Porsche Cayenne Coupe Review and Prices

Like a diamond-encrusted moustache comb, coupe SUVs were once considered niche and unnecessary. But car manufacturers have had the last laugh, selling millions of them. The Porsche Cayenne Coupe is here to take a slice of the pie, hoping to tempt you away from the Audi Q8, BMW X6, Range Rover Sport and Mercedes GLE Coupe.

It shouldn’t have a problem doing so with its looks. While the X6 and GLE Coupe have always been given a hard time for their questionable lines, the Porsche Cayenne Coupe manages to look sleek. It retains the standard Cayenne’s sporting front end reminiscent of the firm’s iconic 911 sports car, but gets a lower roofline, wider stance and sloping rear end for a sportier image.

Inside the Cayenne Coupe’s interior feels more like it belongs in a low-slung sports car than a high-riding SUV. There’s a broad, sweeping dashboard and a very tall centre console which make you feel quite cocooned in the front seats. All the switches you’ll regularly use are either made from cool brushed metal or come with a glossy, glass-like finish.

There isn’t a single cheap-feeling or scratchy plastic to be found in the Cayenne’s cabin and the optional extended leather pack for the dashboard is another very nice touch. In front of the slick leather-trimmed steering wheel, you’ll find two extra screens, for displaying things like trip info and the sat-nav.

Speaking of sat-nav, every Porsche Cayenne Coupe comes with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment display nestled neatly in the dashboard. Through this, you’ll control most of the car’s onboard functions – from tuning the stereo to tweaking the adaptive suspension settings.

The screen responds pretty much instantly to your inputs, its menus are logically laid out and you get two rows of physical shortcut buttons down on the centre console to help you quickly access most of the system’s main features. BMW’s iDrive is easier to use while driving thanks to its rotary controller, but as touch screens go, this is one of the best on sale.

And if you’re not a fan of the (impressive) built-in sat nav, you can use the standard Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. Unfortunately for users of Android phones, you can’t get the Porsche Cayenne Coupe with Android Auto.

It does come with four figure-hugging seats as standard, though, or for no extra cost, you can have five instead. Two adults in the front will be able to stretch out and the driver gets eight-way electric sports seats as standard and loads of wheel adjustment to fine tune the perfect driving position.

The fact that the entry-level Cayenne Coupe is so nice to drive is testament to Porsche’s ability in this area. And things only get better the further up the range you go.

In the back, there’s a good amount of head and leg room for another two adults, despite the Cayenne Coupe’s sloping roofline and standard panoramic roof, although adding the optional middle seat and adding another adult would make things more of a squeeze. The Coupe’s shallower boot isn’t as practical as the standard Cayenne’s, either, but with 625 litres (500 litres on Hybrid models), great access and no loading lip it’ll rarely frustrate and still handles a couple of large suitcases no problem.

There are five Cayenne Coupe models to choose between, defined by their engines. The entry-level car gets a turbocharged, 3.0-litre petrol with 340hp, the S then gets a 2.9-litre petrol with two turbochargers and 440hp. Rounding off the petrol-only range is the Turbo, which comes with a mighty turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 and 550hp. If you prefer, there are hybrid options, too. The E-Hybrid pairs the aforementioned 3.0 V6 petrol with electric motors to give 462hp, while the Turbo S E-Hybridetakes the 4.0 V8, adds those motors and offers 680hp.

Even the entry-level model will crack 0-62mph in just six seconds and the S model in five seconds, but if performance matters to you most, you’ll want the Turbo, which will sprint to it in just 3.9. All five models are smooth and quiet at a cruise (especially the hybrids when running on battery power), but each makes a distinctive and addictive noise when pushed hard, while Porsche’s standard eight-speed automatic gearbox is just as great at a cruise as it is when making manual changes with the paddles.

Switching to Sport driving mode via a switch on the steering wheel sharpens the car’s throttle and gearbox and stiffens the standard adjustable suspension. All three models steer impeccably, grip hard in tight corners and provide genuine thrills when getting back on the power and playing with their limits. The Turbo is the most extreme example of this, gripping hardest and carrying the most speed around bends followed by the most savage acceleration between them.

Switch back to Comfort mode, though, and the Turbo also feels the firmest around town, despite being unique in getting air suspension as standard. The standard car and S model both feel smoother over bumps.

So, much like its alternatives, in the name of style, the Porsche Cayenne Coupe asks you to pay a hefty premium for less space and practicality than the model on which it’s based. However, it’s still practical given its styling, and for many, outright space isn’t paramount. If that’s you, then this high-quality, high-tech and superb-to-drive coupe SUV needs to be on your shortlist.

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