Wanting in on the rising SUV market, Porsche launched the Cayenne in 2002, and it’s since been a success for the corporate. Eight years after the arrival of the primary mannequin, Porsche debuted the second-generation car after which in 2017, seven years on, the third-generation mannequin arrived. So it’s nearing time for the subsequent one and, certainly, Porsche has already introduced the fourth-generation mannequin will arrive in 2026.

Notably although, that one will likely be all-electric and constructed on a devoted EV platform. And therein additionally lies an issue; there’ll nonetheless be many markets with vital ICE automobile demand, so how do you retain the Cayenne related in these areas? You undertake “one of the most extensive product upgrades in the history of Porsche”, says Michael Schaetzle, vp, Product Line Cayenne. And thus we’ve got the brand new Cayenne, which will get an overhaul to just about its complete self – exterior, inside, powertrains and suspension.

Porsche Cayenne facelift exterior design

As quickly as you set eyes on the brand new car, you understand it’s a Cayenne. Porsche is understood for fastidiously holding on to a automobile’s design ethos for generations and so it has additionally with the brand new Cayenne. Look once more although, and you will notice there’s quite a bit completely different on the entrance. The headlights are the very first thing you’ll discover, the squared-off profile being fairly not like the curved profiles of its predecessors. This means there’s a brand new bonnet and Porsche designers have additionally squared off the outer edges of the big grille. 

Unlike curved the profile of its predecessors, the headlights at the moment are squared off. 

Matrix LED lights at the moment are commonplace the place its 11 excessive beam segments can individually gentle as much as stop dazzling oncoming site visitors. New to the facelift are the elective HD-Matrix LED headlights, which make use of 16,384 particular person micro-LED pixels to create an nearly limitless number of gentle patterns to do various issues like create a light-weight carpet to mark the width of the Cayenne for a driver to simply navigate a slim stretch, drawing a driver’s consideration by flashing a brighter column of sunshine to mark out pedestrians strolling along side the street and, after all, consistently adjusting the beam to stop from oncoming site visitors.

The Cayenne Coupe sits 20mm decrease than the SUV. 

With the replace, each SUV and coupe physique kinds are on provide. At the edges, each are conversant in the doorways being carried over, however there are new alloy patterns with rim sizes supplied in 20, 21 and 22 inches. At the rear, the continual LED gentle bar stays, nevertheless it’s now of uniform width, not like the sooner car that had a narrower center part. The gentle bar additionally has 3D surfacing therapy as does the Porsche lettering within the centre, and these look actually cool when seen up shut. There’s a brand new rear bumper, which now carries the quantity plate for each SUV and coupe physique kinds; beforehand, this was the case with the Coupe solely. Dimensionally, on account of the styling replace, the brand new car is a bit completely different from the outgoing mannequin, however the wheelbase at 2,895mm stays the identical as earlier than.

Porsche Cayenne facelift inside, house, options

When Porsche launched details about the manufacturing car, it selected to point out off the dashboard first and it’s comprehensible why. It’s an enormous replace over the sooner car and the primary belongings you’ll discover are the three screens. The instrument panel is now totally digital, curved and free-standing – much like the Taycan – and the 12.6-inch unit has configurable shows, together with the standard Porsche 5-dial format. The 12.3-inch centre touchscreen from earlier than with all of the anticipated connectivity features carries over, whereas the massive addition is the elective 10.9-inch show on the passenger aspect. This outputs driving and infotainment knowledge and may stream movies, however to verify the motive force isn’t distracted, the show has a coating that forestalls the motive force from seeing the contents and easily seems to be like a shiny black floor.

While you possibly can seat 5, the Cayenne is greatest used as a four-seater.

Also maintaining the motive force centered on the street is what the corporate calls the Porsche Driver Experience, which first arrived on the Taycan. It brings continuously used features nearer to the motive force; as an example, the left lever behind the wheel now has further driver help features and the gear selector is now on the dashboard, which frees up further cupboard space on the centre console. I didn’t like this although, because it’s hidden from sight behind the wheel rim and doesn’t have that emotional or conventional really feel of a selector positioned within the centre console.

As for different options, you get four-zone local weather management, 8-way electrical entrance seats, six airbags, park help with a rear digital camera and an air purification system that robotically switches to recirculation inside tunnels. There’s extra too, like heated and cooled seats at the back and front, however all of them sit on the choices listing.

The elective passenger show has a coating to stop driver from seeing its contents. 

In phrases of house, the Cayenne doesn’t provide as a lot as a few of its bigger rivals, however there’s sufficient head- and legroom. And when you can seat 5, it’s greatest used as a four-seater because the outer rear seats are prominently contoured leaving a narrower central seat and likewise a big tunnel to cope with. Boot house stays beneficiant at 772 litres for the SUV, whereas the Coupe’s is decrease at 592 litres.

Porsche Cayenne facelift engine, gearbox, efficiency

The powertrain line-up will get a lift with the up to date Cayenne. The base mannequin will get energy from the three.0-litre, V6 petrol, which now makes 353hp and 500Nm of torque, that’s up 13hp and 50Nm from earlier than. The plug-in E-Hybrid can be powered by the V6 and it places out a mixed 470hp, which is an 8hp improve, although torque at 650Nm is decrease than the sooner car’s 700Nm. Battery dimension goes up although from 17.9kWh to 25.9kWh giving the hybrid Cayenne an elevated equal all-electric vary (EAER metropolis) of 90km. Instead of a V6, the Cayenne S now will get the large 4.0-litre V8, which has elevated its energy considerably  – it makes 474hp, which is a rise of 34hp, and 600Nm of torque, up 50Nm. The V8 can even energy the wild Cayenne Turbo GT that places out 659hp, 19hp greater than earlier than, and that propels it to a prime pace of 305kph and it does the sprint to 100kph in 3.3 seconds. Sadly although, this isn’t more likely to make it to markets like India, Europe and Japan on condition that it can’t meet the tighter emissions rules. 

As earlier than, the V6 is fast and it might simply maintain excessive triple-digit autobahn speeds as I fortunately tried out on the unrestricted stretches of the German highways, nevertheless it does lack that sense of urgency with a turbo lag-like pause while you ask it to get a transfer on. Top pace is 248kph with a zero to 100kph claimed time of 5.7 seconds.

The 3.0-litre V6 does obligation within the base mannequin and the hybrid.

If sooner is what you’re searching for, the E-Hybrid affords extra with a 254kph prime pace and a time of 4.9 seconds for the sprint to 100kph. What’s good although is that throttle response is fast with the 176hp electrical motor filling in properly whereas the turbo spools up. Electric-only motoring can be attainable and I used to be capable of sustain with site visitors on some open roads cruising fairly comfortably at round 80kph. Staying in pure electrical mode can be fairly straightforward because the engine is in no hurry to kick in, even after a good quantity of accelerator enter. The battery does cost whereas on the transfer, however the E-Hybrid can be a plug-in and Porsche says a brand new 11kW on-board charger now shortens the charging time to only beneath two and a half hours regardless of the bigger battery.

Expectedly, Cayenne S with its V8 is probably the most enjoyable with a 0-100kph time of 4.7 seconds and a prime pace of 272kph. What makes it entertaining is the fast and sharp throttle response, which in Sport Plus is actually very crisp. Equally pleasurable is the change of character in Normal mode, converted to this mode, it’s easygoing and calm and in site visitors – sure, we did see some – it’s straightforward to drive with a laid-back model. Porsche says they’ve elevated the differentiation between modes and it’s fairly obvious.

Porsche Cayenne facelift experience and dealing with

More obvious although is the change in experience and dealing with. The Cayenne was all the time a sharp-handling SUV identified for its driver involvement and with the replace, Porsche has managed to make it sharper nonetheless. There are two suspension set-ups on provide, metal and air springs, and the latter – the adaptive air suspension with the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) – is what’s commonplace in India.

The India-spec Cayenne will get the air suspension set-up as commonplace.

Coming to the air springs first: physique management, which was already good, has been tightened nonetheless and going round some good well-laid-out corners within the Alps, this was very obvious. Cornering is fast and degree and street grip phenomenal; it’s simply the spotlight of the Cayenne. The steering too is superb – a Porsche hallmark – and its weight feels good. As for experience high quality, it was laborious to guage this on the sleek German and Austrian roads, however we did drive the steel-sprung model over some tough terrain.

Our drive additionally included a run as much as a ski lodge through a mountain go that was mainly a rutted path and the experience was surprisingly good, making me surprise why the metal springs should not on provide in India. They actually appeared very able to dealing with the tough and tumble and right here too dealing with was prime notch.

Steering really feel is superb – a Porsche hallmark – and its weight feels good. 

Porsche Cayenne facelift value and verdict  

So far, Porsche has introduced costs for the bottom V6 Cayenne solely, the SUV physique model prices Rs 1.36 crore, whereas the coupe is available in at 1.42 crore, which implies it’s costlier than the likes of the BMW X5 and the Audi Q8, and the hybrid and V8, which is able to arrive later, will likely be dearer nonetheless. What pinches although is the truth that a lot of the options sit on the choices listing, stuff just like the passenger display screen and even cooled seats are all further. So if you would like a well-loaded car, put together to lighten your pockets. 

Body management with air springs, which was already good, has been tightened nonetheless.

The Cayenne nonetheless comes throughout as a tempting proposition. For starters, that famed Porsche crest has its personal allure and the replace to the suspension is a sign of simply how severe Porsche is in regards to the facelift. While most facelifts herald new styling and options, the Cayenne provides extra energy, a revised variant-powertrain hierarchy and, after all, suspension tweaks too. And after two days with it, the adjustments are obvious and pleasing. To my eyes, the Cayenne, particularly the SUV, seems to be actually sensible, the drivability is excellent and that good experience and dealing with has someway gotten even higher nonetheless. Over time, I’ve pushed many updates of the Cayenne and every time, I come away assured that there’s sufficient for it to stay Porsche’s bestseller. Now although, this technology has to soldier on longer than any of its earlier generations, so am I nonetheless assured there’s sufficient delivered to the desk? I most actually am.