Accelerating to awesome
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The shock of Porsche producing an SUV has long since died down, and what’s left is simply a great car. Porsche’s decision to expand beyond sports cars was justified pretty much as soon as the original Cayenne went on sale in 2002, and it’s been one of the firm’s biggest sellers ever since.
This is good news for used buyers too, because while the Cayenne isn’t cheap, the sheer number of them out there, the breadth of models available, and Porsche’s continuous updates and improvements mean that used models can be surprisingly good value even at just a year or two old, while going back five or ten years can turn up some real bargains. Below we’re focusing on the third generation car launched in 2018, but specifications aside, much of what you’ll read applies to almost any Cayenne - it’s one of the best all-rounders in its class.
The shock value of the Porsche Cayenne has long since been usurped by cars like the Lamborghini Urus and Bentley Bentayga, but the Cayenne’s abilities as a practical, luxurious and high-performance SUV haven’t diminished over time. Some cars might beat it in one or two areas, but very few are as consistently able across the board.
Under the skin the Cayenne is still related to nothing more exotic than a Volkswagen Touareg, but then so are that Lamborghini and Bentayga. The important thing is that each brand puts its own spin on the platform, and in the Porsche’s case, that means typical Porsche styling features, responsive and powerful engines, and excellent handling for something so large and heavy - but maintaining the same kind of practicality as the Volkswagen.
More powerful versions of the Cayenne perform and handle like you wouldn’t believe, but the only real tradeoff is quite a firm ride on some models, and a prodigious thirst for unleaded if you’re driving quickly. Porsche does offer plug-in hybrids to slightly offset that, but there’s no diesel option any more. Inside, quality is up to the usual Porsche standards - you get an excellent driving position and high-quality materials wherever you lay your hands.
Depending on the model, the Cayenne competes with everything from BMW X5s and Mercedes GLEs, to the Urus and Bentayga mentioned earlier. A left-field option is the Maserati Levante, and more recently, cars like the plug-in hybrid BMW XM are also an option if you’ve got your eye on a Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid.
Ever since the first Cayenne arrived in the mid-2000s it’s been among the best premium SUVs on sale, and that applies whichever model in the range you’re looking at. The mighty Turbo and Turbo E-Hybrid models obviously attract the most attention but a Cayenne, E-Hybrid, or Cayenne S are all great all-rounders and hardly short of performance or equipment in their own right. If you have a place to charge then the E-Hybrid can be surprisingly thrifty for a large SUV, but we suspect most buyers will be prepared to put up with higher fuel bills for the sound of a V8, so the Cayenne S is a good place to start.
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Porsche hasn’t offered a diesel Cayenne since 2018, but if you’re shopping among older models, it’s still worth a look - the 48.2mpg economy figure of the old 262PS 3-litre V6 diesel is more frugal than all but the plug-in hybrids in the current range.
Despite a wide range of models, Porsche keeps things relatively simple with its model ranges. Like Boxsters and 911s, each engine is effectively its own trim level too, which means there’s a fairly linear correlation between how much power you get and how many toys the Caynne comes with. We’ve covered the significant models below.
The Porsche Cayenne’s dimensions are:
The Porsche Cayenne’s boot size is:
Thanks to high initial list prices, tax is quite expensive on the Cayenne. All regular petrol models registered since April 2017 get a flat rate currently set at £600 per year, and hybrid and plug-in hybrids are a scant £10 cheaper. When those earliest cars reach their seventh year of registration though that will drop to a more palatable £190 for petrols and £180 for the hybrids.
Cayenne insurance is predictably towards the upper end of the 1-50 group scale, with the regular V6-engined Cayenne, the S, and the E-Hybrid starting in group 44, and the Turbo and Turbo E-Hybrid maxing out the scale at group 50. Insurance costs shouldn’t be massively different from other large and powerful SUVs however.
£86,990
£42,490
£91,998
£81,950
£65,990
£104,990
£91,995
£68,490
£50,995
£99,990
£61,995
£84,950
£65,995
£55,490
£97,995
£37,495
£93,990
What is the most popular colour for Porsche Cayenne ?
What is the most popular gearbox for Porsche Cayenne ?
What is the most popular fuel type for Porsche Cayenne ?
What is the most popular engine for Porsche Cayenne ?
What is the average mileage for Porsche Cayenne ?
17350
How many Porsche Cayenne cars are available for sale?
200
