The S regains a V8 in a major revamp that also affects its chassis, cabin and more
MODEL TESTEDS
Price £84,400 Power 468bhp Torque 443lb ft 0-60mph 5.0sec 30-70mph in 4th 6.3sec Fuel economy 22.9mpg CO2 emissions 282-303g/km 70-0mph 57.4m
Where does the line between a heavy facelift and an all-new model start? Porsche can argue it both ways. Strictly speaking, the latest Cayenne is an updated version of the existing third generation (the ‘E3’) of what we all now regard as the original sporting SUV, est 2002. However, the scope of the changes is on par with what Porsche has, in the past, undertaken for full-generational model renewals.
It means that while the engine line-up still consists of V6 and V8 layouts, these units have been meaningfully overhauled, as has the suspension and, most noticeably, the interior, which takes its cues from the all-electric Taycan saloon. This is rather a different car from the Porsche Cayenne launched in 2018, so don’t be fooled by the subtle revisions to the exterior design. Those more squared-off intakes and sharper creases in the body are the least of it.
Why has Porsche gone so heavy on the updates without deeming this to be an all-new model? It comes down to awkward timing. The Cayenne remains the firm’s best-seller yet its future trajectory as an old-school, combustion-engined SUV with mechanically connected four-wheel drive is uncertain. An all-electric Macan is already upon us and an electric Cayenne is due in 2027, at the same time as an ambitious electric model codenamed K1, with off-road capability and seven-seat capacity, in a niche above the Cayenne. These cars are Porsche’s future.
Even so, four years from now, the German company still expects to be selling plenty of petrol-engined Cayennes around the world. They will sit in showrooms alongside the new EVs. But will it sell enough to justify the expense of an all-new generation? In readying the E3 Cayenne for the long haul, Porsche’s implicit answer is ‘probably not’. It means we are perhaps looking at the final version of this divisive, desirable car as we’ve always known it. So does it go out on a high note?
DESIGN AND ENGINEERINGAAAAC
The facelifted Cayenne heralds the return of Porsche’s likeably beefcake V8 to more accessible derivatives than the Turbo or GTS, and this is cause for cheer.
It means that while the entry-level Cayenne uses a 348bhp 3.0-litre V6, the Cayenne S tested here is endowed with the Porsche-Audi 4.0-litre ‘EA825’ V8 and 468bhp, not to mention 443
