I’m not afraid to admit I’m wrong. The 2024 Porsche Cayenne Coupe is proof of that.
I wanted to start this off by dying on the hill that a coupe should not have four doors, but upon further reflection, it’s not necessarily the number of doors that defines a coupe, but rather the number of doors and a swoopy roofline. Once upon a time, two-door sedans coexisted alongside coupes, the biggest differences being that coupes traditionally had a sleeker, more stylish roofline — in addition to two fewer doors. Now, I’m not letting Porsche (and countless other luxury automakers) off easy for stretching the definition, but I’ll happily eat my slice of humble pie. Maybe Porsche knows what it’s doing after all.
The 2024 model year marks a mid-cycle refresh for the Cayenne lineup, though as you’d expect, the changes are almost imperceptible. Up front, the Cayenne Coupe wears a subtly restyled front fascia with a squared-off grille and reshaped headlights bearing a passing resemblance to the Taycan. The side profile is unchanged — arguably a good thing, since the Cayenne pulls off the “coupe SUV” shtick better than most — and around the back, subtly restyled tail lights cap off the tweaks. Safe to say you’ll probably have to park the 2024 model beside a ‘23 to really notice the differences, and even then, you’ll probably need a magnifying glass.
Under the hood, the updates for 2024 are a bit more apparent. All Cayenne Coupes see powertrain tweaks, including our base model tester: it’s still powered by a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6, but output’s been bumped to 341 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. An eight-speed automatic is still your only transmission option, and all-wheel-drive is still standard. It’s a technically good powertrain — power delivery feels smooth and linear, and the eight-speed auto is well-behaved — but at the same time, it lacks the fizz that makes other Porsches feel special. Its soundtrack isn’t particularly memorable, and given the Cayenne Coupe’s 4,700-plus-pound bottom line, 341 ponies aren’t really enough.
Fortunately, Porsche still offers a bevy of spicier powertrain options, all of which have been tweaked to varying degrees for 2024. Perhaps the biggest news is that the Cayenne S regains two extra cylinders, now powered by a 4.0L twin-turbo V8 good for 468 hp. That’s probably the sweet spot of the lineup.
Despite the (relative) lack of beans in a straight line, there’s a sense of athleticism to the Cayenne Coupe that belies its mass. The optional rear-wheel steering helps shrink the Cayenne’s footprint by making turn-in surprisingly sharp. Carry a bit of extra speed into a tight on-ramp and it responds with generous mechanical grip, even on our tester’s Hankook winter rubber. Even the steering, light as it may be, is surprisingly communicative.
When you’re not hustling the Cayenne Coupe, it settles down well. Ride quality is perhaps on the firm side compared to other luxury SUVs, but it’s compliant over bumps, rough pavement, and most other imperfections owing to our tester’s optional air suspension and the chunky tire sidewalls. Wind and road noise are also well-hushed. It isn’t as physics-defying as, say, a BMW X6, but there’s a surprising degree of engagement to go along with the Cayenne Coupe’s refinement and isolation.
It may be difficult to spot the Cayenne’s styling updates outside, but inside, the tweaks are much more noticeable. Headlining the interior updates is a new dash layout plucked directly out of the Taycan, complete with no less than three displays. The first is a curved, 12.6-inch all-digital instrument cluster directly in front of the driver. Losing the analog tach stings a bit, but the full digital display — which can be configured to show a handful of different views, including a five-pod layout reminiscent of a 911 — feels more cohesive.
The second is a central 12.3-inch touchscreen assigned to infotainment duties. It’s crisp-looking, responsive, relatively easy to navigate, and I only appreciate the shortcuts that stay on-screen all the time, but also the fact that the display does not look like an iPad attached to the dash. Finally, a third 10.9-inch display sits in front of the front passenger seat that pretty much mimics the infotainment display. Porsche says passengers can use it to stream videos and not have it distract drivers due to a privacy film over the screen itself.
I know what you’re thinking. Get your mind out of the gutter.
Beyond the screens, the Cayenne Coupe also gets a reworked centre console. I’m not thrilled about the relocated shift lever — it now lives on the dash, like the Taycan’s, and it’s easily obstructed by the also-restyled-for-2024 steering wheel — but that opens up space for a wireless phone charger plus a smaller cubby further back. I’m not thrilled about the gloss black, haptic-feedback touch panel on the centre stack, either, but at least the touch controls are responsive enough, and Porsche includes a volume knob and a row of physical toggle switches for climate controls.
The rest of the interior is all Porsche. Fit-and-finish is top-notch, the seats are supportive, it’s very easy to find a comfortable driving position, and the bumpin’ Burmester sound system — it’s a $6,620 option — is worth every penny. Visibility out the front and sides is good, but the sloping roofline hampers rear visibility, not to mention rear-seat headroom and cargo space, but it hardly feels cramped. Cargo space punches in at 662 litres with the rear seats up, and expands to 1,537 when stowed — both figures more generous than the X6, but a smidge tighter than the standard Cayenne.
On value, the Cayenne Coupe is precisely what you’d expect from Porsche. It starts at a reasonable $95,400 — pretty much on par with the base, six-cylinder versions of the X6 and Audi Q8 — but things can escalate very quickly once you start piling on the options. Our particular tester included a whopping $41,550 worth of options, ballooning the bottom line to $136,950 as-tested before fees and taxes — for a Cayenne Coupe with the base V6.
Despite the initial blowback from Porsche enthusiasts when it first launched — and we all know they can be a fickle bunch — calling the Cayenne a massive success is a massive understatement. The 2024 Porsche Cayenne Coupe’s updates will no doubt keep that momentum going, blending a more tech-focused environment with the driving dynamics and first-rate fit-and-finish the brand is known for. Just do yourself a favour — skip the base powertrain and start with the Cayenne S.
