2023 Porsche Cayenne Review: Stuttgart's Flagship SUV Kicks Physics in the Teeth!

The 911 may very well be the poster child of Porsche, but it’s the Cayenne that’s the company’s cash cow and a true breadwinner of the family. Want proof? More than 30% of all the Porsches sold today are the high-riding Cayennes and not 911s as you would like to imagine. As a matter of fact, Porsche has shipped and sold more than one million Cayennes across the globe in just two decades of the SUV’s existence – a feat that took nearly six decades for the mighty 911 to accomplish. 

Not only does the Cayenne keep the cash registers at Stuttgart ringing, but the revenue it generates also helps fuel the development of new 911s, GT3RS, GT4s, and what have you. So, its success matters all the more to Porsche and its lovers.

For 2023, Porsche has refreshed the Cayenne so that it can, um, sell in even larger numbers and be an even bigger success. However, this isn’t an all-new Cayenne – it will only happen in 2026 with a fully electric version. So, for the time being, Porsche has given the Cayenne a mid-life shot in the arm. That said, Porsche says that it is one of the biggest and most extensive product upgrades in the history of the brand. Well, is it? We put the new Cayenne through its paces in the beautiful settings of Meghalaya to get you the answer.

2023 Porsche Cayenne: What’s New?

Well, not much has changed on the outside. Apart from a new front end with Taycan-like LED headlamps, larger air intakes, bigger 20-inch rims (standard) – earlier, they were 19 inches – and a redesigned rear section with seamless LED taillamps, it is very much the same Cayenne as the model it replaces. It does look quite handsome and sporty though, no doubt.

Changes inside, on the other hand, are more prominent – in fact, it gets an all-new interior, which has been lifted directly from the Taycan’s assembly line. The dash features a curved 12.6-inch digital driver display, replacing the analogue tach of the outgoing model, and the new 12.3-inch touchscreen is crisp and intuitive to operate. Passengers who love fighting for the shotgun seat have one more reason to do so, as there is now an entertainment (third) display on offer, mounted directly in front – although it’s a Rs 1.5-lakh optional extra. And don’t worry, the driver can’t see what’s been played on the display, as there’s a special foil to block the view.

Among other changes, the gear selector has moved to the dashboard and there’s a start/stop button – no twisting the Porsche key anymore. Also, the steering wheel is now thin-rimmed, much like the one in the 911 and Taycan. You also get a new drive selector switch on the steering to flick through the four modes on offer – Off-Road, Normal, Sport, and Sport Plus.

Everything you touch and feel oozes high quality, and the fit-and-finish levels are extraordinary. At the back, it has acres of room, and it feels every bit as luxurious as a Rs 1.5 crore SUV is supposed to feel. That said, most of the kit on our test car was not ‘standard’. The two-tone leather interior you see here for instance costs Rs 8 lakh extra, and the Bose sound system adds another Rs 2.80 lakh, while the soft-close door function is for Rs 1.46 lakh. Similarly, the panoramic sunroof is an option that costs over Rs 4 lakh! And there’s no end to this, for the sky is the limit when you’re speccing a Porsche. The Carmine Red shade (Rs 4.95 lakh extra for that) gracing the pictures you see here had options worth Rs 40 lakh, which jacked up the final ex-showroom price to Rs 1.76 crore! Now, while mere mortals are likely to lose their minds upon hearing these so-called hidden costs, Porsche India says that it’s quite normal for their average buyer to spend that kind of moolah on these options. No sweat then…

2023 Porsche Cayenne Engine & Gearbox: V6 for One & All

For India, Porsche has decided to continue with the tried-and-tested 3.0-litre V6 petrol for the new Cayenne, which is the sole engine option in the country. This means that there’s no V8 or plug-in hybrid on offer – at least for the time being. Except for a little gain in terms of power and torque (+13bhp and +50Nm, respectively), it’s the same engine as the one powering the outgoing model. The total power output stands at 348bhp, while the peak torque is 500Nm. Transmission duties are taken care of by an 8-speed automatic (torque converter), which sends the drive to all four wheels.

At idle, this V6 motor is as loud as a monk’s hum, which is to say that it’s super silent – almost electric-car quiet, almost. On the move, too, you won’t hear the engine make its presence felt or realise that there are moving components under the bonnet – it is as if this Cayenne runs on whipped cream. Although, a lot of it is also down to the impeccable noise insulation of the cabin.

As for its performance, the Cayenne gets off the line briskly. Porsche claims that it can do the 0 – 100km/h sprint in 5.7 seconds, and I have no reason to dispute this claim, given how ferociously it accelerated even on the country’s wettest roads during our drive. The only time where you can catch this drivetrain sort of napping is when you ask for a quick overtake. You’ll notice that the gearbox is a bit hesitant to downshift, which results in a momentary pause in the proceedings. Having said that, the gear changes are seamless, and just like the engine, the transmission is a silky-smooth operator.

The engine also doesn’t shy away from being stretched all the way up to its 6,500rpm redline – and, yes, the 8-speed torque converter does hold gears in manual mode. This is also the only time when you get to hear some mechanical noises inside the cabin – the whole driving experience is quite muted otherwise. You can fix this, though, with another…drumroll…optional extra – a Sport Exhaust, which costs around Rs 6 lakh! But, it doesn’t produce the kind of fruity exhaust noises you would expect. It barely tickles your senses.

2023 Porsche Cayenne Ride & Handling: Go Full Stuttgart!

The engine performance may leave you wanting more, but when it comes to the driving dynamics, the new Cayenne – even in its base version – is a phenomenon!

The India-spec Cayenne gets air suspension as standard. Porsche says that a lot of work has gone into recalibrating the suspension setup of the new Cayenne to make it more comfortable. However, at the same time, it hasn’t been turned into a softy – in fact, Porsche also claims that the handling has been improved further. So, how has it been done? According to Porsche, they have accomplished all this by increasing the range between different driving modes. As in, the ride quality is now plusher in Normal mode than the outgoing version, whereas the handling is tauter in Sport and Sport + modes as compared to earlier. And, after driving the Cayenne for over two days – on good, bad, and ugly roads – I couldn’t agree more!

Common sense will have you believe that the Cayenne is the least sporty and most comfortable Porsche in the family, which it is, and the new one is only better in this regard. Be it bumps, potholes, ruts, or any imperfection on the road, the Cayenne kind of flattens everything that comes its way. It doesn’t clunk through potholes, and there's no firm edge in the way it absorbs bumps. What’s even more remarkable is the fact that the Cayenne I was driving was shod with the optional 21-inch alloys (Rs 5.82 lakh extra, by the way!), and yet it just glided over every surface. And then when you put it in Sport Plus, it simply switches personalities –  from Bruce Wayne to Batman real quick. From a posh luxury SUV to an apex-sniffing superhero, that is. In short, it goes full Stuttgart!

The body control gets tighter, and there’s virtually no roll. It corners flat as if it’s on rails, while the steering is precise and drips with feel. Grip levels? Simply mind-boggling! Try as you might, you will still struggle to hear the tyres protest, let alone break traction. You can’t get this thing out of shape until you turn the electronics off or do something really, really silly. What’s even more remarkable is the fact that even in its sportiest setting, the suspension somehow manages to take everything in its stride without sending shock waves through your spine. I mean, how Porsche does what Porsche does is unfathomable to me, honestly.

Verdict

Come to think of it, there’s absolutely nothing that the new Cayenne can’t do. Sports car handling? Check. Luxury SUV-like comfort? Check. Go off-road? Check (if the owner is brave enough). Cutting-edge tech and opulent interior? Check. Cost you a bomb and then some? Hell yes! 

In short, the Cayenne is as complete as a luxury SUV can ever get. Personally, I feel this whole experience can't be topped by any other luxury SUV in the same price bracket. Not to mention, what we are witnessing here is the peak Cayenne moment. It's a true Super SUV as its maker claims. If you have the means, go get one before it all goes quiet! 

Also read,

2023 Porsche Cayenne, Cayenne Coupe Launched in India at Rs 1.36 Crore

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