The 2019 Porsche Cayenne Coupe Is The Continuation Of A Dumb Segment
First things first - yes, the 2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe has the goods to perform. Porsche will offer two engines at launch, starting with a 3.0-liter six-cylinder turbocharged to produce 335 horsepower and 450 Nm torque (332 pound-feet) of torque. With the optional lightweight sports package, it鈥檚 enough to propel the SUV to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds. Not bad, but the range-topping Cayenne Turbo Coupe is even quicker, rocking a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 pumping out 542 horsepower and 770 Nm torque (568 pound-feet) of torque, dropping the sprint to 60 mph down to 3.9 seconds. Complementing this prodigious amount of output is speed-sensitive steering and Porsche鈥檚 Active Suspension system. All told, it鈥檚 quite impressive. Unless you take two seconds to look at the current range of Porsche sports cars, that is. 131,350 for the Turbo. 80,700). While it won鈥檛 hold as many people or as much stuff as the SUV, the 718 handles the business of going fast a whole lot better.
Sixty mph arrives in 4.4 seconds (3.9 seconds with the optional Sport Chrono Package), and with its smaller dimensions, lighter curb weight, and mid-engine layout, it鈥檒l slay the Cayenne on the track. 20,000 to throw at the people hauler of your choice. But what about the Cayenne Coupe Turbo? 3,750 left over for tires. Performance SUVs like the Porsche Cayenne are inherently compromised. And that鈥檚 doubly so when you get into the coupe model variants. So that鈥檚 why I think performance SUVs are dumb. Here鈥檚 why performance SUV coupes are really dumb - they鈥檙e supposed to look good. To my eye, the Porsche Cayenne has never really been all that attractive. Note: Porsche Cayenne Coupe vs. 鈥淭he rear number plate is integrated into the bumper, making the vehicle seem closer to the ground,鈥?Porsche declares. Closer to the ground? Like, I dunno, a car? Why not just get a car to begin with? I hear the Panamera has a rear seat, and some cargo room as well. But here鈥檚 the worst thing about adding a coupe-like roof to a performance SUV - loss of functionality.
The 2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe has a max seating capacity of four, which is one less than the standard Cayenne model. What鈥檚 more, the headroom is undoubtedly compromised as well. Of course, Porsche thought of that - 鈥淩ear passengers sit 30 mm lower than in the Cayenne, meaning there is plenty of headroom despite the vehicle鈥檚 sporty lowered silhouette,鈥?the German automaker claims. The question is - how much is 鈥減lenty鈥? We have yet to get exact measurements, and it鈥檚 entirely possible the lower rear seating means there鈥檚 no compromise compared to the standard Cayenne. However, that begs the question - why not lower the rear seats in the standard model as well? Don鈥檛 buyers want the maximum amount of headroom possible regardless of the roof style? The standard Cayenne offers up to 27.2 square feet behind the rear bench, while the Cayenne Coupe drops that figure down to 22.1 cubic feet. Compromise after compromise after compromise. It makes me scratch my head why anyone would buy anything in this segment. Do you agree with my assessment that performance SUVs (and in particular those with a coupe-like roof) are dumb? Or are you a fan of the segment? Let us know in the comments section below.
By contrast, Lane Keep Assist (sometimes Lane Keeping Assist) is a separate feature widely available across affiliated brands Hyundai, Kia and Genesis. Hyundai officials won鈥檛 call it lane-centering, but in Cars.com鈥檚 experience with various LKA-equipped cars from the three brands, LKA does center the car in its lane above moderate speeds. Different cars may have different setups, however, so test drive them for yourself and see. What should I look for? Infiniti calls its adaptive cruise control with full-stop capabilities Intelligent Cruise Control Full-Speed Range. Lane-centering steering at higher speeds on the Q50, Q50 Hybrid and Q60 goes by Active Lane Control, while Infiniti鈥檚 most robust system comes in the QX50鈥檚 available ProPilot Assist. What should I look for? Jaguar鈥檚 Cruise Control with Queue Assist constitutes adaptive cruise control down to a stop. Steering Assist, a new feature on two Jaguar models for 2019, can center the car in its lane at 12 mph. Don鈥檛 confuse it with Lane Keep Assist, however; despite going by the same name as many competitors鈥?lane-centering systems, Jaguar鈥檚 LKA is a separate, widely available system that only intervenes as you approach lane markings. What should I look for?