Friday 26 / April / 2024
A day with seven Porsche vehicles. Sounds great, isn’t it?
Recently, the Porsche Centre Oman organised a media test drive event to showcase and experience their 718 Boxster S, 911 Carrera, Macan S, Cayenne, Cayenne S, Cayenne Diesel, and Cayenne GTS. I was really excited to drive the vehicles as it was my first experience on a Porsche. I, along with my fellow journalists, began our day with the German vehicle from the Porsche Centre Oman in Al Ghubra and our destination was Sifawy Boutique Hotel in Jebel Sifah.
Our journey had regular stops with drivers switching from car to car so that each one of us could get a chance to test drive all the models.
Cayenne S
I started my ride in the Cayenne S. The 2016 Porsche Cayenne lives up to its performance heritage and sets the standard by which all other luxury performance SUVs are judged. The Cayenne S has a more powerful engine, a power sunroof, and front and rear parking assist. It didn’t show any lag to climb up the hills in the old Hamriya- Yiti road.
Cayenne’s interior is another strong point. It’s roomy and comfortable. The back has generous knee and leg room, even with tall people sitting in front. The interior has got all the things that you expect in a luxury SUV. Cayenne’s interior materials feel gorgeous, and most people would be quite happy with the textured leather upholstery. Its firmly put together, with a great combination of metal and dense, textured materials around the cabin. The steering wheel also looks and feels classy.
Cayenne
Soon I and my photographer colleague were switched to the Cayenne in our first stop. After driving the Cayenne S model, I felt Cayenne wasn’t that robust to climb the hills compared to Cayenne S. The Cayenne comes with active all-wheel drive, an 8-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, 18-inch wheels, bi-xenon headlights, rain-sensing wipers with heated washer nozzles, heated side mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate control, a power rear lift gate, 10-speaker audio with a 7-in touch screen display, Bluetooth, fog lights, and 8-way power front seats.
Cayenne Diesel
Cayenne Diesel is propelled by an engine that pumps out 245hp and it has got an eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox that is quick and smooth. The car is already fast, but if you want to go faster still, there’s the customary Sport button. The handling is impressively stable, whether in comfort or sport setting that I shuffled while in the car. The Cayenne Diesel features the same equipment as the base Cayenne.
Cayenne GTS
Cayenne GTS has a 3.6-litre engine that’s tuned to produce 440hp. The engine gets boost from twin turbochargers, and is hooked up to an eight-speed Tiptronic S automatic transmission with all-wheel drive. The rear wheels are driven all the time, with power distributed to the front wheels as needed. It goes without saying that the 2016 Porsche Cayenne GTS is aimed at driving enthusiasts. Inside the all-German cockpit, the sport seats are more generously bolstered and the steering wheel is classy and sporty. Material selection and build quality deserve serious praise, as well. The rest of the interior is pretty stylish and spacious.
Macan S
The Porsche Macan S has all the performance and handling you could want from a sporty SUV. Macan S is a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V-6 engine which produce 340hp, mated to a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
The interior of the Macan S has got all the elements of luxury. The interior of the car is very comfortable and supportive.
911 Carrera
The Porsche 911 is now turbocharged. The addition of turbos has brought even more usable performance and greater efficiency to the new Carrera. The racy soundtrack might not be quite as noticeable at the top end, but it still sounds like a Porsche should, and with even more tech underneath the 911’s chassis offers even more grip, poise and comfort. The new engine produces 370hp which is still located at the back, but under the newly styled engine cover. Carrera can sprint from 0-62mph in just 4.2 seconds if you opt for the Porsche Doppelkuppling (PDK) box.
When it comes to the interior, Carrera has one of the most stylish dashboards and the material quality is excellent and it feels firmly screwed together. One of the major attractions is the updated PCM (Porsche Communication Management) system. The new seven-inch touch screen recognises swipe gestures just like a smartphone, so you can swish side to side from menu to menu.
As with all 911s, the car’s clever 2+2 layout remains. This means there are two small seats for young children – the back rests can be folded down to create a larger luggage space as well, complementing the 145-litre boot in the car’s nose. Legroom in the back is limited, but this is not meant to be a full four-seater — those occasional rear seats are a bonus.
718 Boxster S
Porsche has made a significant change in their new Boxster. They switch to four cylinder turbocharged from six-cylinder engines.
The new 2.5 litre engine delivers 345bhp with PDK. With good storage space between the two boots, a high quality cabin and a fast-operating power hood, the 718 is as usable and fuss-free as two-seater sports cars get. The rotary switch which is on the steering wheel, allows you to choose between the Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual drive modes. In either of the Sport modes the 718 is a deeply impressive sports car.
After testing all the Porsche’s pride vehicles in the mountains and highway, we came back to the Porsche Oman Centre by evening. While each model has its own specialty I enjoyed driving the Cayenne GTS and 911 Carrera the most.
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Local dealer
Porsche Oman Centre, Al Ghubra
Phone +968 2449 2544
