Porsche Cayenne 2023 Review

May 30, 2023

Six years after its launch in 2017, the third-generation E3 Porsche Cayenne wagon and ‘coupe’ twins have come in not for a full model change but a comprehensive upgrade in all key areas including interior and exterior design, infotainment and lighting technology, and chassis and powertrain performance. The latter is headlined by the return of V8 power for the popular Cayenne S and improved power and efficiency for the entry-level Cayenne V6, the E-Hybrid V6 and the range-topping Turbo GT Coupe. Facelifted GTS, Turbo and Turbo S E-Hybrid variants of the Cayenne won’t appear until next year, when a third plug-in hybrid variant will be added, followed in 2025 by the first all-electric Cayenne EV. The major late-life facelift of the Cayenne, which accounted for 30 per cent of Porsche’s global sales in 2022, is designed to keep the volume-seller fresh until 2030, and will be the last combustion-powered Cayenne.

Due to arrive in Australia by September, the 2023 Porsche Cayenne comes with hefty price hikes as the German car-maker seeks to increase its profit margin to 20 per cent per vehicle, but it’s also said to mark the biggest facelift in the company’s history.

The latest Cayenne is now priced from $140,200 plus on-road costs in base wagon guise (up $5900), from $148,200 plus ORCs in Coupe form (+$3100), from $155,900 for the E-Hybrid (+$5000) and from a cool $366,200 for the flagship GT Turbo Coupe (+$14,300).

The popular Cayenne S tested here increases by $5700 to $181,000 plus ORCs for the wagon, which equates to more than $200,000 once it’s on the road, and to $190,000 plus ORCs for the Coupe (+$5000).

That’s a lot of money in anyone’s language, but the upsized Cayenne S engine actually makes it the cheapest V8 Porsche model currently available, and industry-wide price hikes mean the Cayenne S maintains its status quo alongside V8-powered large luxury SUV rivals like the Audi SQ7 (from $166,400), BMW X5 M60i ($172,900) and Mercedes-AMG GLE 53 ($181,400).

All 2023 Porsche Cayenne variants bring more performance and equipment, including a new curved 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster, Matrix LED headlights, wireless phone charger and Active Parking Support with 3D Surround View.

Other key spec changes include 20-inch wheels for the base Cayenne and E-Hybrid, ventilated seats for the Cayenne S and soft-close doors for the Turbo GT.

And while the 12.3-inch central infotainment touch-screen carries over, a major new option across the range is a third digital dashboard display – a 10.9-inch infotainment touch-screen for the front passenger, which costs $2860 and is covered in a special privacy film to prevent driver distraction.

The other major change to the Taycan-style digitalised dashboard is the relocation of the gear selector to next to the steering wheel, freeing up space on the redesigned centre console and making room for a large new digital climate control unit.

Also standard across the range is a head-up display, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM; adaptive damping), Power Steering Plus and a tyre inflation kit.

Standard equipment at Cayenne S level in Australia includes new two-chamber air suspension, partial black leather trim, Kalahari fabric headlining, 14-way powered Comfort front seats with memory, 20-inch Cayenne S wheels and metallic paint – Carrara White, Chromite Black, Dolimite Silver, Quarzite Grey or the new Montego Blue and Algarve Blue.

Among the extensive and expensive options list are special colours for $5000 (Carmine Red, Crayon, Cashmere and the new Arctic Grey), paint to sample colours for $20,340, 12 different 20-, 21- and 22-inch wheels priced from $1150, the choice of six two-tone full-leather trims from $6920, 18-way adaptive sports front seats ($800), front/rear seat heating ($910), front/rear seat ventilation ($2120), RaceTex headlining ($3500), soft-close doors ($1470), ambient lighting ($850), four-zone climate control ($1720), electric rear side sunshades ($1370), smoking package ($110), load-space management system ($800) and rear-seat entertainment ($4000).

Key mechanical options include the Off-road Package with compass ($3750), rear axle steering ($3570), Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus: $3120), Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC: $6870), Sport Chrono Package ($2250), Sports exhaust system ($5970), HD LED Matrix headlights ($4740) and a tow bar ($1850).

Towing capacity remains 3500kg for all variants, service intervals remain 12 months/15,000km, Porsche Cars Australia’s warranty remains three years/unlimited kilometres and there is no capped-price service program; service costs are different at each dealership.

The 2023 Porsche Cayenne S comes with the five-star Euro NCAP safety rating achieved by the MkIII Cayenne in 2017 (but lacks a local ANCAP rating) and comes with all the expected passive and active safety equipment.

This includes a full suite of airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), Lane Keeping, adaptive cruise control, multi-collision brake, Porsche Hill Control, an electric parking brake and Porsche Stability Management (PSM) including anti-lock brakes plus ASR, ABD, EDC and Trailer Stability Management.

In addition, there’s Porsche Traction Management (PTM) all-wheel drive with an electronically-controlled multi-plate centre clutch as standard, plus six-piston front and four-piston rear brake callipers with beefed-up 410mm and 358mm rotors respectively, and larger tyres measuring 255/55ZR20 front and 295/40ZR20 rear.

However, active lane keeping with intersection assist ($1560) and Night Vision Assist ($4800) are optional.

In addition to the standard and optional technologies listed above, the 2023 Porsche Cayenne S comes with an upgraded interior technology suite, including a cooled smartphone storage area allowing the now-standard wireless charger to charge at up to 15 Watts, plus a pair of fast-charging USB-C ports at the front and rear.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity can be accessed by scanning a QR code on the central touch-screen, there are embedded apps including Spotify and Apple Music, and a new In-Car Video function displays videos on both the centre and passenger-side displays.

As standard, there’s the 10-speaker Sound Package Plus, but pricey audio options include a 14-speaker, 710W Bose surround sound system with additional subwoofer and – for a cool $9630 – a 21-speaker, 1455W Burmester 3D surround sound system.

Also new for MY23 is an improved adaptive cruise control system with Evasion Assist, which provides situation-specific steering and braking support in the event of a critical obstacle avoidance manoeuvre, and Turn Assist, which monitors oncoming traffic when turning right at under 10km/h.

Porsche says the Lane Keeping function also works more reliably in congested situations while following another vehicle at up to 60km/h.

All 2023 Porsche Cayenne variants come with more power for the new model year, including the entry-level 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 that now develops 260kW/500Nm (+10kW/50Nm).

The plug-in E-Hybrid scores the same uprated V6 and a more powerful 130kW electric motor to boost its combined output to 346kW (+6kW), while a bigger 25.9kWh battery pack and 11kW on-board charger (up from 7.2kWh) reduce the charge time to 2:15 hours and increase the EV range to 90km.

Another 14kW has been extracted from the flagship Turbo GT’s force-fed V8 (now 485kW/850Nm), although its 0-100km/h claim still matches the closely related Lamborghini Urus Performante as well as the Aston Martin DBX707 and Ferrari Purosangue at 3.3sec.

The mid-range Cayenne S ditches the Porsche-designed 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 it downsized to with the facelifted E2 in 2014, in favour of the Volkswagen Group’s widely used twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8, which is now good for 349kW/600Nm – up 25kW/50Nm.

That slashes its 0-100km/h time to 4.7 seconds with launch control (down from 5.0sec), increases its top speed by 10km/h to 273km/h and makes it more powerful than the existing Cayenne GTS.

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As expected, the downside of a bigger engine in the 2023 Porsche Cayenne S is increased fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, which rise from 10.0L/100km and 229g/km (ADR Combined) to at least 12.4L/100km and 282g/km (WLTP), and the V8 requires 98 RON premium unleaded.

Of course, the bright side of the return to V8 firepower for the 2023 Porsche Cayenne S is improved performance, with a noticeable uptick in standing-start and roll-on acceleration, making the big 2160kg (unladen DIN) wagon feel quicker around town and far more flexible on the open road.

That’s in part due to its cracking new engine and exhaust note, which has a hairy-chested German V8 rumble at start-up, a high-pitched rasp under load and a menacing crackle and pop during down-changes – at least in the Cayenne S we drove with the optional Sports exhaust.

Just as significant, however, is the improvement in ride and handling for all MY23 Cayenne variants, thanks to new steel springs in V6 models, new twin-chamber air suspension from Cayenne S level upwards and new two-valve shocks for the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) adaptive damping system across the range.

The smarter damper tech, which separates compression and rebound valving, has allowed Porsche to firm up the default spring settings without impacting ride comfort.

The result is that all models sit flatter in corners, allowing them to turn in and change direction with more agility, while maintaining relatively plush ride quality – especially at low speeds.

There are two caveats to this: we only had access to a steel-sprung E-Hybrid and an air-sprung Cayenne S at the global press launch in Austria, on silky-smooth freeways and mountain passes and a short but lumpy gravel hillclimb.

And the Cayenne S we drove was fitted with almost all available chassis options, including Rear-Axle Steering, Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brakes and Sport Chrono Package.

Combined with all the other cosmetic options, our test car would probably cost close to $300,000 in Australia and there’s no doubt all those chassis aids improve dynamics.

But we could do without almost all of them – especially the pricey ceramic brakes, which are touchy and difficult to modulate, and the Sport Chrono pack’s launch control, which shaves 0.3sec off the already-rapid 0-100 time.

Perhaps the only exception is the PDCC active rollbar system, which eliminated almost all pitch and roll in the Cayenne S we drove, no matter how hard we braked or cornered.

So-equipped, we can’t think of a large luxury SUV – or any SUV, for that matter – that handles as well as the Cayenne. And certainly none that still offer decent ride comfort, whether in Normal, Sport or Sport Plus driving modes.

It sure can, thanks to a clever AWD system and a decent 238mm of ground clearance in off-road mode.

But of course the limiting factor here will be the high-performance Pirelli P Zero road rubber – and the lack of a full-size spare.

Like all MY23 Cayennes, the 2023 Porsche Cayenne S takes a dramatic step upmarket inside, where there’s no change to the already-effective central touch-screen, which is now flanked by a fancy new curved digital instrument cluster on the driver’s side and an optional multi-media screen on the passenger side.

For a price, the latter simply mirrors key functions from the centre display, but allows passengers to help the driver with navigating or amuse themselves with entertainment including video, which can be heard but not seen by the driver.

The curved instrument cluster, meantime, looks a bit strange without a conventional hooded binnacle, but is beautifully presented via five customisable display options including a traditional Porsche dial cluster, and was never hard to read in a variety of weather conditions.

The same can’t be said of the expansive centre console, the flat and shiny surfaces of which can now reflect sunlight, although we love the new climate control unit with physical buttons, which sits in place of the gear shifter that now resides conveniently next to the steering wheel.

Yes, the Cayenne is still limited to five seats and will remain so, but the upside is a pretty cavernous 772-litre cargo area behind the rear seats (less in the Coupe, which is also harder to see out the back of), extending to a generous 1708 litres with them folded.

If you’re in the market for the best large premium SUV money can buy – and have plenty of it – the 2023 Porsche Cayenne S ticks all the boxes.

After 22 years and three generations, the Cayenne not only remains Porsche’s best-selling model, effectively saving the company and funding the sports cars we purists love so much, but is still the most dynamic model in its class, bettered only by the Macan SUV when it arrived in 2014.

But thanks to the kind of chassis magic only Porsche can deliver, the facelifted Cayenne appears to have turned the table on its little brother, with a ride/handling package that’s both smoother and sharper at the same time.

Yes, pricing is obscene, the options list is long, there’s still no third row and, in volume-selling Cayenne S form, fuel consumption is up due to the return to V8 power.

But on top of its dynamic brilliance, the V8 Cayenne S now sounds as good as it looks and performs, and it’s the cheapest Porsche V8 you can buy.

And with facelifted Cayenne GTS, Turbo and Turbo S E-Hybrid variants to come, it looks like the last combustion-powered Cayenne will go out with a bang.

2023 Porsche Cayenne S at a glance:Price: $181,000 (plus on-road costs)Available: September 2023Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 petrolOutput: 349kW/600NmTransmission: Eight-speed automaticFuel: 12.4L/100km (WLTP)CO2: 282g/km (WLTP)Safety rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP 2017)

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