Transsyberia has been carried over from the regular road version of the Cayenne S with hardly any changes. Output of this 4.8-litre naturally-aspirated V8 with direct petrol injection remains 385bhp (283 kW) at 6,200 rpm. Maximum torque of 500Nm or 369 lb-ft, in turn, comes at just 3,500 rpm.
VarioCam Plus valve management ensures a smooth and consistent surge of power throughout the entire speed range, with engine management varying valve lift on the intake side between 3.6mm and 10mm as a function of engine speed. And with the intake manifold also being variable in length, the engine provides muscular torque right from the start even at low engine speeds. Despite the increase in power over the previous engine, the new 4.8-litre reduces fuel consumption by approximately 15 per cent, giving the Cayenne S a significantly longer cruising range than before – obviously a big advantage particularly in a long-distance rally.
Automatically detecting the quality of the fuel it is running on, the engine is also able to run on regular fuel with an octane rating of 91 or more, even though this can reduce both engine output and torque. In fact, the engine is also able to run on a mixture of petrol and ethanol, with up to 25 per cent of the latter.
A sports exhaust system reduced for minimum weight gives the Cayenne S Transsyberia a particularly powerful and muscular sound, while Tiptronic S transmission with a shorter final drive ratio helps to ensure even better acceleration both from the start and in gears. And last but not least, the transmission management has been optimised for off-road use of the vehicle.
Even Better off the Beaten Track
Like all other models in the Cayenne range, the Cayenne S Transsyberia also comes with Porsche Traction Management (PTM) permanent all-wheel drive. In its basic mode, PTM feeds 62 per cent of the engine's torque to the rear wheels and 38 per cent to the front. An electronically controlled multiple-plate clutch is able to vary the distribution of power as a function of driving conditions, if necessary feeding as much as 100 per cent of the engine's power completely to the front or rear. The centre differential locks respond not only to lack of traction on the front or rear wheels, but also have sensors measuring the speed of the vehicle, its lateral acceleration, the steering angle and the position of the accelerator pedal.
Using this information, PTM is able to consistently calculate the degree of lock required on the two axles and feed precisely the power required to the axle at the front and rear. A rear differential lock fitted additionally in the Cayenne S Transsyberia serves to enhance offroad driving qualities to an even higher standard (and is also available in the regular production model as part of the optional Offroad Technology Package).
Reinforced and extra-large underfloor protection panels made of aluminium and an additional cover made of stainless steel for the exhaust tailpipes protect the Cayenne S Transsyberia from the particular damage and exposure easily encountered on a rally with its extremely tough conditions.
Porsche Cayenne
Our Porsche Cayenne Guide lists the full specification of the current UK Cayenne range, including car prices, fuel consumption, dimensions and other vital data.
Price Range: £37,590 - £76,760
Body Style:
Fuel:
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Models in the range: 5
Our Car Buyer’s Guide covers all of the UK’s major new cars and includes CO2 ratings and car insurance groups. Data updated on the 28th Nov 2008
