Porsche adds ‘performance start’ function to 2015 Cayenne diesel

Porsche is adding the Performance Start function to its 2015 Cayenne diesel (as well as the 2015 Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo) as part of the optional Sport Chrono package, the automaker has said.
Although Performance Start isn’t a full-bore launch-control system like the one used to slingshot PDK-equipped 911s, Boxsters, and Caymans toward the horizon, it does allow the driver to launch the Cayenne from rest at wide-open throttle after side-stepping the brake pedal.
According to Porsche, the Performance Start shaves 0.1 second from the Cayenne’s zero-to-60 time. And as if being a compression-ignition Porsche SUV weren’t oddball enough, the gadget also means that model joins the very, very small roster of production diesel vehicles with similar technology.
How it works: The driver pushes the Sport Plus button on the centre console. With the Cayenne stopped and the eight-speed automatic in drive, the driver presses the brake pedal and floors the accelerator pedal.
A dash telltale indicates that Performance Start has been initiated. Within two seconds, the driver side-steps the brake pedal and with the accelerator still matted, the Cayenne launches in what Porsche describes as the “most efficient manner possible.”
This includes extraquick 1-2 and 2-3 upshifts, occurring at the optimal engine speed to leverage the powerplant’s peak power and torque.