Porsche has given the Cayenne a comprehensive mid-life update, adding more power, more range for the hybrid model, a new interior, more technology and a fresh exterior look. As before, the Cayenne will be offered in SUV and "Coupe" guises, going on sale later this year following its world debut at the Auto Shanghai motor show in China. Irish prices have yet to be announced.
More square-jawed style
The overall silhouettes of the Cayenne SUV and Coupe are more or less unchanged, but Porsche has substantially altered the detailing within. Up front, the Cayenne's squarer design - including new lights, bumpers, bonnet and arches - makes the car look wider than before, while Matrix LED headlights are standard-fit (a new 'HD' variant of these is optional). The rear lights are new, too, featuring a distinctive full-width design with the PORSCHE script integrated in the middle.
Rounding out the visual changes are new alloy wheels - ranging from 20- to 22-inch in diameter - and an expanded palette of paint colours.
All-new dashboard
Inside, the Cayenne receives a completely new dashboard and centre console, taking the Porsche Taycan as inspiration. Like in that car the SUV's drive selector takes the form of a chunky rectangular lever mounted to the dashboard itself. This frees up space between the seats for a redesigned climate control interface that mixes haptic feedback with welcome analogue switchgear. The main instruments are found on a curved 12.6-inch display in front of the driver that does without a cowl, while the central touchscreen measures 12.3-inch across the diagonal and allows access to all the usual Porsche Communication Management (PCM) features, including built-in Spotify and Apple Music.
One of the biggest talking points is the new option for the front-seat passenger to have their own touchscreen. It's a 10.9-inch item that enables access to the infotainment, while also allowing the passenger to stream video while the car is on the move. A special foil in the display prevents the driver from seeing it.
Three versions for Europe to start with
Only buyers outside of Europe can buy the updated Cayenne in range-topping Turbo GT guise now, including an upgrade to 659hp. All other versions have received power increases of their own, however. Porsche has released details of three models to begin with. The entry-level Cayenne uses a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine making up to 353hp and 500Nm of torque (increases of 13hp and 50Nm, respectively), while the new Cayenne S now gets a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 in place of its old V6. It produces up to 474hp and 600Nm (up 34hp and 50Nm on its predecessor) for a 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds.
Of more interest to Irish buyers will be the plug-in hybrids. Just one has been confirmed so far, the Cayenne E-Hybrid. This also uses the V6 engine, but paired with a more powerful electric motor than before for a system maximum power output of 470hp. The hybrid's battery capacity has been increased, too, from 17.9- to 25.9kWh, resulting in an official electric range of up to 90 kilometres. AC charging at up to 11kW is possible.
Upgraded chassis and equipment
The base chassis setup on the new Cayenne includes Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM - adjustable damping in Porsche-speak) with new two-valve dampers. Depending on model, adaptive air suspension is also available, claimed to be significantly more sophisticated than that in the outgoing car. Porsche says there's more obvious differentiation between the Normal, Sport and Sport Plus driving modes than before, too.