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2015 Porsche Cayenne Drops Base V6 in America: Gone for Good?

It seems the mid-life facelift for the Porsche Cayenne also includes a re-think in market strategy. At least in the US, the base model is getting dropped from the 2015 model year range going on sale this November. In its place, the company will market the Diesel as being every bit the luxury car you need… on a somewhat tight budget.
2015 Porsche Cayenne 1 photo
Photo: Porsche
The model in question was equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 shared with some Volkswagen models. It delivered 300 horsepower and 295 lb-ft (400 Nm) of torque for a 0 to 60 time of about 7 seconds. Its biggest problem? Fuel consumption, which is why the 240 hp diesel that takes its place is a great idea. Not only does it take 7.2 seconds to reach 60 mph, but it also produces a more substantial 406 lb-ft of torque (550 Nm0, great for motivating such a big vehicle.

The diesel is, however, much more expensive. Retailing for $62,695 plus destination, the 2015 Cayenne Diesel is about $12,000 more than the old Cayenne V6. Its biggest rival comes from Mercedes in the form of the oil-burning ML 350 BlueTEC, also powered by a 240 hp 3-liter engine.

Speaking of engines that have been dropped, you can't get a 2015 Cayenne with a naturally aspirated 4.8-liter V8. In the Cayenne S, this has been replaced by a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 making 20 more hp and the GTS model isn't even out yet.

Also worth considering is the new Cayenne S E-Hybrid. Costing slightly over $77,000, this plug-in boasts the lowest fuel consumption of any Cayenne model ever made.

"We are absolutely overwhelmed with what we have seen with the Cayenne the last four or five years," von Platen told Automotive News, believing the lack of a base V6 will not affect sales. "It seems like the Cayenne doesn't have any life cycle at the moment. Demand is there."

Editor's note: It's not how many Cayennes you sell, but about how much you charge people for them.
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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