New Porsche Cayenne unwrapped and local pricing confirmed

Porsche has lifted the covers from its new and improved Cayenne: a heavily reworked version of the popular third-generation model that was unveiled to the world in 2017. Disclosed to much fanfare at the 2023 Shanghai Auto Show on Tuesday, this luxury performance SUV is, according to Michael Schätzle, vice-president of the Cayenne product line, “one of the most extensive product upgrades in the history of Porsche.”

The vehicle's exterior is leaner and meaner with a redesigned front end giving a stylistic nod to the current generation 911 Carrera and all-electric Taycan models. Fitted with a pair of sharper Matrix LED headlights as standard, the new Porsche Cayenne further benefits from more strongly arched front wings, a new bonnet and a more aggressive front bumper with reworked intake grilles and LED light strips. 

Move to the rear of the refreshed Cayenne and you will notice that the Porsche designers have spruced things up with the inclusion of 3-D designed taillights and a sleek new bumper that features an integrated number plate holder. While three new hues join the exterior paint palette, customers can further customise their Cayenne with alloy wheel designs ranging from 20- to 22-inches. A lightweight sports package is also available and can slice as much as 33kg from the Cayenne Coupé courtesy of gravity-cheating upgrades such as a feathery carbon fibre roof.

Perhaps the most radical changes of this midlife facelift are inside the cabin where you'll find the new Porsche Driver Experience cockpit design incorporating a free-standing 12.6-inch curved digital instrument cluster display. This is complemented by an updated 12.3-inch touchscreen that, mounted in the centre of the dash, controls the latest Porsche Communication Management infotainment system. Compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the driver can use this system to operate driving and comfort functions as well as the standard online navigation and multimedia functions.

Another key feature of the this revised cockpit architecture is an updated multifunction steering wheel based on the one used in the 911 that, among other things, houses the rotary driving mode switch for selecting Normal, Offroad, Sport and Sport Plus modes. 

A new integrated 10.9-inch passenger display will be available and when fitted allows the front passenger to access the SUV's media and navigation system. Thanks to the implementation of a special foil in the screen's construction, the driver is unable to see the passenger display when behind the steering wheel, allowing the front passenger to safely watch streaming video content without causing unwanted distraction.

The automatic transmission selector lever has also been relocated to the dashboard, freeing up space on the centre console for an extra storage compartments as well as a new HVAC control panel that features a pleasing mix of haptic and mechanical switchgear for optimum operability (because there's nothing worse than scrolling through a finicky touchscreen to change your fan blower speed).

Other notable upgrades include a cooled inductive charging pad that allows optimised charging power of up to 15W, four USB-C ports (two front, two rear) and a GPS-controlled recirculation system. Fitted as standard equipment across the Cayenne range, the latter uses predictive navigation data to detect approaching tunnel entrances and automatically activates air recirculation. Aimed at allergy sufferers, an ioniser is also as an option to remove airborne germs and pollutants. 

There's also a raft of new driver assistance technologies including active speed limiter and swerve assist, cornering assist, improved Porsche InnoDrive and adaptive cruise control.

A new Porsche wouldn't be a new Porsche without some under-the-skin chassis fettling and as such the Cayenne now comes standard with an improved steel spring suspension system bolstered by Porsche Active Suspension Management. The shock absorbers also incorporate two-valve damping technology, which allows for separate rebound and compression stages. The upshot of this is improved ride comfort at slower speeds and superior pitch and roll control during bouts of high-speed dynamic driving. 

Customers seeking extra adjustability can opt for the new adaptive air suspension system that uses two-chamber and two-valve damping technology for increased stability on the road and off it. With its heavily revised kinematics, it offers an even sharper differentiation between the vehicle's preset Normal, Sport and Sport Plus driving modes. 

From launch Porsche's new flagship SUV will be available with a choice of three updated powertrains. The entry-level Cayenne gets a turbocharged 3.0l V6 petrol engine tuned to deliver 260kW and 500Nm of torque. This unit is shared with the Cayenne E-Hybrid that, thanks to a more potent 130kW electric motor, boasts a combined power output of 346kW. While a larger 25.9kWh battery pack ensures a maximum all-electric range of 90kW, a new 11kW on-board charger now shortens the charging time to less than two and a half hours.

The Cayenne S ditches the V6 in favour of a newly-fettled 4.0l twin-turbocharged V8 making a healthy 349kW and 600Nm of torque. These numbers equate to a claimed 0-100km/h time of 4.7 seconds and a maximum speed of 273km/h. If that's not quick enough then you can spring for the range-topping Turbo GT that sports an upgraded 4.0l twin-turbocharged V8 churning out 485kW and 850Nm of torque. Porsche claims that this monster will charge from 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds and hit a VO2 Max of 305km/h. 

Porsche South Africa confirmed to TimesLIVE Motoring that it is now taking orders for the new Cayenne, with customer delivery expected in the second half of this year. 

Pricing including a standard three-year/100,000km Driveplan is 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