Porsche says that a lightly camouflaged, new performance model of its Cayenne model has completed a record lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife in 7 min 38.925 secs.
The time, set by test driver Lars Kern, marks a new record in the SUV, off-road vehicle, van, pickup category, in the official Nürburgring rankings.
“Over the first few meters of the Nordschleife in this Cayenne, you’re tempted to turn around to make sure that you’re really sitting in a spacious SUV,” commented Kern. “Its high steering precision and stoically stable rear axle gave me a lot of confidence in the Hatzenbach section.
“It changed direction at lightning speed in the fast curves such as between Hohe Acht and Eiskurve, with no wobble and no tendency to understeer,” Kern continued. “Even in this technical stretch, the Cayenne is a real driver’s car that is easy to control. The wheels normally leave the ground at both the Pflanzgarten I and II crests, but these sections felt smooth and quiet in this Cayenne. There is a lot of wheel travel, and the body stays solid and controlled. The drivetrain makes a really strong impression. It delivers power in every situation as well as perfect gearchanges.”
Fitted with a bucket seat, a roll cage and 22in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires specially developed for the Performance Cayenne, the record Nordschleife lap was completed on June 14, 2021, with a track temperature of 46°C.
“During its development, we focused on exceptional on-road performance. Our record-breaking Cayenne is based on the Cayenne Turbo Coupé, though more systematically designed for maximum longitudinal and lateral dynamics,” explained Stefan Weckbach, vice president product line Cayenne. “Its record time on the Nordschleife confirms the dynamic capabilities of our new performance SUV. Furthermore, it’s a typical Cayenne all-rounder, providing a high degree of driving comfort and everyday utility.”
