Porsche Cayenne Review

Porsche’s pioneering luxury performance SUV has enjoyed several decades of putting up the hackles of diehard sports car enthusiasts. Yet today, the Porsche Cayenne outsells every Porsche sports car by a comfortable margin – and its smaller SUV sibling, the Macan, sells even more still.

The Porsche Cayenne has been a real success story that has made the company a fortune. And that allows Porsche to continue investing in the sports cars that enthusiasts only have eyes for. Because it’s such a profitable car, Porsche has continued to develop the Porsche Cayenne, too. This latest model, introduced in 2017 and revamped in 2024, is easily the most advanced and convincing version yet.

For starters, doesn’t it look good? Now that we're used to the idea of a mammoth Porsche SUV, we can appreciate how the German brand has refined the look of the Porsche Cayenne. It seems longer, more elegant and less bulky, while the broad, powerful front end is far more stylish than anything that’s gone before. No, it’s not a natural beauty, but no SUV is (except, maybe, the Range Rover Velar). This is, however, a sophisticated and modern-looking machine, with plenty of head-turning appeal.

The latest Porsche Cayenne is genuinely luxury-grade inside, too. Many of the advanced high-end luxury features first seen in the electric Porsche Taycan have been carried across, including its fascinating touchscreen displays and cutting-edge controls. It’s very high tech and will be an endless talking point for passengers.

When they’ve stopped gawping at the various screens and touch-sensitive controls, they may well notice what a comfortable machine it is, too. The seats are truly indulgent, with armchair-like qualities and plenty of space all around. Porsche hasn’t bothered to make the Porsche Cayenne into a seven-seater but has instead optimised it for five people – or, better still, just four.

It’s a good job the interior is so refined and relaxing, given the amount of performance the driver has available. Even a standard V6 petrol will easily alarm people on board with its speed, and the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid is truly boundary-pushing, with 739PS summoning up 0-62mph in just 3.7 seconds. It also has an extra eco trick up its sleeve, thanks to plug-in hybrid technology.

There are a few things missing from the Porsche Cayenne range, although they won't necessarily concern a lot of buyers. You can't get a diesel model (Porsche has ruled out ever making a diesel again), and you can't get the Porsche Cayenne with seven seats. If you want a Cayenne with a bit more style, you can, however, get a Porsche Cayenne Coupe. And on that subject, there’s also now the option of the Cayenne Electric, which is an entirely different car despite the partly shared name. 

For most buyers, the Cayenne S is the best bet. Its 4.0-litre V8 gives the Cayenne the sense of occasion, pace and character the chassis can really exploit, and it feels more convincingly Porsche-like than the standard V6.

That said, the Cayenne E-Hybrid makes a lot of sense if your routine suits charging. It’s properly quick, usefully efficient on shorter runs and not wildly more expensive than a comparable petrol Cayenne. For many private buyers and company users alike, it is the smartest all-round choice in the range.

The Turbo E-Hybrid is hugely impressive but also hugely expensive. It makes sense only if you want the full technology and performance showcase.

The current Cayenne range starts at £89,800 for the Cayenne Black Edition and rises to £141,900 for the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid before options.

Used prices start from around £40,000 for earlier examples of this generation, while later facelifted cars and the stronger plug-in hybrids sit much higher.

As ever with Porsche, specification matters. Suspension, seating, lighting, wheel size, audio and assistance packs all make a tangible difference, so two superficially similar Cayennes can feel very different in value.

The Range Rover Sport is the obvious alternative if luxury presence matters as much as performance, while the BMW X5 is a strong all-rounder with a broader model range.

The Mercedes-Benz GLE majors more on comfort and space, and the Audi Q7 (which shares quite a few components with the Cayenne) offers a more understated take on the large premium SUV brief. But if driving enjoyment and expensive-feeling engineering matter most, the Cayenne remains one of the standout choices

The Cayenne feels every inch a large luxury SUV from the inside. There’s loads of room in the front, a commanding driving position and seats that manage to feel both indulgent and properly supportive over long distances.

Rear-seat space is generous, too. Adults have ample room for heads, knees and shoulders, and the lack of a seven-seat layout means Porsche has been able to concentrate on making the second row properly comfortable rather than merely acceptable. In simple terms, it feels more like a luxury five-seater than a family bus.

Boot space is strong by the standards of a performance-led luxury SUV, but there’s a bit more nuance here than the headline number suggests. In the regular petrol Cayenne, Porsche quotes up to 772 litres with the rear seats in place and up to 1,708 litres with them folded.

The plug-in hybrid is the clear exception. In the Cayenne E-Hybrid, Porsche quotes up to 627 litres with the seats up and up to 1,563 litres with them folded, so you lose a worthwhile chunk of carrying space to the battery and hybrid hardware.

That means the Cayenne is a practical car, but not quite the class leader on outright luggage volume. A current BMW X5 is officially quoted at 500 litres in UK-spec form, so the regular Cayenne comfortably beats that figure, while the Mercedes-Benz GLE offers 630 litres, which leaves it much closer to the Cayenne E-Hybrid than to the regular petrol Porsche.

The key point is that the Cayenne majors more on breadth of ability than on maximum box-counting practicality. It is roomy, luxurious and very usable, but if boot space is high on your list, the regular petrol Cayenne makes a much stronger case than the plug-in hybrid.

The Porsche Cayenne measures 4,930mm long, 1,983mm wide and 1,698mm high. 

That makes it every inch a full-size luxury SUV, though it rarely feels as cumbersome as those numbers suggest, thanks to strong visibility, accurate steering and excellent body control.

For comparison, a BMW X5 is a mere 5mm longer, while a Mercedes-Benz GLE is marginally shorter.

The Cayenne’s cabin now mirrors Porsche’s newer models more closely, with a cleaner dashboard layout and a stronger digital focus.

A 12.3-inch central touchscreen is the focal point, and it’s one of the better systems in the class: sharp, responsive and easy to learn. Porsche has wisely kept a few physical controls for the things drivers use most, which helps usability on the move.

The optional passenger display adds theatre rather than necessity, but it does underline how tech-heavy the Cayenne has become. The broader impression is not merely of lots of screens, but of a cabin that has been very carefully designed around them.

As standard, the Cayenne has a partial leather interior, which can be upgraded to full leather in either black or a range of two-tone finishes. Two plusher ‘Club Leather’ trims are available as a higher cost option. 

The dashboard and centre console have large, shiny black plastic elements, and there are several optional inlay packages made from different materials, including carbon fibre, wood and brushed aluminium. The cabin can be further advanced with contrast stitching.

The current UK Cayenne range mixes petrol and plug-in hybrid power. The Cayenne uses a 3.0-litre turbo petrol V6 with 353PS. It’s the slowest car in the range, only in relative terms, because 0-62mph takes just 5.7 seconds with the Sport Chrono option (this includes a launch control function).

Above that sits the Cayenne S, which uses a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 with 474PS. That engine matters because it gives the Cayenne the sort of effortless punch and richer soundtrack the old V6 it replaced could never quite match.

The E-Hybrid uses a 3.0-litre V6 and electric motor for a combined 470PS, while the S E-Hybrid raises that to 519PS. Both are seriously quick, and both now offer a much more useful electric range than earlier Cayenne plug-in hybrids did.

The GTS sits alongside them as the more overtly sporting petrol option, using the same 4.0-litre V8 in a sharper, more focused setup.

At the top sits the Turbo E-Hybrid, combining a 4.0-litre V8 with electric assistance for 739PS and a 0-62mph time of just 3.7 seconds. It’s an extraordinary number for something this large.

All versions use an eight-speed ‘Tiptronic S’ automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive.

The Cayenne is one of the most satisfying large SUVs to drive. Steering feel is unusually sharp and faithful for the class, body control is outstanding, and the whole car shrinks around you more effectively than most rivals.

There is also a huge breadth of chassis technology available, from adaptive dampers to air suspension, rear-axle steering and active anti-roll systems. The remarkable thing is that even before you get into the expensive options, the Cayenne already feels deeply sorted.

Ride comfort is also very good. This is not a harsh performance SUV masquerading as a luxury car. In its calmer modes, it feels properly refined and indulgent, and even on larger wheels it remains impressively composed.

Refinement is strong across the range. Wind and road noise are well suppressed, and the plug-in hybrids add an extra layer of serenity at low speeds when running on electric power alone.

The Cayenne scored five stars with Euro NCAP when tested, with very strong adult-occupant protection. The car was assessed in 2017, though, which means the rating is old enough for the safety body to consider it ‘expired’, because its testing criteria gets more stringent as time goes on.

Also, some of the more advanced driver-assistance systems remain optional rather than standard. That’s worth noting both for new buyers and for anyone shopping used, because two apparently similar Cayennes can differ quite a lot in assistance and safety spec.

Fuel economy varies enormously depending on which version you choose. The petrol V8s are predictably the thirstiest, with the Cayenne S and GTS sitting in the low-20s mpg on paper. The standard V6 petrol is a little better, but no Cayenne without a plug is going to be a fuel-sipping choice.

The plug-in hybrids are a different story. Official figures look extremely strong, with the E-Hybrid and S E-Hybrid both well above 60mpg on the more realistic WLTP ‘weighted’ test. The crucial point is that they only make sense if you charge them regularly. If you do, they can cover many shorter journeys on electric power alone and make a surprisingly strong ownership case. If you don’t, they become very fast but very heavy SUVs with little real-world economy advantage.

If you’re buying new, the Cayenne comes with Porsche’s standard new-car cover. If you’re buying used, Porsche Approved is the most reassuring route because pre-owned cars from the scheme in the UK currently include a minimum of 24 months Porsche Warranty and a minimum of 24 months Porsche Assistance.

That’s separate from the broader Porsche Approved Warranty scheme, which can be renewed on eligible cars for 12, 24 or 36 months at a time and can apply up to 15 years of vehicle age, provided the car continues to meet Porsche’s conditions.

Servicing is unlikely to be cheap, but the Cayenne is well supported by Porsche centres and specialists. On used examples, condition and history matter more than almost anything else, particularly on plug-in hybrid cars and heavily optioned high-performance versions.

Insurance sits firmly in luxury-performance-SUV territory. Even the more modest Cayenne models are expensive to insure, while the hybrids and upper-range cars rise rapidly.

The Cayenne sits around group 44, and the plug-in hybrids climb to group 50.

For most Porsche Cayennes first registered on or after 1 April 2017, the standard annual VED rate is £200 at the time of writing. The plug-in hybrids no longer receive a token £10 discount, so they’re charged at the same rate.

Because all new Cayennes cost more than £40,000, they are also caught by the Expensive Car Supplement. That takes the annual bill to £640 annually from years two to six.