Porsche has just revealed an all-new Cayenne ahead of its live debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show. This Cayenne may look like more of a refresh than a completely new model, but rest assured, this is way more than a simple facelift. The 2018 Cayenne is the first year of the third generation. The second generation model has been around since 2011, and was starting to look a bit stale next to the recently redesigned Panamera and hot-selling Macan. The Porsche Cayenne looks poised to dominate the segment once again.
The biggest changes that people will notice on the third generation Cayenne are the engines, the interior and the rear exterior styling. Let's start off with that first change, the engines. The Cayenne will shares its engines with the new Panamera, which is good news. The base Cayenne will be powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V6 with 340 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. This is actually 10 hp more than the base engine in the Panamera and a 40 hp increase over the current Cayenne. Unfortunately, that added power comes at a price. The new Cayenne starts at $65,700, which is about $6,000 more than the current car.
The Cayenne S comes with a smaller 2.9-liter twin-turbo with 440 hp and 406 lb-ft and starts at $82,900. The current S is priced from $76,200. The new Cayenne S has 20 hp more than the outgoing model, and is able to hit 60 mph in 4.6 seconds with the Sport Chrono package. The Cayenne S goes on to complete the quarter-mile in just 13.2 seconds. The Cayenne S is clearly a great performer, although we really can't wait to see the all-new Turbo. The new Panamera Turbo produces 550 hp from a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8, so we'd expect the new Cayenne Turbo to have similar power and performance figures.
We also fully expect to see a Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid. This version of the Panamera combines a 136-hp electric motor with the twin-turbo V8 engine to produce a whopping 680 hp. We think that it only makes sense for Porsche to put this drivetrain into the Cayenne, making it one of the performance SUVs on the market. Those Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk owners better watch their backs. Next, we'll move onto the next big change with the Cayenne, the interior. The second generation Cayenne was famous for adopting the then-new Panamera's interior when it was refreshed.
Like the second generation car, this third genCayenne adopts the styling of the new Panamera. The old navigation system is gone in favor of the Panamera's 12.3-inch touchscreen. Porsche took people's criticism of the Cayenne's confusing array of buttons, and replaced them with touch-sensitive controls that take up less space. Porsche is no longer hampered by its interior technology, and the Cayenne was the last model in the range that was sold with a slightly older infotainment system. The final big change on the Cayenne involves its exterior styling. The Cayenne was always decent looking, but this new model is a huge improvement.
Since 2011, a lot of luxury SUVs have popped up on the market and given buyers a lot to think about. The Cayenne has always been a standout where driving dynamics are concerned thanks to its Porsche DNA. However, some people were more concerned with how their SUV looked in the golf course parking lot than how fast it was on the track. The new Cayenne adopts a 911-inspired rear end that looks a lot like the new Panamera. We think that this design will help Porsche draw buyers away from other good looking luxury SUVs like the Volvo XC90 and Jaguar F-Pace.
We still have a lot left to see with the third generation Cayenne. We have no doubt that a GTS, Turbo, and hybrid models are on the way, but we still appreciate what Porsche has done with the new Cayenne and Cayenne S. A lot of Porsche buyers were flocking to the newer Macan and ignoring the older Cayenne. This new model should bring people back to the good-old Cayenne and help the Macan become a little easier to find on dealer lots.
