Since it was launched in 2002, over 1,250,000 units of the Porsche Cayenne have been sold contributing to more than 30% of total sales so yes the Cayenne is a huge success story for the brand.
More than 95,000 Cayennes were sold in 2022 so when an updated model is available, there is a lot of keen interest around the world and Porsche South Africa kindly flew us out to Austria to be the first to sample the E3.II variant.
The refreshed Cayenne arrives with a highly digitalised display and control concept, new chassis technology and innovative high-tech features. “It’s one of the most extensive product upgrades in the history of Porsche,” says Michael Schätzle, Vice President of the Cayenne product line.
Visually the 2024 Cayenne update is more evolutionary than revolutionary. The basic design concept is largely the same, with lightly resculpted fenders and a new hood design. The headlights (Matrix LED Headlights are now standard in the new Cayenne) are also new and have been shaped to better align with the company’s other offerings like the Taycan. At the other end, you will find a new set of 3D tail lights and a redesigned fascia which unclutters the rear end while also integrating the license plate holder.
Inside sees some of the more prominent changes with inspiration drawn from the tech-focused Taycan. The new dash now comes with a central 12.3-inch infotainment screen and a new 12.6-inch curved gauge display. Should you wish, you can now, for the first time, add a 10.9-inch touchscreen to keep the passenger entertained. The SUV’s steering wheel has been replaced by one borrowed from the 911 sports car, and the gearshift toggle moves to the dashboard opening up some more storage space in the centre console and allowing for a larger and more intuitive air conditioning controller.
The whole Cayenne range gets an increase in power but the headline news is that the S models drop the V6 for a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 delivering 468 hp (349 kW) and 600 Nm of torque.
As standard, Porsche will equip the Cayenne with a steel spring suspension including Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). Should you wish, you can add the new adaptive air suspension with 2-chamber, 2-valve technology offering an even sharper differentiation between Normal, Sport and Sport Plus driving modes.
So what is it like to drive? We were lucky to be handed the keys to a Cayenne S Coupé for 85% of the drive so let’s focus on that. Also, it has a V8 and who doesn’t love a V8?
Firing up the Cayenne S is instantly rewarding thanks to that throaty growl from the eight-cylinder under the hood. Power has been hiked by 34 hp (25 kW) and torque by 50 Nm which allows the SUV to run to 100 km/h in just 4.7 seconds. The bump in power may be relatively small but it is immediately noticeable after a quick run on some mint Austrian tarmac. It feels more urgent when you need it to be and thanks to more torque at lower revs, the V8 also provides the Cayenne with a more relaxing drive at highway speeds.
Porsche makes sure their cars are not just quick and refined in a straight line and this new Cayenne is no exception to that. It points superbly well into corners and the electromechanical steering is as precise as one could want. At 2,100 kg, the Cayenne is not what you would call a lightweight, but its ability to carry substantial speed into corners and maintain more than enough grip makes it rather engaging to drive on some sweeping roads.
Without a direct comparison to the current Cayenne, it’s fairly tricky to say for sure what the suspension modifications have done but their engineers are convinced that moving back to dual-chamber air suspension gives the car better ride compliance and improved body control.
To the credit of the Porsche engineers, and the existing Cayenne, it did not need much updating to keep it ahead of its competition but as always, they have managed to improve on an already very polished product.
From the new tech-focused interior to the suspension updates and the engine, all of the 2024 Cayenne’s updates make an already brilliant SUV even better.
Yes, we will be seeing an even larger, three-row SUV offering to top the lineup but until then, the Cayenne is the top dog.
The first units are expected to land in South Africa towards the middle of the year with pricing for the updated Cayenne as follows;
Cayenne – R1,848,000
Cayenne E-Hybrid – R2,194,000
Cayenne S – R2,125,000
Cayenne Coupé – R1,933,000
Cayenne E-Hybrid coupé – R2,259,000
Cayenne S Coupé – R2,232,000
Cayenne Turbo GT – R4,128,000
