Porsche Cayenne Review 2024

Launched in 2017 and updated in 2024, the Porsche Cayenne is a convincingly sporty luxury SUV. Available with a choice of petrol or plug-in hybrid powertrains, the Cayenne’s rivals include the Range Rover Sport and BMW X5, but it shares a platform with the Bentley Bentayga, Audi Q7 and Lamborghini Urus.

While this highlights the Cayenne’s impressive breeding, it also demonstrates the sheer size of this SUV. It’s arguably a bit too big for Britain’s congested city streets and narrow country lanes, but this hasn’t stopped it from being a huge success for Porsche. It helps that it’s brilliant to drive.

The Porsche Cayenne is the automotive equivalent of having your cake and eating it. The performance and handling of a Porsche sports car, combined with the luxury and practicality of a premium SUV. Proof that sporty can be luxurious. Fancy a slice of this very Germanic cake? Sure you do.

Launched in 2017, the Porsche Cayenne is a rival to large SUVs like the Range Rover Sport, BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE. But there’s more to it than that, because the Cayenne shares a platform with the Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus.

When you take this into account, the cost of entry becomes easier to justify, if not entirely affordable. Prices range from around £70,000 to more than £130,000, and that’s before you add some of the optional extras you’ll almost certainly want. Still, you can view the Cayenne as a cut-price Bentley or Lamborghini... it's basically the Dacia Duster of its class.

We wouldn’t call it beautiful, but the Porsche Cayenne is more elegant and less aggressive than previous models. It will turn heads, especially if you’re making the most of its sporting credentials on a track day.

The jury might be out on the exterior styling, but the interior needs no debate. The luxury-grade quality is matched by a design that fuses the best elements of the Porsche 911 and Panamera. There are too many buttons, but the widescreen infotainment system is a class act.

You get the familiar commanding view of the road ahead, but the driving position is more low-slung than rival SUVs, giving you the feel that you’re driving a sports car. Look over your shoulder and you’ll discover that you’re not, because there’s enough room in the back for three adults, while the boot is large enough to shame some estate cars.

Not that many estate cars drive as sweetly as a Porsche Cayenne. It’s the ultimate driver’s SUV, offering supreme comfort when you need it, but the precision and sharpness of a sports car when the mood takes you. It’s a big car, but it seems to shrink on a B-road.

The engines are another highlight. The entry-level V6 models are fast enough to entertain, but the V8 engines are the star of the show. Fuel economy isn’t a strong point, which is why Porsche offers a range of E-Hybrid models. With enough electric range to complete a short commute, running costs are almost manageable, but you’ll still require deep pockets.

Which is arguably the Cayenne’s biggest problem. It’s an expensive car to buy and run, especially once you take into account the servicing and insurance. At least the car has been on sale long enough for examples to be available via the Porsche approved used scheme. The purchase price will be cheaper, but the running costs will be the same.

It’s amazing how agile and lithe a large and heavy SUV can be. You will enjoy driving the Porsche Cayenne. Heck, you could even take it on a track day.

The steering is a particular highlight, with a sharp and tight setup. It’s enhanced by a well-positioned steering wheel, which combines with a low-slung driving position to create a feel that’s more akin to a Porsche 911.

Cayenne S models get adaptive dampers, while the adaptive air suspension enhances the sportiness and luxury car ride. Predictably, there are many options available, including costly ceramic brakes and electric rear axle steering. As for the ride quality, stick with the smaller alloys for the best result, but the ride doesn’t suffer too much on 21-inch rims.

The standard Cayenne is powered by a 3.0-litre V6 engine producing 353PS and 500Nm of torque. This is enough for it to complete the zero to 62mph sprint in just 6.0 seconds, before going on to hit a top speed of 154mph.

The Cayenne S is now powered by a 4.0-litre V8 engine (earlier models used a twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6). With 474PS, this reaches 62mph in just 5.0 seconds.

In a nod to efficiency, there's now an expansive range of plug-in hybrid models available in the Porsche Cayenne. The entry-level E-Hybrid is impressive, pairing a 3.0-litre V6 petrol egine with an electric motor to produce a combined 470PS. 0-62mph acceleration takes 4.9 seconds.

Not fast enough? The Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid sticks with the V6 engine and electric motor combo, with power boosted to 519PS - dropping the 0-62mph acceleration figure to 4.7 seconds.

Topping the range, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid combines the 4.0-litre V8 engine with an electric motor to produce 739PS and a whopping 950Nm of torque. 0-62mph acceleration takes just 3.7 seconds while top speed is 183mph. No one needs an SUV as fast as this, but we're glad it exists.

The Porsche Cayenne was awarded a five-star safety rating when it was crash-tested by Euro NCAP in 2017. There’s a full suite of airbags, along with an active pop-up bonnet for pedestrian safety. Autonomous emergency braking is also standard, but lane-keep assist is an option.

Other options include adaptive cruise control, night vision display, lane-change camera, traffic sign recognition and a 360-degree parking camera.

The Porsche Cayenne has a maximum towing capacity of 3500kg, so it’s ideal for towing caravans, horseboxes and large trailers. It’s worth noting that the plug-in hybrid models offer the best towing capacity of any alternative-fuel car.

The Porsche Cayenne is a big car, extending to over 4.9 metres in length, with the E-Hybrid weighing over 2.3 tonnes. It won’t surprise you to discover that this results in a massive boot, with the Cayenne boasting 770 litres of luggage capacity.

This increases to 1710 litres if you fold the rear seats, which gives the Cayenne estate car qualities. Make no mistake, this is a practical car, even if the E-Hybrid loses 100 litres, thanks to the battery pack in the boot.

There’s also loads of cabin space, with ample room for five adults to sit in comfort. We’d argue that the middle rear seat is the least comfortable of the five, but that’s only because Porsche spent so much time sculpting the other four seats to within a millimetre of perfection. It feels massive in the front, with the driver and passengers given a commanding view of the road ahead.

We’d struggle to criticise the quality and finish of the Porsche Cayenne. Yes, it’s an expensive car, but the cabin shows where the money has been spent. It’s a flawless interior, with most of the cabin lined in leather. Elsewhere, you’ll find the softest of plastics and the richest materials, while the switchgear functions with precision and solidity.

But it’s the design that will leave the longest impression. Our only complaint would be the button count, which takes a while to get used to.

All versions of the Cayenne get an impressive 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It certainly looks the part, with its glossy finish, but it’s not quite as intuitive as systems from rivals such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Functions that aren’t controlled via the touchscreen are operated using a glass touch surface, which feels upmarket and classy. A 4G modem, wi-fi hotspot and Porsche Connect services come as standard, along with dual seven-inch information screens ahead of the driver.

The entry-level Porsche Cayenne costs more than £70,000. That said, it’s hardly what you’d class as entry-level, not when you take into account the standard specification and the fact that it will hit 62mph in just 6.0 seconds.

Next up is the Cayenne E-Hybrid, which starts from a smidgen under £80,000. The Porsche Cayenne S, meanwhile, is more than £84,000 - while the Cayenne S E-Hybrid is around £87,000.

Beyond that, prices go from daft to almost outrageous, with the range-topping Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid exceeding £130,000.

All Cayenne models are available with a wide range of finance options, including PCP, leasing, hire purchase and contract hire.

Used prices start from £35,000, but these tend to be entry-level cars that are just out of warranty. Cayenne Turbo models cost considerably more, so you’ll need to spend the best part of £75,000 to secure one of these desirable cars.

Prices go up to £145,000, which highlights the fact that very few Cayenne models leave the showroom without a suite of options and accessories. The list price is only half the story – be prepared to dig deep to secure the desirable and must-have options.

We suspect running costs will be low on your list of priorities when buying a Porsche Cayenne. Even the ‘basic’ Cayenne can only muster 26.2mpg on a combined cycle, which seems at odds with the current push for fuel efficiency and low emissions. The Cayenne S is even worse, its V8 engine returning only 22.8mpg.

If fuel economy is a concern, it’s worth considering one of the plug-in hybrid models. Ignore the fuel economy figures of these - they're irrelevant, unless you use them exactly the same way as in official tests. Of more interest is the electric-only range, which now exceeds 40 miles - meaning you can cover a short commute without having to use the petrol engine at all. That could potentially save you a considerable amount of money.

Car insurance will be expensive, with even the entry-level Cayenne slotting into group 44. Some models are in group 50. Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is similarly expensive thanks to the premium surcharge for cars costing more than £40,000. At least there’s a first-year discount for the plug-in hybrid models.

Standard equipment on the Porsche Cayenne includes 20-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, Isofix mounting points on the outer rear seats, Porsche Active Suspension Management, Matrix LED headlights, LED taillights, black interior highlights, adjustable steering wheel, Lane Keep Assist, Active Speed Limit Assist, two-zone automatic climate control, navigation and DAB radio.