New sporty crossover not only shines over its intended rivals but also in Porsche's own SUV game.
Sporty SUVs are now all over the place especially in the luxury car market where various makers are trying to fill as many niches as possible.
Take a look at top-end models like the BMW X6. Rivals now include the Audi Q8, Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe, Maserati Levante and Range Rover Velar. There’s even the Lamborghini Urus powered by a blistering 650hp powerhouse to make it the fastest and raciest-looking SUV of its kind.
Porsche is now on the bandwagon, as well, with the Cayenne Coupe being the latest challenger to this crowd of style-led SUVs. Based on the regular Cayenne, Weissach’s new contender actually shares many oily bits with the Q8 and Urus.
The formula in the Cayenne Coupe is very similar to the rest: a lowered roofline (20mm in this case), shallower windscreen, sacrificed interior space and sportier driving characteristics when compared to its more practical and restrained-looking sibling.
In terms of styling, the Cayenne Coupe seems to have the most balanced proportions around by looking relatively lean and not as excessive as the X6 or GLE Coupe.
Plus, the squat-looking rear end looks purposefully dynamic and compact on the road, almost appearing like a pumped-up Macan at times. A new orange body colour is also being touted in the Cayenne Coupe.
Despite the need to do away with some usable space, the Cayenne Coupe’s cabin is still spacious in its own right. The rear seats have been lowered by 30mm so that tall people can still find enough headroom. A two-seat bench is standard, although a regular one for three is a no-cost option. The end result is seating comfort nearly as comparable as in the regular Cayenne.
The same goes for the boot which is still well-shaped to take big stuff. Of course, it naturally isn’t as big as it could be, but versatility is enhanced with rear backrests that can fold down flat. Porsche says that space is around 20% less than in the normal Cayenne.
As modifications in the Cayenne Coupe have only taken place from behind the B-pillars, the driving cockpit is virtually the same as in the normal Cayenne. It really can’t be a bad thing because the robust build quality and intuitive dashboard screen are some of the best around. What you can definitely feel in the Cayenne Coupe is that more raked windshield.
The engine range in the Cayenne Coupe initially amounts to three and will eventually reflect what can be found in the entire third-generation Cayenne.
On the entry-level front is the 340hp 3.0-litre V6 followed by 440hp 2.9-litre V6 in the S and 550hp 4.0-litre V8 in the Turbo.
It’s quite a neat sequence because an additional 100hp rewards with a circa-one second improvement in the 0-100kph acceleration time. However, it doesn’t always feel that way in real-world driving.
The most basic one, which employs a relatively old single-turbo six-cylinder, provides just enough oomph on the Austrian country roads we sampled the Cayenne Coupe.
The S, with a newer engine block and twin turbos, feels marginally more powerful and only feels advantageous when scaling up mountain roads.
The Turbo, meanwhile, stands out more clearly than how the S does with its lesser brethren. The bi-turbo V8 offers serious punch and, in the typical tradition of Porsche, is an expression of excessiveness more suited for hard-footed drivers.
All three variants have adjustable driving modes and overboost function for short bursts of power when overtaking other vehicles on the road.
The Sport setting is best suited for spirited driving because Normal has a lazier engine response. It’s only the Turbo that gets a louder exhaust, although it’s more heard from the outside than in the cabin.
But the best thing about the Cayenne Coupe is the chassis setup, which includes a crispier steering. It may feel a little heavy for those wishing to tootle around in style but pays off with nice weight and precision when the roads start to wind.
For some perspective, only the X6 and GLE Coupe comes close in matching, if not exactly, the taut handling of the Cayenne Coupe. The Q8, meanwhile, feels a little flappy here. This shows how different members of the Volkswagen Group have their own say in characterising their respective products.
And by no means are we suggesting that the Cayenne Coupe compromises on ride comfort. Actually, there’s ample of it even when riding on 21-inch wheels with mixed-size tyres (285/40 front and 315/35 rear), a combination chosen for the Thai-spec Cayenne Coupe when it is officially launched at the Motor Expo in November.
Speaking of that, the local Porsche importer is kickstarting the Cayenne Coupe’s campaign with the least potent engine. That’s because its starting price would already be as high as 8.6 million baht when all of its similarly powered rivals are cheaper.
But as Porsche is planning to forward plug-in hybrid tech to the Cayenne Coupe at a later stage with potentially lowered price, its proposition will become more enticing.
Apart from the Turbo S E-Hybrid with 680hp 4.0-litre V8 petrol-electric, there will be the lesser E-Hybrid with 462hp 3.0-litre V6 petrol-electric that can attract low excise tax in Thailand.
Nevertheless, it must be said that the Cayenne Coupe is probably the most rounded coupe-like SUV, thanks to its appealing road manners and well-conceived design and proportions.
In fact, this is what a Cayenne should have been in the first place: genuinely sporty and properly defining what a Porsche SUV is supposed to be.
