Porsche has added a coupe to its Cayenne range. It has substantial changes to the body and re-tuning of the active suspension to give it an excellent driving feel.
It certainly looks like a coupe not an SUV that’s simply had more slope to the back windows, the shape appealed to all we displayed it to during our test week.
A panoramic sunroof is standard, or you can go for the optional lightweight carbon roof. Our test Cayenne had the sunroof. See more in the Driving section of this review.
This roof is available in one of the three lightweight sports packages. These packages also include the Sport Design features and new, weight-reduced 22-inch GT Design wheels, seat centres in classic checked fabric, and carbon and Alcantara accents in the interior.
STYLING
Virtually the whole body has been changed from that of the standard Cayenne SUV. The front windscreen and A-pillars are shallower and the roof edges have been lowered by around 20 millimetres. The rear lights are joined with a continuous panel to, again, give it a lower look.
Best of all is that the large grille makes the bonnet look smaller, more like a Porsche sportscar than a wagon. This statement may sound odd to those who aren’t into cars, but to Porsche purists it’s pleasing.
Different rear doors and guards broaden the shoulders and the rear number plate is integrated into the bumper, making the vehicle seem closer to the ground.
INTERIOR
Cayenne Coupe comes with a pair of rear bucket seats or you can option it as a three-seater with a sort of a rear bench that has two individual seats with a skinny uncomfortable flat seat between them.
ENGINES / TRANSMISSIONS
The Porsche Cayenne Coupe we tested has a 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 with 250 kW (340hp) and maximum torque of 450 Nm. It can sprint to 100 km/h in 6.0 seconds.
Transmission is by an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic.
There’s a hotshot Cayenne Turbo Coupe that uses a 4.0-litre V8 engine with twin-turbos to achieve, 404 kW (550hp), and maximum torque of 770 Nm. It gets to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds and has a top speed of 286 km/h. Hmm, this one would be just the thing to cruise at high speed on sealed roads in the Northern Territory, followed by some off-road exploration. This truly is a car for all reasons.
A petrol-electric plugin Cayenne E-Hybrid is there for those keen to minimise harm to the environment, but it’s pretty expensive at $292,700.
SAFETY
No official safety rating for Australia has been listed yet, it’s highly likely it will have a five-star rating which is pretty much the same as that of the standard Cayenne.
DRIVING
Even the smallest engine (if you call three litres small) in a Cayenne has plenty of performance. It answers quickly to throttle movements with a minimum of turbo lag when you hit the loud pedal.
The automatic has very fast changes and is generally in the right gear, it answers quickly to demands from the driver to move down a gear for added get up and go.
Porsche’s excellent PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) is standard on all coupe models and can be set to provide a smooth ride on good sealed road. Rough surfaces that have seen better days are still handled pretty well, though there are times when the big SUV does jiggle a little.
It’s no 911 or Boxster in the way it handles, but the Cayenne coupe comes much closer than you might expect. The inputs to the steering are responded to quickly and the wheel provides pretty good feedback.
Cornering is precise, the big SUV holds its line nicely and is happy to change direction promptly should the road change its angle.
The large Porsche demolishes big Aussie miles with ease, soaks up most bumps almost imperceptibly and shrugs off a lot of the road noise.
Concrete surfaces do set up extra noise, particularly when there are expansion joints on bridges, but we’ve heard worse.
The large sunroof on our test Cayenne coupe was much appreciated during these wintery days at home are of the Gold Coast and we had shade moved back virtually all the time. Funnily enough we Coasters tend to shelter from the sun in summer as it’s just too strong – and the GC is one of the world leaders in skin cancer.
There’s reasonable headroom in the back seats, but try for yourself as we all have different requirements.
SUMMING UP
Porsche Cayenne Coupe is an excellent mix of performance, prestige, style and touring car that will suit those who are keen drivers going places with a smile on their faces.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
3.0 Coupe: $134,100
2.9 S Coupe: $172,900
4.0 GTS Coupe: $198,200
4.0 Turbo Coupe: $259,400
3.0 E-Hybrid Coupe: $151,600
4.0 Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe: $298,500
Note: These prices do not include government or dealer delivery charges. Contact your local Porsche dealer for drive-away prices.
SPECIFICATIONS (Porsche Cayenne 3.0-litre turbo-petrol four-door coupe)
ENGINE:
Capacity: 2.995 litres
Configuration: V6
Maximum Power: 250 kW @ 5300 rpm
Maximum Torque: 450 Nm @ 1340 rpm
Fuel Type: Premium unleaded
Combined Fuel Cycle (ADR 81/02): 9.9 L/100km
CO2 Emissions: 225 g/km
DRIVELINE: Eight-speed automatic
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4931 mm
Wheelbase: 2895 mm
Width: 1983 mm
Height: 1676 mm
Turning Circle: 12.1 metres
Kerb Mass: 2105 kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 90 litres
BRAKES:
Front: Ventilated disc
Rear: Ventilated disc
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years / unlimited kilometres
