The Cayenne might offend the Porsche purists, but there’s no denying it’s one of the best-handling SUVs out there – that said, it’s pricey and doesn’t have seven seats
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This score is awarded by our team of expert reviewers after extensive testing of the car
What's good
Fun to drive
Plush cabin
Turbo S models are searingly fast
What's not so good
Expensive optional extras
Costly to run
Other SUVs come with more tech
Find out more about the Porsche Cayenne (2014-2017)
Is the Porsche Cayenne (2014-2017) a good car?
The Porsche Cayenne’s a sporty and stylish SUV that’s more fun to drive than a BMW X5 or Audi Q7. Unfortunately, it’s also quite a bit more expensive.
Its slick styling is matched by an upmarket interior that’s filled with plush leather, metal and wood trims. All models get comfy electrically adjustable seats and there’s loads of headroom – even if you’re over six-foot tall.
Less impressive is the rather mediocre infotainment system. The Cayenne’s seven-inch touchscreen looks a little small compared to Audi’s futuristic 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit and it’s nowhere near as easy to use as BMW’s intuitive iDrive setup. You do get Apple CarPlay smartphone integration as standard, however, but you’ll have to pay £336 for DAB digital radio across the range – which seems a bit mean.
The Cayenne’s cubby holes aren’t exactly generous either. The door pockets and glove box are fairly roomy but the small tray under the central armrest will struggle to hold a large smartphone.
Thankfully, there’s enough head and knee room in the back for two six-foot tall adults to get fairly comfortable. Carrying three abreast is slightly more cramped, however – the central seat’s thin and there’s a large lump in the rear floor.
You’ll have no trouble carrying loads of luggage in the Cayenne’s 670-litre boot. It can’t quite match the cavernous 770-litre Audi Q7 but it’s bigger than the BMW X5 and Range Rover’s load bays and will have no trouble swallowing a bulky baby stroller or a few sets of golf clubs.
Need to carry passengers and some long luggage at once? The rear seats fold down in a handy three-way (40:20:40) split and the boot grows to a capacious 1,780 litres with all three seats folded away. There’s no load lip to lift bulky items over but the slight step behind the back seats can make it tricky to slide heavy boxes up behind the front seats.
The latest Cayenne’s put on a much sharper suit than its rather pug-faced predecessors and feels even better to drive, too. It's one of the most grin-inducing large SUVs on sale
You can get the Cayenne with a choice of seven engines, ranging from a frugal E-Hybrid model to the raucous Turbo S powered by a 570hp V8. If you spend most time around town, pick the standard S version – it’ll return around 20mpg (compared to Porsche’s claimed 28.8mpg) and is both smoother and quieter than the two diesel models.
Spend more time on the motorway? The entry-level diesel will be more suitable. It’ll accelerate from 0 to 62mph in just over seven seconds – so it’s no slouch – but it’ll return around 30mpg in normal driving.
Whichever model you pick, it’s worth paying £2,475 for the upgraded air suspension system if you want a floating-on-air ride. It’ll soften the blow of large potholes and helps make the Cayenne feel as comfortable as it is sporty.
Euro NCAP hasn’t crash-tested the Cayenne, but its comprehensive range of safety kit will help make sure it’s one of the safest large SUVs on sale. It’s certainly worth considering if you’re looking for a luxurious family car that’s more sporty than its Audi and BMW compatriots.
The Porsche Cayenne (2014-2017) has a RRP range of £49,095 to £124,350. The price of a used Porsche Cayenne (2014-2017) on Carwow starts at £26,000.
How practical is it?
It’s all too easy to concentrate on the performance that the Cayenne provides, but it’s also a surprisingly practical, go-anywhere family car – although the hybrid is a little less spacious
Boot (seats up)
580 - 670 litres
Boot (seats down)
1,690 - 1,780 litres
Even entry-level Cayennes come with eight-way adjustable front seats so you’ll have no trouble getting comfortable, even if you’re very tall. It’s almost as spacious as a Range Rover but the Cayenne’s raised dashboard and tall centre console make you feel a little more cocooned inside.
Unfortunately, extra lumbar support – to help prevent back ache on long journeys – only comes as standard on high-spec Turbo models or as part of expensive seat upgrade packs. The cheapest of which – costing £1,137 – comes with 14-way adjustment and a handy memory feature that’ll prove useful if you regularly lend your car to someone else.
There’s a reasonable amount of space in the back. Passengers over six-foot tall will have enough head and knee room to get comfortable on long trips but the large lump in the floor and hard central seat makes carrying three abreast rather uncomfortable.
The high rear seat bases help make climbing into the back reasonably easy. Unfortunately, the back doors don’t open particularly wide which, combined with the hidden Isofix anchor points, makes fitting a bulky child seat a pain. Unlike the X5 and Range Rover, you can’t get the Cayenne with seven seats.
The Cayenne’s door pockets are big enough to carry a one-litre bottle each and its cupholders will happily hold a large coffee nice and securely. They’re positioned at the base of the centre console so there’s no danger of you spilling your drink when you reach for the gear lever.
The glovebox is reasonably roomy too, and there’s a small storage tray under the central armrest. It’s just about large enough for keeping a few small valuables tucked away out of sight but you’ll have to find somewhere else to store your smartphone.
The rear door pockets are slightly smaller than those in the front but they can still carry a small bottle each. The fold-down centre armrest comes with two cupholders as standard and there’s room in the pockets on the backs of the front seats to hide away an iPad.
S, GTS, Turbo and Turbo S models come with a fairly generous 670-litre boot with all five seats in place. That’s 20 litres more than a BMW X5 but 100 litres less than in a capacious Audi Q7. Pick a diesel model and you’ll have to make do with 618 litres of space while hybrid models are limited to 580 litres.
The Cayenne’s boot is easy to load thanks to its flat boot lip and square shape. You’ll have no trouble carrying a large baby stroller or a set of golf clubs, and there’s even space under the boot floor (of non-hybrid models) for a few extra bits and bobs. Unfortunately, there’s nowhere to store the load cover but you do get a handy netted cubby and a set of tie-down hooks to secure fragile luggage.
There aren’t any shopping hooks to stop your groceries rolling around but you do get an electrically powered boot lid as standard. Also standard are three-way (40:20:40) split rear seats that let you carry two passengers and some long luggage simultaneously. Reaching the catches by the headrests is quite a stretch, however, and there aren’t any handy remote seat-releases in the boot.
The Cayenne’s boot capacity grows to 1,780 litres with the rear seats folded away but both a BMW X5 and Audi Q7 can carry more in their respective 1,870 and 1,955-litre boots.
With the back seats folded the Cayenne’s boot floor is mostly flat but a small step behind the seats makes loading heavy or bulky items slightly tricky. It’s also worth noting that diesel versions can only carry 1,728 litres of luggage while the E-Hybrid’s batteries cut available space down to just 1,690 litres.
What's it like to drive?
The Cayenne’s one of the best-handling SUVs on the market but you’ll have to fork out for the upgraded suspension if you want it to be as relaxing as it is rapid
Few SUVs can leap off the line like a Cayenne Turbo S – it’s as quick as a 911 Carrera GTS but has space for you to bring four friends along for the ride
You can get the Cayenne with a range of petrol and diesel engines and even as a fairly frugal hybrid.
Pick an S model with a 3.6-litre V6 petrol engine if you spend most time pottering around town. It’s smoother and quieter than the diesel models and won’t be quite as thirsty as the high-performance GTS or Turbo versions. Porsche claims it’ll return 28.8mpg but you can expect it to return around 20mpg in normal driving. Put your foot down, however, and it’ll sprint from 0-62mph in just 5.5 seconds.
Pick a diesel version if you do lots of motorway miles. The entry-level standard diesel will return around 30mpg in the real world – compared to Porsche’s claimed 41.5mpg – while the faster S Diesel loses out by around 5mpg. Both are reasonably quiet at slow speeds (if not quite as hushed as the petrols), have enough poke to easily overtake slow-moving traffic and settle into a comfortable motorway cruise.
At the top of the Cayenne tree you’ll find Turbo and Turbo S models – perfect if you’re looking for a fast SUV that’ll blow the doors off some sports cars. Range-topping Turbo S cars accelerate from 0-62mph in just 4.1 seconds and produce a guttural exhaust note that sounds like a vintage fighter plane.
There’s even an E-Hybrid model – perfect if you’ve got green fingers rather than lead feet. It’s considerably more expensive to buy than either the basic petrol or diesel models but it can drive in in near-silent electric-only mode for as far as 22 miles. As a result, it’s exempt from the London congestion charge – ideal if you regularly travel into the capital.
Despite its large size, the Cayenne’s reasonably easy to drive around town. Its high seating position gives you a good view out over the road ahead and its large rear windows make it easy to check over your shoulder before changing lanes. Unfortunately, the large door mirrors and thick rear pillars produce a few awkward blind spots that’ll make parking a tad nerve-wracking.
Thankfully, front and rear parking sensors come as standard on all models and you can get a reversing camera for £464 for a little extra peace of mind. All models come with cruise control as standard too – to help make long journeys as stress-free as possible – and a smooth eight-speed automatic gearbox to take the effort out of endless traffic jams.
The Cayenne’s standard suspension can highlight small bumps in the road and make it feel slightly unsettled at slow speeds. It’s by no means uncomfortable, but the optional £2,475 air suspension does a much better job of smoothing out monster potholes.
Pick the slightly firmer £1,094 adaptive suspension if you’re looking for a sportier driving experience. It’s not quite as silky smooth as the more expensive air suspension option but it helps stops the Cayenne’s body leaning in tight corners. As a result it drives more like a sports car than a high-riding SUV and will help put a much bigger smile on your face than either a BMW X5M or Audi SQ7.
Unfortunately, the Cayenne produces a little more wind and tyre noise than the Audi Q7 at motorway speeds – especially with the large 21-inch alloy wheels fitted. You’ll feel a few more vibrations through your seat than in a Range Rover, too – even with the optional suspension upgrades.
Euro NCAP hasn’t crash-tested the Porsche Cayenne but it comes with a wide range of safety equipment as standard that’ll help keep you safe in the event of a collision. You can also get adaptive cruise control for £1,338 that’ll brake when traffic slows in front – and even perform an emergency stop – if it detects an obstacle in your path.
What's it like inside?
The Cayenne might not be the roomiest SUV on sale but it does have one of the plushest cabins around – besides the rather outdated infotainment system
