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2004 Porsche Cayenne Weather Testing
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| An arctic reception for the hot Cayenne |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 22:47:40 |
| Rating |
 251 ( -25 -9.96% ) | | Author | Sue Mead |
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Description:
2004 Porsche Cayenne
2004 Porsche Cayenne
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2004 Porsche Cayenne
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2004 Porsche Cayenne. Extreme weather testing gives automakers an idea of how a vehicle will age.
2004 Porsche Cayenne. Porsche began extreme weather testing their vehicles in the 1970s.
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2004 Porsche Cayenne. Porsche puts the Cayenne through a rigorous round of cold and hot weather testing.
What would make a German manufacturer bring its hot, newest Cayenne version to the frozen Canadian north? Just off the assembly line in Leipzig, Germany, Porsche's third SUV was introduced to a group of North American journalists in the Yukon, known for its 1898 Gold Rush and frigid winter temperatures, with a record of eighty below. The Yukon is land of glaciers, frozen lakes and North America's second-tallest peak, Mt. Logan, just 500 feet shy of Mt. McKinley. It's a region of majestic beauty and beastly cold, and, therefore, a perfect place to perform cold weather and traction and handling evaluations.
"We perform two main types of weather testing," explained engineer Hans Peter Baeuerle, Porsche Cayenne Project Manager, "both summer and winter. Our cold weather evaluations take place in the northern hemisphere, in places like Sweden, Finland, Alaska and Canada. Today, you can ship cars easily-wherever a plane can land-and you can ship the same car quickly from Canada to Australia" (for back-to-back, cold and hot evaluation).
For Porsche, this type of testing--driving prototype vehicles in extreme climate zones -- started in the early 70's in the Algerian desert. "We started looking at the starting behavior of the engine, the heating system, the squeaks and rattles of the interior, and looking at how materials, such as the plastic and rubber held up. Today, we usually drive the test cars between 5,000 and 10,000 miles. If you have a car in the cold (and then the hot weather), you get the aging effect of a whole life cycle". Because of the effect of extreme temperatures, it creates the wear and experience of a one-to-ten ratio, or 100,000 miles. "You have a whole life cycle of a car," offered Baeuerle, since Porsche considers 100,000 miles a fair life cycle.
We Race on Sunday
Our group of car-evaluating journalists had already put the new 2003 Porsche Cayenne (both the S and the Turbo versions) through its paces a year ago, evaluating the first SUVs ever to be produced by this German manufacturer, previously known only as sports performance models, that truly exemplify the tag line-'we race on Sunday, so you can drive on Monday'.
What exactly does that mean and has Porsche changed--and changed its testing now that it has added an SUV to its stables? Porsche cars-both racecars and street cars have won some of the world's top races and are a favorite vehicle for non-professional, enthusiast racing, as well. Porsche's mission statement says that "at its core every Porsche sportscar has racing qualities".
While the first Porsche sportscar was developed in 1948, only a little more than 50 years ago, its history actually began at the start of the 20th century, when Professor Ferdinand Porsche senior presented his first designs and constructions-for the Lohner-Porsche Electric Car- at the Paris Expo, in 1900. The wheel hub motors devised by this young engineer and test driver made the name Porsche famous around the globe.
In 1928, working as a Daimler Technical Director and Board member, Ferry Porsche developed the now legendary Mercedes SS and SSK supercharged sports car and, ten years later, the first assembly lines for Volkswagen were erected in Wolfsburg, under his leadership. After developing VW models, he led the engineering for a Grand Prix racing car-the 356- and in June, of 1948, the first racing car, a roadster of light metal wearing the Porsche name, came to be.
Since, this marque has been successful in nearly every category of motor racing, at the top level. Wins have included eight world championships in long-distance sport, three World Championship titles in Formula 1, 16 victories at Le Mans, record victories in the classics in Daytona, Sebring (USA) and the Targa Florio (I), and Porsche sports cars have achieved more than 23,000 racing victories worldwide.
More than Chasing Laurels
Today, Porsche says that technical aspects were--and are--more important for Porsche's involvement in motor sport than simply chasing the victor's laurels. However, this automaker's history, innovations and developments in standard vehicles and racing cars are always closely connected.
As a result, the development of the new Cayenne posed the dilemma of how to make the first Porsche SUV into a true sports car, but, at the same time, have the technical acuity of a true sport utility vehicle. This meant combining a set of attributes that many SUV-makers promise, but few deliver. In our testing of the two V8 versions last year, we drove the new models on a race course and over a rigorous 4WD course, complete with deep mud, significant hillclimb and over terrain that challenged the axles, the suspension, the tires and the drivetrain. We also performed slow and high-speed towing exercises. How did the new models perform? They were technically outstanding in each area. The Cayennes were powerful and stable on the track, immensely capable in true 4WD conditions and showed brawn and agility with hauling.
So, what was new to test with the V6 version? The newest Cayenne was not made by simply putting a V6 engine in the V8 model. "It started with a blank sheet of paper, and developed over the course of two years," said Baeuerle. "We not only test the whole car but, also, each feature that comes new, such as a new seat or new roof. In addition there is specific testing for the chassis, and for the Porsche Stability Management system and the ABS brakes, for example. More and more companies are developing cars with computers, but you can only learn with real cars. Even though we have cold and hot weather chambers (on site at manufacturing and engineering facilities) and a dyno (to run the engine), it is not the same as real life testing."
"We check things like the door opening and closing, the triple seals at the door, the start of the engine, heat controls, shifter controls, and check to see if there is snow and ice under hood in engine bay. We check the wipers front and rear, the locks, seals and lubricants. We were also checking the Pre-Heater Option, which is a fuel operated heater that heats coolant and water and only uses six ounces of fuel in 30minutes."
Genetic Code
So, what was there left for us to "test"? In truth, we were there to confirm that the genetic code of every Porsche--even a new $44,000 SUV--was still evident and that Porsche has remained true to its mission. And, we were there to evaluate the torque transfer of up to 100 percent that comes with the new Porsche Traction Management system (on dry surfaces, the split is biased to a rear drive of 62/38, however, in low friction surfaces-before you even feel it, the computer reads through the gas pedal significant understeer or oversteer and the differential locks are opened, giving both advanced handling on pavement with compromised grip, as well as advanced off-road capability).
Our conclusion? After a day of driving exercises on snow-covered roads and across ice lakes, we agree with this German marque. The newest Cayenne is thoroughbred Porsche.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many models does Porsche sell? Porsche markets 4 models: the 911, Carrera GT, the Boxster and the Cayenne.
What is Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA)? Porsche Motorsport North America (PMNA) has become known in the North American auto racing industry as the finest support organization provided by any manufacturer to customers of its race cars. PMNA is the sole retailer or new Porsche Motorsports vehicles in the United States and Canada, and can provide a wide array of services from engine building and preparation to parts sales and technical help for Porsche 911 (996 GT3 Cup and GT3 R/RS) race engines as well as vintage Porsche 935 and 962 racers.
Why take an SUV that's really designed for the likes of Southern California, up to the Yukon?
Certainly to perform traction and other types of tests. But Porsche uses extreme hot and cold weather testing in order to see a close equivilant of a car's acceptable life cycle results -- which, to Porsche, is about 100,000 miles.
What kind of weather testing do they do? Porsche performs two main types of weather testing, summer and winter. Cold weather evaluations take place in the northern hemisphere, in places like Sweden, Finland, Alaska and Canada. They then ship cars quickly from Canada to Australia for back-to-back, cold and hot evaluation.
---Story by Sue Mead
---Photos courtesy of Porsche
© 2003, Sue Mead, All Rights Reserved. |
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