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Better late than never: The new sport utes from Porsche and VW
By Andrew Bornhop
Better late than never: The new sport utes from Porsche and VW
Our spy photographers recently caught Volkswagen and Porsche's new sport-utility vehicle being tested in Germany. Problem is, the Porsche-designed chassis of this development mule was totally obscured by Mercedes-Benz M-Class bodywork. Those tricky Germans weren't letting us see much of this jointly produced new SUV. But by doing even that, they've given us an idea of the size of the vehicles, which look to be about as large as an M-Class or a Jeep Grand Cherokee. The Porsche/VW sport utes will be introduced in 2001 as year-2002 models.
The Porsche, say our sources, will bear a strong resemblance to the Boxster and 911 (at least from the front), while the VW—which will be called the Multi Activity Cruiser—simply looks like a bigger member of the current VW family, a rugged-looking vehicle sporting a Jetta-like nose and the 4-door body of the Golf, complete with hatch.
Some interesting details: The Porsche, known internally as the E1, is said to be powered by a new 4-cam 4.5-liter V-8, in both normally aspirated (350-bhp) and turbocharged (450-bhp) forms. This latter engine may also find a home in a mid-engined 911 GT2, a car that has been seen testing at the Nürburgring. The VW, on the other hand, will have three gasoline-engine options (a VR6, VR8 and W-12), plus a pair of Audi TDI diesels (3.2-liter V-8, 4.0-liter V-10).
Both the Porsche and VW will have a unit-body chassis like the BMW X5's, and both will have full-time awd and independent suspension. Moreover, both will employ air suspension that will allow the driver to increase the ride height for off-road driving or lower it for reduced drag and improved on-road manners.
As a 5-seater, this new SUV will be the first commercially available Porsche with more than four seats, and the Stuttgart company hopes to sell 20,000 a year at a hefty price of $100,000 each. VW plans to sell 80,000 a year at a substantially cheaper price. Both sport utes will be built in Portugal, in a factory that VW recently bought. Development of both models is under Porsche control but it is still a joint effort, with as many as 300 VW engineers teaming with a like number from Porsche at a site close to Porsche's Weissach Research & Development center.
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