in 2017 Cayenne, why does the 3.6 liter engine in the "S" have so much more horsepower than the 3.6 liter engine in the base model?

Marketing, if you want the extra horsepower, get the "S".

I guess I should have been more specific. HOW does the 3.6 liter engine in the "S" model generate 420 horsepower when the 3.6 liter engine in the base model can only generate 300 horsepower? Is the engine in the "S" a turbo? Is it fuel-injected? How?

Larry, are you seriously interested in buying one of these? May I suggest that you look this up online, you obviously have a computer and are online here at Car Gurus. Plus, I would definitely go to the dealership and discuss with them about specific questions. All cars are fuel injected today. I cannot imagine what extra benefits you would get from the more powerful model other than the bragging rights about how fast your car is. 300 horsepower these days is a lot of power! So, when you say, the "base" ONLY produces 300, as if that's some paltry amount , I think you're really underestimating how much power that really is... Where did you plan on using 420 horsepower? I can tell you this, it will get you cited faster... And, the police and CHP love to profile people driving these ultra powerful cars.. of course, the Autobahn would be a perfect place for this. Finally, the cost for maintenance on the 420 horsepower would probably be higher.........and the ONLY REASON I can even think of to purchase a car like this would be if you were to keep it long enough and hope that it becomes a "collector's edition"....

Larry, skip the turbocharged S and get the hybrid, http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1102762_2017-porsche- cayenne-preview

Turbocharged engines are much harder to maintain .....I'm sure others might agree with this....

I agree with mark, a turbocharged engine is harder to maintain and will not last as long as a non turbo because the engine is under much more stress therefore it is important to ensure the service schedule is kept up to date

Get what you want, if you want the "S" model then buy it. Turbochargers might make an engine more complicated, but they are no harder to maintain than naturally aspirated engines. Just use synthetic oil and change it according to manufacturers recommended intervals.

gearheadRHINO-. Thanks for the validation on the naturally aspirated engines..... I appreciate it.... Yeah, I'll let Bob and all the other "car enthusiasts" drive their turbo charged cars while I keep driving my little Four cylinder Subaru PZEV engine (LOL), paying less for fuel, maintenance, insurance and repairs.... I'm fine being a "tree hugger" and you'd better be thankful that there's as many of us Subaru and Toyota Prius drivers around... Incidentally, us tree huggers like National Parks... You can't replace those parks , there's nothing like them anywhere.... Turbocharged engines are like taking a horse and whipping the crap out of them.. they burn a lot more fuel and are almost like flypaper with police officers.... You know, the little Subaru WRX STI with its turbocharged 2.5 Four gets 17 MPG city and 23 MPG highway and has a 305 HP, 295 foot pounds of torque.... Wait until you see what the mileage is on your 3.6 turbocharged 2017 Porsche Cayenne...14 MPG City, and 21 highway for a combined mileage of 17 MPG. Yikes!! Here's the link for the hybrid, http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/PowerSearch.do? action=noform&path=1&year1=2016&year2=2017&make=Porsche& model=Cayenne%20S%20e-Hybrid&srchtyp=ymm ... The whole reason they even exist is for revving them up to full speed. Most of them have a couple of points of lower compression than a naturally aspirated engine until the turbo kicks in as is the case with the Subaru WRX STI. It's around 8.5 to 1 under regular driving and then 13 or 14 to 1 once you engage the turbo.... Yes, it's exhilarating for the moment, BUT, you won't feel so good when it is time to service or replace critical components on your car! And, not everyone knows how to deal with a turbocharged engine... And, as stated above, your engine will NOT go as far with this feature.... I'm in my mid 60s now, and overall comfort and convenience is MUCH more important to me than measuring my 0-60 times like we did back in high school. It looks like some of us never outgrew this phase. Believe it or not, there's only so much fossil fuels left on the planet....sure you can disbelieve climate change as well, go ahead, but, you're wrong.. one only needs to look at the polar ice caps melting... You think I'm kidding, that is no joke... SO, go ahead and get whatever you want because driverless cars are coming and pretty soon it won't even be legally possible to drive the kind of vehicle your describing..... will be all computer controlled driving..

After Tom's answer this thread seriously went down hill again with it going off topic. The OP asked a simple question and got the normal write a book Mark O. Weiner reply. ROFLMAO!

Mark, sounds as if you are jealous!