We have known it for quite a while already, and as promised in the recent cockpit reveal, the Stuttgart-based German automaker was quick to unveil the mid-cycle refresh of the third generation Cayenne, a proper luxury beast and best-seller SUV.
Most likely, if our two cents are allowed on the matter, the current ultra-luxury stratosphere composed of stuff like the Bentley Bentayga, Aston Martin DBX, Lambo Urus, Rolls-Royce Cullinan, 715-hp Ferrari Purosangue, and 738-hp plug-in hybrid BMW XM Label Red would not be possible without the daringness of Porsche's SUV ambitions. Seen as a perfect example of an automaker going crazy at the time of its introduction more than two decades ago, the Cayenne luxury crossover SUV was mighty successful, a legend in its own right by now, and the harbinger of things to come.
Now, it has already reached its third generation, and we are in the middle of the life cycle – hence the official introduction and initial public reveal at Auto Shanghai 2023 of the refreshed 2024 model year. Over in the United States, all versions are up for ordering already, and nationwide dealership arrivals of the first retail units are expected for a little later this year – sometime during the summer. Luckily, prices are already in, so you know the damage to your bank account. It all starts at 'just' $79,200, but bear in mind that all quotations exclude the $1,650 delivery, processing, and handling fees.
Meanwhile, as always, the 2024 Cayenne Coupe is more expensive, kicking off at $84,300. The Cayenne E-Hybrid goes for $91,700 (Coupé from $95,700), and the Cayenne S starts at $95,700 (Coupé from $102,100). Last but not least, the flagship Cayenne Turbo GT goes out to play for no less than $196,300. Now, although dry figures might not be as interesting as the exterior redesign or the interior novelties, bear with us as there are exciting happenings under the hood, too.
As such, the 2024 Porsche Cayenne will be made available with three different powertrain options. The standard affair includes an "optimized" 3.0-liter turbo V6 packing an additional 13 ponies at 348 hp. This mill is also used for the Cayenne E-Hybrid when combined with a new, more powerful (174 hp) electric motor, and the bundled result is 463 hp. Even better, the battery has also surged from 17.9 kWh to 25.9 kWh, and there's also a new onboard charger sipping up to 11 kW from AC outlets.
More relaxed than ever, the mighty Cayenne Turbo GT with the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 also found an additional 19 ponies for its stable, which now counts on 650 hp to sprint from zero to 60 mph (96 kph) in 3.1 seconds on its way to a maximum speed of 189 mph (304 kph). However, the flagship is not the actual star of the facelifted 2024 Cayenne show. Instead, those would be the fresh Cayenne S variants, which have gone against the downsizing trend and dropped the V6 in favor of a V8 return! Well, that's refreshing, to say the least.
Anyway, the 4.0-liter twin-turbo makes do with a little more Porsche oomph than the plug-in hybrid version, at 468 hp – which is 34 hp more than its predecessor. The torque figure has also surged by 37 lb-ft to 442 lb-ft, which is an additional 50 Nm for a total of 599 Nm. As such, the new performance figures are 4.4 seconds to 60 mph (96 kph) and a top speed of 169 mph (272 kph) when equipped with the Sport Chrono Package.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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