That’s not to say the Cayenne can’t be a sports car in its own right, it’s just of a different sort to the two-doors Porsche built its heritage on. What was once a strange idea — big, family-friendly vehicles also being ridiculously powerful — has now become commonplace, and the Cayenne faces hefty competition from Mercedes-AMG, BMW M, and plenty of others. Even the more rarified brands are in on the game these days: Porsche’s tippy-top trims are lining up against luxe-truck fare like Aston Martin’s DBX and Bentley’s Bentayga.
Porsche’s strategy, then, is a broad spread. Membership in the Cayenne E3 II club starts at $79,200 (plus $1,650 destination) for the base V6. That’s almost a 10% increase over the outgoing SUV, but Porsche adds power, more tech and driver assistance, and nicer wheels — options, the automaker says, most Cayenne buyers were already checking off on the order form — as standard, meaning in fact it’s actually better value overall if you wanted those particular niceties.
While the fully-electric model is still some years out, Porsche’s Cayenne E-Hybrid combines some of the best of both worlds. Its pairing of a V6 turbo engine and electric motor help make it faster and more than 100 horses more potent than the base Cayenne, though you’ll pay from $91,700 (plus destination) for the privilege.
The Cayenne S — with its revised 4.0-liter V8 twin-turbo engine — now starts at $95,700, again with more standard equipment and 35 horsepower extra to help offset a roughly 5% price increase. Finally, the flagship 2024 Cayenne Turbo GT nudges shockingly close to the $200k mark: shoppers will need to show great customization restraint in order to keep its $196,300 sticker from spiraling past that point.
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