Porsche Cayenne

A Track Runner in a Three-Piece Suit

The luxury SUV market in India is just as populated as the compact SUV market, with models of varying sizes, purposes, brands, and price tags. While most of them are similar to each other in characteristics with only a handful of differences, the Porsche Cayenne stands out from the crowd. It looks unlike any other luxury SUV, focusing more on charisma and flamboyance than elegance and beauty. You don’t need a second look to tell that it is one of the sportier ‘sport utility vehicles’, built for the ultimate driving experience. But the new Cayenne is much more than that. Not only does it excel on the performance front, but it also delivers exceptional ride comfort, and feels luxurious as well as sporty on the inside. How does it manage to achieve it all at the same time? Let’s find out.

Porsche Cayenne Pros and Cons 

Porsche Cayenne Exterior Design 

The Porsche Cayenne's exterior design is a testament to the brand's philosophy of evolutionary design changes. Thanks to this, you may not be able to quickly differentiate it from its predecessor, and a non-auto person may not even be able to tell it apart from the Macan. But if you go back a few generations, you will realise how far the Cayenne has really come in terms of the overall design and silhouette. The latest model features sharper MATRIX LED headlamps and redesigned bumpers, making the entire front end look that much more chic and elegant. As standard, the Cayenne gets huge 20-inch wheels, but if those are still too small for you, Porsche will happily sell you wheels up to 22-inches in size. In fact, Porsche offers as many as 24 different wheel designs ranging between 20- to 22-inches in diameter, allowing a lot of room for customizability. The vehicle's rear end has also been refined for a sleeker appearance, highlighted by the repositioned number plate, and a dark body-width long tail-lamp. Decals are also available for those seeking additional stylistic flair, and Porsche also offers custom colour options apart from the standard ones.

Porsche Cayenne Interiors 

Inside the Cayenne, the interior echoes the high standards of Porsche, blending luxury with functionality. The first thing that catches your attention is the triple-screen setup on the dashboard (the third screen is an optional extra), making you feel like you are in  tech heaven. The Cayenne also gets a differently styled centre console, which sees the chunky gear lever replaced with a more space-efficient toggle-style switch on the dash. The climate control panel also gets toggle switches and rotary dials, and they sit on the centre console in place of the gear lever. The design aesthetic comes together really well, delivering a sporty yet luxurious feel. Fit and finish, and quality of materials is also top notch. No component feels over-designed either, and at the same time, nothing looks plain or minimalistic. The cabin also scores full marks on practicality, getting plenty of storage spaces, enough room for five adults, and a humongous boot with a capacity of close to 700 litres! And if all of that isn’t special enough for you, Porsche offers a ton of customization options to make this feel like your Cayenne, albeit at hefty premiums.

Porsche Cayenne Comfort 

In India, the Porsche Cayenne gets an air suspension as standard, which is equipped with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). This enables the Cayenne to adapt to varying road conditions, providing a ride quality that is both supple and controlled. Because of its adaptability, the air suspension doesn’t have to balance comfort and dynamics, since it can take care of both at the same time, giving this a ride quality like luxury sedans and agility like a hot hatch! In terms of seating too, the Cayenne does not disappoint. Both front and rear seats are designed with ergonomics in mind, offering ample support and cushioning for short and long journeys. The seats are not only comfortable, but also adjustable, catering to different passenger sizes and preferences. A four-zone climate control also adds to the convenience, making the Cayenne a vehicle where comfort and sportiness coexist harmoniously.

Porsche Cayenne Performance and handling

The Porsche Cayenne does well to be a luxury car, but get behind the wheel of one and you will instantly realize that it is a true Porsche. Different driving modes lend it different driving dynamics, ranging from comfortable and relaxing, to engaging, dynamic, and sharp. In Sport Plus mode, the Cayenne transforms beautifully with the help of adaptive air suspension and steering response, making it feel shrunk down to the size of a sports car. It goes around corners feeling half its weight, with oodles of composure and little to no body roll. Road trips in this will be a bliss, not just for the driver, but also for passengers.

Making it a healthy performer is a 3.0-litre V6 engine under the hood, which gets not one but two turbochargers. The result is 349 bhp and a meaty 500 Nm torque which is available from as low as 1,450 RPM; that’s just a shade higher than idle RPM! With ample pulling power and a lightning quick 8-speed automatic gearbox, the Cayenne accelerates effortlessly up to 100 km/h in just six seconds. And if six seconds is too long for you, you can opt for the Sport Chrono package (another paid extra), which will cut the sprint time by a further three tenths of a second. Now yes, 5.7 seconds for a 100km/h sprint isn’t mind-bending, but remember, this is the base variant of the Cayenne, and more powerful variants like the GTS and Turbo 4S are also available.

Porsche Cayenne Key specifications 

Porsche Cayenne Safety Features

While the latest iteration is yet to be tested, the Porsche Cayenne scored an impressive 5-star crash test rating from Euro NCAP back in 2017. It is equipped with a range of safety features, including all the expected electronic safety aids, advanced parking sensors, a 360-degree camera, and more. One nifty safety feature which we love is the optional third screen on the dash — which sits in front of the front passenger seat — gets a coating that completely blinds the screen for the driver, in order to avoid any distractions.

Porsche Cayenne Technology and Infotainment

The Porsche Cayenne is a complete tech fest, especially when you take some optional extras into account. For starters, there’s a huge 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment unit which gets a ton of features, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The instrument cluster sees an even bigger 12.6-inch display, which replaces Porsche’s iconic five-dial analog instrument cluster. You can set the display to show five analog dials like the traditional layout, but there’s also tons of other options, including a three dial layout, a two dial layout with a digital speed readout in between, and even a navigation display. And if you are in a Zen mode and just want to focus on driving, there’s also an option which shows a blank screen, with a small speed readout in the middle.

While the stock kit is already a thing of beauty, the optional extras are even more lovable. For around ₹1.5 lakh more, you can get an additional 10.9-inch screen for the co-passenger. This screen can do pretty much everything that the infotainment screen can, while also allowing the co-passenger to stream content over the air. And if you are wondering if this screen will be distracting for the driver on the move, it won’t, because it gets a coating that blocks angled vision, making it appear completely blacked out from the driver’s perspective. If this isn’t enough to fulfil your content frenzy, Porsche also offers an optional Bose sound system, which delivers out of the world sound quality. It also comes with an out of the world price tag of close to ₹3 lakh, but if money is no object to you, this system is for sure worth its price. There’s also a wireless phone charger, which gets a small air vent to keep your phone from overheating.

Is the Porsche Cayenne for you?

In the world of premium SUVs, the Porsche Cayenne sits as a very unique offering. It is one of the few models that blend performance and sportiness with premiumness and luxury really well, while making little to no compromises on either front. It is the perfect amount of sporty, while being extraordinarily comfortable, wearing a sporty interior design that is finished in luxurious materials. Apart from its already hefty price tag and the optional extras which will tempt you to spend almost a Fortuner’s worth of money just on add-ons, there’s not much to fault about the Porsche Cayenne. Yes, if you never plan on driving yourself and are only interested in the back-seat experience, then you can find better options in the market. But for any other purpose, the Porsche Cayenne is a perfect match.