The Porsche Cayenne has been a big seller worldwide for the marque since its introduction in 2004 and helped introduce the brand too many new customers. The SUV also came at a critical time in the company’s history, reinvigorated its balance sheet, helped make the 918 Spyder a reality, and brought renewed life to the 911 range. Porsche executives knew 67% of Porsche sportscar owners had two other vehicles in their stable and Porsche wanted one of those “other” cars to be a four door Porsche. America, the firm’s most important market at the time, was falling in love with SUVs and the brand didn’t want to be left out.

The first generation model sold 270,000 units and was considered a hit by customers. Journalists were less smitten. The second generation, known as the Type 92A, built on the success of its elder brother, with Porsche ultimately moving 500,000 units to a global audience over seven years. While not the first sport SUV, that title goes to the BMW X5, the Zuffenhausen brand nevertheless set new benchmarks with the Cayenne and it is widely considered to be the most sporting SUV on the market – particularly in official turbo guise.

The Porsche Cayenne S reviewed here is from the 2015 model year, so it’s the face lifted version with updates to its front and rear end, suspension updates, new interior features as standard, and most significantly its engine, which became a 3.6 liter V6 with twin turbos in place of a normally aspirated 4.8 liter V8, for greater efficiency and lower emissions.

People buy or lease a Cayenne because the truck is a practical, versatile, and sporting SUV. The roofline allows tall adult to fit in the back seat and the rear roofline keeps large dogs happy and lets large boxes – such as an OLED TV – rest vertically. Like the Panamerica and the Macan, the Cayenne is ultimately a luxury product from Porsche and not a sportscar product on stilts with some luxury features – even though the brand has carved out a space for the Cayenne that makes it very sporting – particularly the Turbo and Turbo S.

At the heart of the second generation .2 Cayenne S is the aforementioned twin turbo V6 generating 420 hp and 406 lb of torque. 0 – 60 takes about 5.1 seconds and its top speed is just north of 150 mph. The eight speed is a Tiptronic unit and its automatic shift points are smooth in regular and spirited driving. But the unit in automatic mode is relentless in its search for efficiency. Tossing the center console lever into manual or pulling one of the steering mounted paddles brings the front end to a boil and using the center gear lever keeps it that way. For slicing and dicing traffic, manual mode is a lovely thing.

The chassis, suspension and steering dynamics were a surprise. The ride comfort, on the standard steel spring and dampers, was more comfortable in real world conditions than I expected, with excellent bump control. The steering is a hydraulic setup and the feeling is very good for a truck. The rack weights up progressively and despite the Cayenne’s mass – north of 4,500 lbs – the SUV tracks very well. There is a poise and sophistication to the chassis setup that is impressive. At no point during the day did I feel banged up at any time. The suspension just did its job without complaint.

The steel brakes were easy to modulate, progressive and had excellent feel throughout the pedal stroke. The Cayenne is a heavy truck and the braking system did a very solid job bringing this weighty SUV to a stop. Brake dust was minimal too – which is always appreciated.

The driver position is a standout, which is a hallmark of the brand. Everything falls readily to hand and the weighting of the controls is exceptionally consistent. Some of the switchgear – window controls, indicator and wiper stalks, and mirror controls – felt cheap and from the VW parts bin. The center console on the generation 2 is very busy and resolved with the latest version introduced last year. However, the overall quality of the Cayenne is very good and the version reviewed here – a 2015 with 90,000 miles logged – did not have a squeak or rattle in the cabin. That is impressive for a truck that has been used most days of its life in a variety of conditions since manufacture. Most cars and trucks feel more beat up by this juncture.

Being the practical vehicle, the Cayenne is a very user friendly mid-sized SUV with plenty of room in the rear seats for tall adults and space in the back for large boxes and luggage. The infotainment system is easy to use and while the version in the latest generation three Cayenne is a major step on, this system still feels relevant and functional.

As everyone knows, the SUV space worldwide has grown by leaps and bounds over the last twenty years and the sales growth of the Cayenne reflects this reality. Direct competitors come from German rivals and a host of products from Japan, Italy, and the U.S. to an extent. Much depends on the combination of features a buyer wants and Porsche has done an excellent job keeping the Cayenne fresh and unique – even against its sportier brother the Macan. While personal, I prefer the Cayenne for its greater functionality and practical statement of purpose.

Cayenne values have been steady and as a used truck proposition the generation two represents solid value. Here in the U.S., certified Cayenne S models can be found for $41,000 or so, with less expensive choices in the private and independent dealer markets. While more money, the Cayenne Turbo/S is a strong proposition at $55,000 – considering it was north of $150,000 new.

As with all Porsche vehicles, the road to used vehicle happiness is a full service history from a dealer or independent specialist, a full PPI, and a clean accident record. No matter how one slices it, Porsche ownership is not inexpensive. But you know that already if you are looking for one.

The Cayenne is a vehicle that for many Porsche owners may be their only experience with the brand and remain so because of its versatility and all weather capability, along with some sporting chops. For traditionalists, this will remain a sore point. But Porsche’s SUVs are luxury vehicles in an essential segment of the market that continues to grow smartly in the U.S., Asia, Europe, and elsewhere. Given the design brief and the enthusiastic following Porsche has for its SUVs, the engineering team hit the mark well. The Cayenne remains a real Porsche and with the new third generation version available now and a strong seller, there will be more to come as the decade unfolds. For many Porsche fans who need some utility with their enthusiasm, this is very good news indeed.

For anyone interested in renting this Cayenne via Turo here is the link:
https://turo.com/us/en-us/suv-rental/chantilly-va/porsche/cayenne/699078?searchId=-7-Uxn-E

Happy Motoring