What is it?
The grandchild of the original Cayenne, which famously transformed Porsche’s fortunes when it elbowed into showrooms in 2002.
It’s taken some people that long to get used to the idea of a Porsche SUV, but like it or not, after 700,000+ sales it’s still going strong (that number would be higher if it hadn’t spawned the Macan). This all-new, third-generation car is the fastest and lightest of the lot, which says something about the amount of engineering effort they’ve heaped into it.
If only they’d tried so hard with the styling. You’d have to own a substantial, Porsche-branded anorak to spot the differences, but they are there. It’s longer, lower and broader than before. It has a wider gob, muscle-fit bodywork and a full-width LED lightbar between the rear lights, which also houses 3D-effect Porsche lettering. The updates are smart enough, but if you didn’t think the last one was a looker, there’s not much to win you over here.
Engines are down on size but up on power. You have four choices for now, all petrols, starting with a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 with 335bhp, followed by a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 with 434bhp and heading to the 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with 542bhp, otherwise known as the Turbo. There’s also a 456bhp V6 hybrid with nowse from the 918 Spyder
All come with an eight-speed auto – Tiptronic rather than double-clutch PDK, because it’s handier for towing horseboxes and speedboats, which is the sort of thing that Cayenne buyers like to do – and the available tech list is massively impressive and dizzyingly expensive. But what else would you epxect from a car that car stop you kerbing it,
What is it like on the road?
The Cayenne has always been the SUV for people who prefer cars to supertankers – especially those who had a Cayman or 911 before kids arrived – and Porsche has stuck to its guns with the new one. It’s not just good to drive for an SUV, it’s good to drive, full stop. For this we can thank mechanical voodoo, or at least a shedload of technology usually reserved for sports cars. Our test Turbo was fitted with the whole lot.
For instance, the rear wheels now help to steer, like on a 911, so you can dive into corners with an urgency you simply don’t expect from something this large. At first it’s alarming, as if the steering is too sensitive, but then you realise you can tackle sharp turns with a measured flick rather than a hopeful bung. Also, the rear tyres are wider than the front ones, which adds to the whole darty sensation.
New, optional three-chamber air suspension means there’s a genuinely noticeable change between comfy modes and sporty ones, not just in terms of body control but in ride comfort on rough surfaces. A new 48V electrical system (shared with the Audi SQ7 and Bentley Bentayga) also helps, meaning the anti-roll bars are quicker-witted than the old hydraulic ones, adjusting to the road before you realise what’s going on. These are complex and expensive ways to disguise over two tonnes of car, and you’re always aware of the forces they’re fighting, but they really work.
Then there’s the sheer speed of the thing. The Turbo with launch control explodes from 0–62mph in 3.9secs (half a second quicker than its predecessor), and from there on the road is sucked beneath you like a crazy treadmill. Alright, so you’d sort of expect that from a 542bhp V8, but in an SUV it’s hilarious. To be honest, there’s never enough road to use it all for more than a few seconds, and some jumbo brakes are on hand to save you – optional ceramics in the Turbo, or optional new tungsten-carbide-coated steels in the others.
Lastly there’s a new, active rear spoiler, which pops up to help with high-speed stability and pops up even more to act as an air brake. It really does need that much stopping power.
Overkill, is it? Not to worry - try the Cayenne e-Hybrid. Porsche says it’s reworked the ethos of the electrically-assisted Cayenne, so this new version’s less about economy and more about performance, which is why it sticks with a V6 instead of downsizing to a 4cyl. Total power is 456bhp and 516lb ft, a giant leap from the old hybrid’s 410bhp and 435lb ft. It’ll now reach 62mph in 5.0 seconds (ahead of the standard Cayenne S), reach 83mph on electric power alone, and though the 134kg battery pack blunts some agility, the Cayenne’s uncannily comfortable ride is unaffected
The Cayenne inherits its cockpit from the new Panamera. At the centre of it all is a hi-def widescreen that wouldn’t look out of place in your living room. Beneath that, and surrounding the gearlever, is a glassy panel with illuminated icons rather than push buttons. Touch one and you get a little haptic buzz through your fingertip. Fine when you’re in traffic, but on the move it’d be nice to have a few knobs to grab without taking your eyes off the road. Having said that, there’s also voice control with Alexa-like interpretation skills – just press a button on a wheel-mounted stalk, tell it you’re too cold, and it’ll turn up the heater.
Behind the wheel is a central rev-counter, flanked by two more screens. The left one renders traditional circular dials like a speedo; the right one can also display satnav or other information. Combined with the central display, you basically have a mini multiplex to control everything from the angle of the air vents to the ride height of the suspension.
The moulded seats are very similar to those in a 911 and they drop low, which helps you pretend you’re driving a hot hatch not a large Porsche. Rear passengers – even leggy ones – have plenty of room, and there’s an extra 100 litres of bootspace versus the outgoing model, though the luggage compartment isn’t as cavernous as you might expect. The materials, quality and attention to detail are almost beyond reproach.
Cayenne ownership begins with the 3.0-litre V6 at £55,965 but you’ll soon add thousands to that with upgraded paint and wheels and a few other toys. The Cayenne S is next at £68,300 with more standard kit, but chassis tech is extra: £1,511 for air suspension, £1,448 for four-wheel steer, £2,105 for the brakes with the clever coating (at least the reduced dust deposits will keep your alloys clean). At the top of the pile is the £99,291 Turbo to which you’ll still have to add most stuff except air suspension and the PSCB brakes.
Economy is around 30mpg for the V6s but drops to around 24mpg in the Turbo. A new coasting function helps a bit – it’s like an extended version of stop-start – but let’s be honest, if you’re dropping up to 100 large ones on a car like this, a few more fill-ups probably won’t worry you.
The Cayenne e-Hybrid claims 83.1mpg and 79g/km of CO2, so you’re road tax exempt, but reckon more on a 38-45mpg average in real-world driving, assuming you can charge the car’s 14.1kWh battery, which lives under the boot floor (without eating main loading capacity) each evening. Porsche claims 27 miles of zero-emission range - expect more like 15 miles in reality
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If you’re really hankering after a diesel-powered version, it’s worth biding your time. Porsche engineers have confirmed to TopGear that a V6 (not a V8)-powered turbodiesel Cayenne is in the works for buyers who demand rnage and towing ability above all else. Demand is being evaluated across Europe with a view to introducing the version (quietly) in late 2018, but is political dithering and resale values contine to kick diesel, the modle may yet be kicked into the long grass. Watch the values of used Cayenne S Diesels, complete with a mighty 627lb ft, soar then…
