The 2021 Porsche Cayenne offers a choice of six different models, each with a different powertrain, across two different body styles.

    Prices range from $121,300 before on-road costs for the base Cayenne to $297,900 before on-road costs for the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe.

    This is the third generation of Porsche’s largest SUV. The brand stoked controversy wading into the SUV market at the dawn of the 21st century but its success has paved the way for SUVs from other brands known for their sports cars, such as Aston Martin, Lamborghini and Maserati.

    Porsche introduced a coupe SUV version of the Cayenne with the current generation, called the Cayenne Coupe.

    Pricing

    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne: $121,300
    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe: $133,700
    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid: $141,200
    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Coupe: $151,000
    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne S: $161,500
    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne S Coupe: $172,500
    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS: $192,500
    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne GTS Coupe: $197,800
    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne Turbo: $246,000
    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe: $259,000
    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid: $292,200
    • 2021 Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe: $297,900

    All prices exclude on-road costs.

    Engines

    The base Porsche Cayenne comes with a turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine, producing 250kW of power and 450Nm of torque. Its 0-100km/h time is 6.2 seconds, reduced to 6.0 seconds in the Coupe.

    The Cayenne E-Hybrid mates an electric motor and a 17.9kWh lithium-ion battery with the turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 engine, with combined outputs of 340kW of power and 700Nm of torque. 0-100km/h is achieved in 5.0 seconds (5.1 in the coupe).

    The Cayenne S uses a twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 engine with 324kW of power and 550Nm of torque and a 0-100km/h time of 5.2 seconds, or 5.0 seconds in the S Coupe.

    Cayenne GTS models are powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine with 338kW of power and 620Nm of torque and a 0-100km/h time of 4.8 seconds, or 4.5 seconds in the GTS Coupe.

    The Cayenne Turbo has a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 with 404kW of power and 770Nm of torque and a 0-100km/h time of 4.1 seconds (3.9 seconds in the Turbo Coupe).

    The range-topping Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe also uses a twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 engine but mates it to an electric motor and a 17.9kWh lithium-ion battery. It has combined outputs of 500kW of power and 900Nm of torque while the 0-100km/h time is 3.8 seconds for both body styles.

    All Cayenne models come standard with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission, while all Coupes have the Sport Chrono Package – which includes launch control – as standard.

    Fuel Economy

    The 2021 Porsche Cayenne consumes 9.2L/100km (9.9L/100km for the coupe) on the ADR combined cycle in base trim.

    Fuel economy figures for other variants are:

    • Cayenne S: 9.4L/100km
    • Cayenne S Coupe: 10L/100km
    • Cayenne GTS and GTS Coupe: 12.2L/100km
    • Cayenne Turbo: 11.9L/100km
    • Cayenne Turbo Coupe: 12.3L/100km
    • Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid (wagon and Coupe): 4.4L/100km

    ADR combined cycle figures aren’t yet available for the E-Hybrid Coupe, though the regular wagon consumes 3.4L/100km.

    The Cayenne E-Hybrid Coupe has 48km of pure electric range while the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe has 42km. Both were measured on the stricter WLTP standards.

    The Cayenne and Cayenne E-Hybrid require 95RON premium unleaded fuel, while the Cayenne in S, GTS, Turbo and Turbo S E-Hybrid guises require 98RON premium unleaded fuel.

    Dimensions

    The 2021 Porsche Cayenne wagon measures 4918mm long in base, E-Hybrid and S variants, 4929mm long as a GTS, and 4926mm long as a Turbo or Turbo S E-Hybrid.

    The 2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe measures 4931mm long in the regular, E-Hybrid and S variants and 4939mm long as a GTS, Turbo or Turbo S E-Hybrid.

    It measures 1696mm tall as a base, E-Hybrid or S wagon, 1676mm tall as a base or E-Hybrid coupe or GTS wagon, 1673mm tall as a Turbo or Turbo S wagon, 1656mm tall as a GTS Coupe, and 1653mm tall as an S, Turbo or Turbo S E-Hybrid.

    All 2021 Porsche Cayenne models measure 1983mm wide except for the Turbo Coupe and Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupe, which are 1989mm wide, and the 1995mm wide GTS Coupe. These measurements exclude the exterior mirrors.

    The Porsche Cayenne wagon has 645L of luggage space in the E-Hybrid and Turbo S E-Hybrid, 770L in the base model and 745L in all other variants.

    This expands to 1605L in the Turbo S E-Hybrid, 1610L in the E-Hybrid, 1710L in the base model and 1680L in all other wagon variants.

    The Porsche Cayenne Coupe’s total luggage space is 625L in standard and S models, 600L in the GTS and Turbo and 500L in the E-Hybrid and Turbo S E-Hybrid.

    With the rear seats folded, total luggage space expands to 1540L in the base and S models, 1510L in the GTS and Turbo and 1440L in the E-Hybrid and Turbo S E-Hybrid.

    Safety

    The 2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe hasn’t been tested by ANCAP, though the regular Cayenne received a rating of five stars from Euro NCAP when it was tested in 2017.

    That rating was based on an adult occupant protection score of 95 per cent, a child occupant protection score of 80 per cent, vulnerable road user protection score of 73 per cent and a safety assist score of 62 per cent.

    All 2021 Porsche Cayenne models come standard with autonomous emergency braking with forward-collision warning, anti-lock brakes, and blind-spot monitoring.

    There are also driver and passenger airbags, plus knee airbags for the front occupants and side and curtain airbags for both rows.

    Lane-keeping assist is optional on all models.

    Standard Equipment

    The Porsche Cayenne comes standard with the following features:

    • 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay, DAB+ digital radio and satellite navigation
    • 10-speaker sound system
    • Fixed glass roof (Coupe)
    • Head-up display
    • Automatic LED headlights and daytime running lights
    • 20-inch alloy wheels
    • Four-piston front brakes and two-piston rear brakes
    • Rain-sensing wipers
    • Power tailgate
    • Dual-zone climate control
    • 360-degree camera with front and rear parking sensors
    • Proximity entry
    • Push-button start
    • Paddle shifters
    • Auto stop/start
    • Leather seats
    • Eight-way power front sports seats with memory for the driver
    • Lane change assist
    • Tyre-pressure monitoring

    As it’s a Porsche, there’s a raft of options but that also means you can load on features from pricier Cayenne models. These options include:

    • 14-way power front “comfort” seats or 18-way adaptive, heated front sports seats
    • Lightweight Sport Package
    • Off-road package
    • Adaptive air suspension
    • Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control
    • Sports exhaust system
    • LED matrix headlights
    • Porsche Dynamic Light System including dynamic cornering lights
    • Night vision
    • Lane-keeping assist
    • Adaptive cruise control
    • Ventilated front seats
    • Massaging front seats
    • Soft-close doors
    • 14-speaker Bose premium sound system
    • 21-speaker Burmester premium sound system

    Over the regular Cayenne’s standard equipment, the E-Hybrid adds:

    • 14-way power front seats
    • Six-piston front brakes and four-piston rear brakes

    The Cayenne S adds:

    • Adaptive air suspension
    • 20-inch alloy wheels (21-inch in the coupe)
    • Porsche Dynamic Light System including dynamic cornering headlights
    • 14-speaker Bose premium sound system
    • Heated front seats
    • Panoramic roof

    The Cayenne GTS adds:

    • Leather and Alcantara upholstery
    • Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus
    • 21-inch alloy wheels

    The Turbo drops Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus but adds:

    • Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control
    • 10-piston front brakes
    • 22-inch alloy wheels (Coupe)
    • Four-zone climate control
    • Ambient lighting
    • Power passenger’s seat with memory
    • 18-way adaptive front sports seats
    • Ventilated front seats
    • Heated steering wheel
    • Heated rear seats
    • Proximity entry
    • Alcantara roof lining

    The Turbo S E-Hybrid adds:

    • Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus
    • Acid Green brake calipers

    Servicing

    Porsche doesn’t offer a capped-price servicing program.

    All Cayennes require servicing every 12 months or 15,000km and come with a three-year, unlimited kilometre warranty.

    William Stopford

    William Stopford is an automotive journalist based in Brisbane, Australia. William is a Business/Journalism graduate from the Queensland University of Technology who loves to travel, briefly lived in the US, and has a particular interest in the American car industry.

    Buy and Lease
    Uncover exclusive deals and discounts with a VIP referral to Australia's best dealers
    Uncover exclusive deals and discounts with a VIP referral to Australia's best dealers