2013
PORSCHE CAYENNEDIESEL
THE BELLS ANDWHISTLES
chassis up tomore than 10 inches of ground clearance. Tentatively at
first—concerned mostly about the off-road resilience of racing tires
on 21-inch sport wheels—I build confidence in the Porsche’s ability to
crawl over loose shale, to churn through so sand, to float smoothly
over washboard at rally speeds, and to hold a graceful skid on gravel.
We venture across rivers and sandandslickrock; at onepointwepause
on the edgeof theKaiparowitsPlateau,more thanhalf adozenswitch-
backs above the shores of Lake Powell. Then we go back for more.
HavingbathedthePorscheindirt,we feelourwaybacktopavement
and head north to Capitol Reef National Park. Outside the visitors
center, a Swiss-Germanwomanelbows her husbandandgapes inhor-
ror at the defilement we’ve wrought upon this particular specimen
of what she calls “ze most beautiful car in ze world,” its piscine front
endnowspla eredwith insect paste, its elegant spokes and grillwork
coatedwithfine red dust. To compound the insult, our 7-year-oldhad
used his finger to write, “See ya!” across the grimy back window.
In 1934, before he set off to meet his fate in the wild, Evere Ruess
wrote the last le er he’d ever send to his brother Waldo. “I prefer the
saddle to the streetcar, and star-sprinkled sky to a roof,” he declared,
“
the obscure anddifficult trail, leading into theunknown, toanypaved
highway.” Ultimately, though, and thankfully, our journey leads not to
eternity but to pavement, and the long, smooth road home.
DAVID PAGE
has finally found a vehicle for which he would be willing to
trade his 1983 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ60.
ROADTRIP
||
DISPATCHES
PERFORMANCE:
The Cayenne
diesel takes 2.8 seconds longer
than its gas-powered sibling to
get from zero to 60, but with a
turbocharger output of 240 hp
and maximum torque of 406 lb-ft,
it’s plenty responsive beyond
the dotted yellow line, and feels
downright bored at 75 mph. And it
can go nearly 200miles farther on
the same amount of fuel.
PERKS:
The adaptive
cruise-control system
uses a radar sensor in
the central air intake
to monitor for slower
vehicles and obstacles
in the lane ahead, so
you can put more of
your focus into the
14-
speaker, 360-degree
sound system.
ENGINE:
3.0-
liter V-6
turbocharged diesel with
common-rail fuel injection
STARTING PRICE:
$55,750
HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
•
FEBRUARY 2013
27
