Porsche's new faces race into Melbourne

PORSCHE marked its long-awaited Australian motor show return in Melbourne by giving both its facelifted Cayenne SUV and redesigned 997-series 911 GT3 road racer their national public premieres last week.

Pricing was announced in December for the heavily updated Cayenne range, which for the first time will comprise an entry-level V6 (not flat-six) version priced under $100,000 when it is released in late March, as well as revised cosmetics and a bigger, more powerful V8 engines.

Powered by a VW-sourced 213kW/385Nm 3.6-litre V6, the base Cayenne costs $94,700, while the 283kW/500Nm (up 33kW/80Nm) 4.8-litre Cayenne S costs $134,500 (up $4600) and the flagship 368kW/700Nm (up 37kW/80Nm) Cayenne Turbo costs $215,200 (up $8100).

Meantime, Porsche attempted to stay true to its sportscar roots by revealing its all-new 911 GT3 in Melbourne (12 months since it made its global debut at Geneva), priced at $253,200. That is more than $50,000 more than the price of the base 911, but as the most powerful non-turbo 911 in history it is likely to be worth it.

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