VIDEO:Porsche Cayenne vs Fiat Panda - a tad unfair?

Emily Padfield

Friday 29 May 2009 15:47

Pitching a 240hp Porsche Cayenne against a 70hp Fiat Panda sounds unfair, but choosing a winner is harder than you might think, says Emily Padfield

First, here's the video:

No-one can say that there isn't a lot of choice for buyers dipping their toe in the new 4x4 market. If you're on a tight budget just £11,995 will buy you a Panda - the cheapest diesel 4x4 in existence.

If, on the other hand, you've just sold some land for development (or you're a rural MP looking to put something worthwhile through on expenses) the Porsche Cayenne is an obvious contender at £57,000 (including extras).

So here we have the cheapest and most expensive diesel 4x4s on the market. Well, almost, since stratospherically-priced stuff like £70,000 Range Rover Autobiographys and mad-sounding £90,000 Porsche Turbo Ss are occasionally spotted cruising rural roads, but we'll set them to one side.

The featherweight contender - Fiat's Panda 4x4

It's hard not to warm to the Panda. It may not be black, white and furry with a WWF badge pinned to it, but it's definitely in the pat-it-on-the-head-and-take-it-home category.

The first Panda 4x4 arrived in the late 1980s and was designed to be a modern-day peasant's car along the lines of the Citroen 2CV - cheap, basic, easy to use and easy to maintain.

ItsWelsh sheep approach to steep hills (head down, build up speed, don't stop) even made it the weapon of choice for gendarmes reprimanding sozzled British skiers in the Alps.

Nearly 20 years later, Pandas have moved on. Their mechanically simple drive and leaf springs have been replaced with a viscous-coupled arrangement. When slip is detected, the system transfers power to the rear wheels. It sounds simple and it is - simply choose your hill, point and squirt, and off you go.

Although 70hp under the bonnet sounds puny in 4x4 terms, the Panda's 805kg weight means there's not too much mass to move about. However with 62mph coming up after 20 seconds it's a car for patient drivers. Overtaking anything speedier than a bicycle or horse requires care and determination.

The heavyweight contender - Porsche's Cayenne

The Cayenne, however, is a quite different animal. Big, black and menacing, it's a Teutonic panther compared to Fiat's cuddly latin Panda. It has bulk, sophistication, authority and darkened windows. You'd probably worry if one drew into your yard.

Launched in 2003, the petrol version embodied qualities that our post-credit-crunch era now sneers at. Gas-guzzling, credit busting and impractically big even for a Chelsea tractor, the Cayenne was an unreformed and unashamed petrol-guzzler

Then, in April 2009, Porsche saw the light and brought out the 3-litre V6 diesel (shared with the VW Touareg and Audi Q7). It puts out a healthy 240bhp, quite a bit below the petrol V6's 286hp, but torque is a tractor-pulling 550Nm.

Shifting the 2.3t car should make the 3-litre engine grunt, but all that torque means it's amazingly sprightly. Floor the acelerator and 62mph comes up in just 8.3 seconds

Specs compared

Panda

At less than a third of the price of even a basic-spec Cayenne, the Panda is better equipped than you might expect. Who'd have thought it would have climate control, steering-wheel mounted controls and headlamp washers, for instance?

Inside, the easy-to-get-dirty cream seats are firm and adjustable (if a little narrow) so this isn't a car for those with bulky frames. It also has a trip computer, presumably so you can enjoy the warm glow of righteousness that comes from knowing the little 1.3-litre diesel is averaging more than 50mpg.

In the driving seat, your hand falls readily to the gearstick even though the latter is positioned high up on the centre console. All vital controls are close by, which makes it feel a bit like you're in thecockpit of a small plane.

Although electrically-adjustable, the wing mirrors look like they've been nicked from a passing children's buggy (the Cayenne's probably came from a Scania truck) but a secret compartment under the passenger seat is a plus.

The astonishingly short length of the Panda means space is at a distinct premium. The rear seats can slide forward and back by about 6in, so you have to choose between just-about-OK rear passenger kneeroom or modest boot space for dogs and other baggage. You can't have both at the same time, unless you're a family of Chihuahua-owning dwarves.

But short can have its good points too. Because it has virtually no rear overhang anda snout that's shorter than a pug's, this car is as manoeuvrable as Joe Calzaghe used to be in the ring. Its wheel-at-each-corner layout means you'll never dig the front in as you start to go up a slope.In fact it'll have a go at anything given half a chance.

Cayenne

Less kind commentators might say the Cayenne is the big-bonus city slicker's car of choice. Butbefore you make a judgement based on the badge (or the driver), take a look at the price list.With a basic price of £39,404 it looks surprisingly good value compared to the Audi, VW and BMW equivalents, not to mention the Range Rover.

Give the extras brochure a wide berth though. Our version, which had goodies like air-suspension, satnav and a motorised swing-out hitch fitted, boosted the total price by £20,000.

It'll tow 3t, too.So if you can handle the startled looks as you rollup to market in a Porsche, it could be agreat machine for transporting a few sheep or cattle.

You'll need to like the colour black, though. With a Basalt Black paint job, black seats and trim and a dark grey roof interior, it's as sensible and sombre as a top accountant. However brushed-metal finishes and some natty detailing lighten the effect and make for a surprisingly sophisticated interior.

It's a different approach from, say, a Range Rover. Not so much a Gentleman's Club but more edgy, more sporty. It's a funny notion, Porsche producing a 4x4. The marque is known for speed and handling, qualities you wouldn't think could be transferred to an off-roader.

But it's a very convincing piece of kit. Lusty acceleration, a top speed of 133mph and sophisticated air suspension - who would not want to be a Cayenne owner?

I'm not sure about the looks, though - it's hard to escape the inmpression that a Carrera front has been grafted on to a 4x4's back end.

Off-road performance

Off-road, neither vehicle disappointed. In fact they both did rather well. On slippery Cotswold grassland both scaled a particularly greasy hillside without needing to engage the complicated diff arrangement in the Porsche or the simple electric diff-lock on the Panda.

The Panda, gutsy and bolshie, scrambled up, down, through and under, while the Cayenne used its immense power and technological firepower to smoothly scale everything thrown at it.

But for fun and shear gumption the mule-like Panda came out top in the off-road stakes. The Porsche's multi-link suspension, low-range box, hill descent control and centre/rear diffs did the job confidently, but then we always expected them to.

On the road

On road there's no getting away from the Porsche's prowess. Air suspension means that at the flick of a beautifully crafted rocker switch in the centre console, you can choose between off-road, cruising and sport modes.

The Panda has none of this clever technology. But though it's lacking in poke, progress in city and rural situations is fine once you acknowledge its limitations.

Fuel consumption is generally very good for an off-roader, though thrashing it along at 90mph does dent its ecoonomical habits somewhat.

Verdict

Simple - buy both. The Cayenne for the road and the Panda for off-road (and visits to the bank manager).

Porsche Cayenne Diesel

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