Test drive: Porsche Cayenne Coupé Turbo, the perfection of the species

The Cayenne has been with us for many years. There have been different versions and engine options, but we are sure that this Cayenne Coupé Turbo is the best Cayenne in history… so far.

SUVs are everywhere; they keep being launched and taking up market share. It would be foolish not to be in that segment, which takes a large part of the sales cake and… since we’re at it, why not do it with the best on the market? Coupé versions of the largest SUVs (namely Audi Q8, BMW X6, Mercedes GLC… ) are neither the most appreciated nor the best-selling. Simply because they limit their space, and their peculiar designs sometimes compromise the habitability and ride comfort of those occupying the rear seats.

This does not happen with Porsche and the Cayenne Coupé, which debuts a completely new bodywork that evolves from the conventional Cayenne while pampering its occupants. The design is genuinely Cayenne, with a peculiar rear end due to the shape of its double rear spoiler, the one at the end of the roof and the one that deploys mechanically below the rear window from 100 km/h. It provides aerodynamic downforce and a pronounced sporty character.

The rear is what changes most, the most genuine part of this Cayenne Coupé, the differentiating element in terms of style, and although they have pulled it off well, it seems to us that it bears very little resemblance to the rear of the spectacular 911 from which they claim it evolves. That said, from the front, unless you are a Porsche customer or an expert, you may not easily tell them apart.

The Coupé is longer, wider and lower than the Cayenne

Coupé versions always carry the handicap of being smaller in their cabins, sometimes even with habitability compromised by the design, but in the case of the Cayenne Coupé I think it has the perfect size even compared to the conventional Cayenne, which I find too large.

Tastes vary, like colours, and so do space requirements, although there are some dimensional details worth highlighting, such as the Cayenne Coupé being a little longer, lower and wider than the conventional Cayenne… this detail alone is enough to understand why it has such an imposing, very sporty, muscular appearance, superior to any other Cayenne and to the vast majority of SUVs of its kind.

We like the aesthetics but even more the mechanics and the operation of the chassis, which has driven us completely crazy and turned us into loyal admirers of sporty SUVs. Or rather, of the Cayenne Coupé Turbo.

The Cayenne Coupé Turbo is one of the most convincing sporty SUVs in the world, not only for its design, nor its engine, nor its chassis… it is so for everything.

Starting the engine inside a not very large garage on a cold morning with the exhaust sound boosted in its Sport+ driving mode is an exciting exercise. The sound is one that raises the hairs on your neck and sends a special sensation through your spine up to your neck. This is how you enjoy the melody emanating from the four exhaust outlets when the enormous four-litre twin-turbocharged V8 roars into life.

There is plenty of power, but the best part is that behind the wheel there are as many Cayenne Coupé setups at our disposal as there are driving modes. In normal mode it is a quiet, comfortable car, perfect for a relaxed drive enjoying the ride quality and interior comfort; in Sport mode there are significant changes: the sound is heard more clearly, the throttle response becomes more sensitive and the steering firms up slightly.

Then, with Sport Plus mode we move on to enjoying a high-performance SUV with brutal acceleration and a cornering speed that is frightening. Its ability to tackle winding sections with the precision of a saloon of such power is incredible; it does not reach the level of a 911, but it far surpasses the performance of many cars considered sporty, and compared to this SUV they are not so much.

Like the strange case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Behind the wheel, with the “comfort or normal” mode selected, everything is smooth and very quiet. Fuel consumption is not high either, partly thanks to the selective cylinder deactivation system, because this Cayenne Turbo can run on just four active cylinders if high performance is not demanded: technology put at the service of economy, efficiency and ecology.

Here, though, the good part comes when the steering-wheel selector is moved to the Sport and Sport Plus positions. The electronics control everything: the torque split between both axles, the three levels of damper stiffness and even five levels of body height.

The engine conveys a great deal and the sensation is of endless, forceful power at any rev range. All of this paired with an exceptional eight-speed automatic gearbox with sequential control — we refer to the eight-speed Tiptronic, which works flawlessly, whether for relaxed or the most sporty driving. Below 2,000 rpm the arrival of the overwhelming 770 Nm of torque is clearly felt, and its performance, especially in the band between 3,000 and 6,000 rpm, is simply spectacular.

It has possibly the most sophisticated chassis on the market. Intelligent suspension, all-wheel drive, traction control systems, active anti-roll bars or the rear-axle steering are just some of the details that make the difference.

The turbochargers can be heard and the power arrives with an almost savage, linearly rising progression, so much so that it pins occupants to their seats as it effortlessly completes a 0 to 100 km/h acceleration in just 3.9 seconds. With a few more seconds it skims the asphalt above 250 km/h, reaching as much as 285 km/h. Impressive figures, but not astonishing for an SUV of Porsche with more than five hundred horsepower; let’s say it was expected.

What is truly surprising is what the chassis is capable of and what it achieves thanks to elements such as the Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus or especially the PDCC, which includes active anti-roll bars and the rear-axle steering. Thanks to this, the behaviour defies all logic, because the Cayenne Coupé is capable of keeping up even with a 911 on a very winding section. Just keeping up. The active anti-roll bars and the rear steering axle mean that the more than two tonnes it weighs never come to the fore, and it feels much lighter.

The responses are so good and it has such a capacity to link bends and strong lateral loads with such agility that it almost seems like a small, light GTI. Moreover, the steering is very precise and has exactly the right firmness so as not to lose feel, allowing the driver to perceive at all times what is happening between the tyres and the tarmac.

Regarding safety as perceived by the user, even when the engine’s potential is pushed to the limit, the braking system plays a big part. That a Porsche brakes incredibly well is an obligation and also a tradition, but that it brakes almost excessively is down to the PSBC braking system, with 415 mm steel discs at the front and 365 mm at the rear, covered with tungsten carbide. The sensitivity of braking when pressing the pedal is multiplied tenfold at least, and you have to relearn how to modulate braking so as not to dig the brakes in too hard and make driving uncomfortable.

This new braking system works wonderfully, withstands the harshest treatment and helps the driver greatly, although according to the engineers at Porsche braking is the same or slightly better with the carbon-ceramic discs that include the PCCB system, which are also lighter. It’s gilding the lily.

Last but not least, we must mention the wheels, because without good wheels we can do nothing with so much power and such brakes. Our test unit came with spectacular 21-inch alloy wheels, but not content with that, it featured 22-inch wheels with 285 mm tyres and a 35 profile… not bad at all.

Everything about this Porsche seems to have been designed specifically to achieve out-of-the-ordinary dynamics. Perhaps to convince the undecided who are looking for a high-performance SUV. Within this analysis of extreme sportiness we must include the carbon-fibre roof, a somewhat exotic yet undoubtedly compelling element that our test unit featured.

As standard it uses a glass panoramic roof, which is really attractive and pleasant for occupants thanks to the sense of spaciousness and light it provides, but with the carbon-fibre roof option, twenty-one kilos are shed from up top, a weight that would sit very high and which, thanks to this solution, lowers the car’s centre of gravity considerably.

Nothing wrong: a track-capable SUV

In conclusion, it is a car that is good for everything. I have not driven it on a track, but I am sure that even in that setting it would respond well. For daily use it is simply perfect, and for enjoying the road with the most demanding bends it is too.

Gentle on the throttle, consumption is between reasonable and low, but going at full throttle we exceed twenty litres, though you are enjoying 550 CV and making a two-tonne car dance! I don’t find that a negative. I’d like to say there’s something I don’t like, but the price of purchase or the cost of options is steep. It is expensive, but it’s worth it for its quality, technology and design. I can’t think of anything bad. It is a Porsche.

Image gallery Porsche Cayenne Turbo

Photos: Pedro Morera