Bentley’s ambition to build the world’s fastest SUV is not something everyone agrees with inside the VW Group. Porsche, which is first and foremost a sports car brand, will not allow this to happen, and the recently-unveiled Cayenne Turbo S (pictured) proves it.
Porsche said its super SUV has broken the Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record for production SUVs with a sub 8-minute lap, and it doesn’t plan to stop here. Porsche’s R&D boss Wolfgang Hatz told journalists at the Detroit Auto Show that the next-generation Cayenne, expected to arrive in 2017, will be considerably quicker.
This will no doubt clash with Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer’s ambition to make the upcoming Bentayga the fastest SUV in the world. “Our Cayenne is always very, very quick. It is doing 300 km/h. I think if [Dürheimer] is doing 2 to 3 km/h more, then why not? He’s doing that with a 12-cylinder. Our car will be much quicker on the road,” Hatz was quoted as saying by Car&Driver.
But things will change with the next-generation Cayenne, as Hatz confirmed that it will lose at least as much weight as the new Audi Q7, meaning the Cayenne Turbo will weigh under 2 tonnes (4,409 lbs). Add to that more power from an all-new turbocharged V8 and Bentley Bentayga’s fastest SUV label may be in danger.
The executive also confirmed that the Cayenne will remain Porsche’s quickest SUV, as the company has no plans to fit engines with more than six cylinders in the Macan. He also offered good news for fans of Porsche sports cars, confirming that the brand will not build other SUVs.
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