Generations Of Porsche Cayenne Drag Race To Show That Newer Is Better

Two decades have already passed since Porsche introduced its first SUV, the Cayenne. It was a very important model for the automaker then and it still is now that it’s in its third generation. At its initial offering, the Cayenne was already setting standards in the realm of SUVs, and that’s still true today with the Cayenne Turbo GT.

But how far has the Porsche SUV gone since 2002? This drag race aims to illustrate that, courtesy of the UK’s Carwow. In this matchup, three generations of the Cayenne lined up to see the progress of development between each version.

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The Mk1 Porsche Cayenne came in Turbo trim, which was powered by a twin-turbo 4.5-liter V8 that puts out 444 horsepower (331 kilowatts) and 457 pound-feet (620 Newton-meters) of torque. This wasn’t the most powerful version of the Mk1; that honor belonged to the Turbo S from 2008 which maxed out at 542 hp (405 kW).

Meanwhile, the Mk2 entry was a Turbo S of the facelifted version, carrying a twin-turbo 4.8-liter V8 that churns out 562 hp (419 kW) and 590 lb-ft (800 Nm) of pulling power. It was certainly more powerful than the Mk1 entry and surprisingly, it was also significantly lighter by around 220 pounds (100 kilograms).

The Mk3 that represented modern times wasn’t the glorious Cayenne Turbo GT; it was a pre-facelift Turbo S e-Hybrid. With electrification involved, this SUV can put down 671 hp (500 kW) and 664 lb-ft (900 Nm) of twists. These numbers came from an ensemble of a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 and an electric motor. However, with batteries involved, the latest Cayenne in the matchup was quite porky, tipping the scales at around 5,512 lbs (2,500 kg).

At this point, you might have an idea as to which one crossed the quarter-mile market first among these three Cayennes. Can ample power overcome the added weight? Watch the video to find out but as always, let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.