New Porsche Cayenne Coupe Under Consideration
Coupes, particularly four-door hatchback versions, continue to make a strong comeback in the U.S. Porsche jumped on to the bandwagon recently, which, to many, is exciting news. The problem us car nerds face is that these are 聯coupe聰 versions of SUVs and what you see before your eyes is the Cayenne Coupe. What a world we live in. This particular coupes styling, however, counts as a silver lining to an otherwise enthusiast cloud. Porsche gave the roofline a much steeper rake, then redesigned the rear doors and quarter panels with the intention to give a stronger, more athletic stance. That roof is a fixed piece of glass to give a better sense of space with natural light, but buyers can choose a carbon fiber roof option to make their heavy SUV coupe a little lighter. Other lightweighting options will be available, such as special 22-inch wheels. Also adding to the aggression, the Cayenne coupe comes standard with both a roof spoiler and an adaptive rear spoiler. The adaptive spoiler extends 5.3 inches above speeds of 56 mph. Not for me. Other standard equipment includes the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system, the Sport Chrono Package and 20-inch wheels.
The Coupe seats four. Eight-way adjustable sport seats are standard; Turbo models will get 18-way adjustable seats. The bench in the back, Porsche claims has characteristics of individual seats. Comfort seats from the non-coupe Cayenne are available as a no-cost option. The rear seats are mounted lower in the body of the coupe to help with headroom. Cargo volume is 22 cubic feet and 54 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. Coupe Turbo models get a touch less. The Cayenne Coupe will be offered with two engines at launch. The turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 makes 335 hp and 332 pound-feet of torque. And the twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 produces 541 hp and 567 pound-feet of torque. Acceleration and top speed figures follow suit, the V6 reaching 60 mph from rest in 5.7 seconds and tapping out at 151 mph and the V8 managing the run in 3.7 seconds on its way to reaching 178 mph. You know, typical SUV stuff. 121,350 of your hard-earned dollars. Both will be on sale this fall.
In other words, for most of that official test the Porsche would be running on electricity, making it easy to keep its claimed fuel use very low. 25 to cover every 100km. And use the drivetrain鈥檚 full 0-100km/h in 5.0 seconds potential and you鈥檒l use much more fuel than that. What鈥檚 it like on the road? The higher centre of gravity and firmness to the suspension means the Cayenne simply doesn鈥檛 have the fluidity or relaxed nature of Porsche鈥檚 Panamera luxury sedan. But it鈥檚 remarkably capable, pointing directly and assuredly at corners and hanging on tenaciously as you ramp up the pace. By SUV standards the Cayenne is among the best on offer. While air suspension is optional, our car was running on the standard steel springs, which deliver on control and still have the ability to stiffen the dampers. Even in its calmest mode it鈥檚 tilted more to control and precision rather than outright comfort. That said, there鈥檚 never any jarring or bucking, the Cayenne displaying a depth of maturity in keeping with its premium positioning. Brakes are powerful, although there鈥檚 some inconsistency to the reactions on moderate, around-town pedal applications.
That鈥檚 not unusual in hybrids as the car divvies up braking force between reversing the flow of the electric motor and traditional pads on steel. What鈥檚 it like off the road? The Cayenne E-Hybrid gets most of the same respectable off-road credentials as other Cayennes, but it鈥檚 a light duty off-roader at best. Blame that partly on the car-based design and limited wheel articulation. There鈥檚 also flimsy underbody protection; it鈥檚 like a fury plastic similar to what you might find on a luggage cover of a hatchback. It certainly wouldn鈥檛 take much of a scrape with a rock to tear through it. Still, with 210mm of clearance (claimed) on the standard suspension and 245mm (claimed) with the optional air suspension raised it鈥檒l clamber over plenty. As with so many like this, the limiting factor is tyres. Anything capable of providing this sort of grip at speeds up to 253km/h is not going to have the strength and durability needed for rocks and gravel. Plus, there鈥檚 no spare, just a repair kit. So any sort of sidewall damage could leave you stranded. Also, the E-Hybrid is limited in how deep you can take it into water.
Whereas other models in the Cayenne lineup can traverse up to 530mm of water (similar to many proper off-roaders) the hybrid system limits the E-Hybrid to 250mm (or 280mm with air suspension). Best not to go too deep into water then. Does it have a spare? There鈥檚 no room for a spare beneath the floor. So instead there鈥檚 a can of goo and an air compressor. Tyre pressure sensors at least provide an early warning of issues. Can you tow with it? The E-Hybrid can tow the same 3500kg that regular Cayennes can, the towball download limited to 280kg. While we haven鈥檛 tested it, it鈥檚 unlikely to deliver the same frugality of the diesel with a heavy load out back. Sure, the combined 700Nm of torque from the hybrid system should have no issue lugging heavy weights, but hybrids typically work better in stop-start traffic. With near-constant (often heavy) throttle applied towing over long distances the Cayenne E-Hybrid will likely be thirstier than a diesel. As with most luxury cars, the standard warranty is just three years (with no limit to how far you drive), falling well short of mainstream brands. Servicing is due every 12 months or 15,000km and there are three levels of service, a basic check-up, intermediate service and major service. Costs vary between dealerships but we鈥檝e given an approximate cost of each. 1800 each. While the minor and intermediate services are similar to what you pay with other Cayennes, the major ones require more work for the electrical drive system. What safety features does it have? The Cayenne comes with 10 airbags for front and side airbag protection for all outer occupants, as well as a knee airbags up front. There鈥檚 also an active bonnet that pops up to move pedestrians further away from solid bits underneath the bonnet.