The last time I spent some quality time with a Cayenne, I came away thinking that maybe, just maybe, Porsche knows what it’s doing after all. It ticks all the boxes—tech, driving dynamics, fit-and-finish, all that good stuff—except for one problem. It was missing two cylinders. This 2024 Porsche Cayenne S fixes all that.
For 2024, the Cayenne sees a mid-life refresh. In true Porsche fashion, you really have to squint to see the differences between the new one and your neighbour’s—because theirs is so 2023. Porsche subtly tweaked the front and rear fascias, and you have some new wheel designs and colour options to choose from. But the changes are much more apparent once you pop the hood—then shut it, hop into the driver’s seat, and hit the road. Two extra cylinders make all the difference here.
The big deal for 2024 is that V8 power returns to the lower end of the lineup, no longer locked behind the top-dollar, top-performing Turbo models. Gone is the spiced-up 2.9-litre V6 from the previous Cayenne S, replaced by a new 4.0L twin-turbo V8 good for 468 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque. All Cayenne models—including the S—have an eight-speed automatic transmission, and keep the shiny side up with all-wheel-drive.
The Cayenne Coupe made a great first impression, but its base V6 left more than a bit to be desired. It left me feeling whelmed—neither over- nor underwhelmed, just whelmed. The numbers looked great on paper, but in practice, it was too muted and simply lacked the punch to move the big behemoth in a way you’d expect from something wearing a Porsche crest. It lacked fizz.
This V8 fixes all that. The more-than-generous, 127-hp bump really wakes this thing up in a straight line. It builds power smoothly, turbo lag is imperceptible, and it’s well-matched to the eight-speed automatic—it’s more than happy to settle into a cruise or kick down a gear (or three) when you bury the skinny pedal. With peak torque available just off idle, the S makes easy work of stoplight drag races around town, and on the highway—unlike the Coupe and its V6, where you’d find yourself thinking, “come on already, I thought Porsches are supposed to be fast”—the Cayenne S is nothing short of point-and-shoot. And on top of all that, the delicious snarl all throughout the powerband tickles your ears in ways the base V6 simply can’t.
As with the Coupe, there’s a sense of athleticism to the Cayenne S that tricks you into thinking its a much smaller vehicle than it actually is. Its steering is light but surprisingly communicative, and the optional rear-axle steering makes turn-in hilariously sharp for a big, brutish sport-ute. Carry a bit of extra speed into a tight on-ramp, and the S responds with generous mechanical grip. And when you’re not hustling, it settles down almost as well as any other luxury SUV. The ride is perhaps a bit too firm, but it’s compliant overall, and wind and road noise are both well-hushed.
Inside, all refreshed Cayennes wear a new dash layout plucked directly out of the Taycan. You have no less than three displays in this particular Cayenne S. The main piece is a 12.3-inch touchscreen handling infotainment. To the left is a curved, 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster, and to the right an optional 10.9-inch display for the front-seat passenger—because reaching over to operate the main display is too physically taxing.
All this digital real estate seems like overkill at first, but Porsche executes it better than most. Losing the analog tach still stings, but the instrument cluster can be configured to show a number of different views, including a five-pod layout reminiscent of old 911s. The main display is easy to navigate and key shortcuts stay on-screen all the time, and it’s well-integrated into the dash, avoiding the tacked-on-tablet look you’d find elsewhere. The passenger display more or less mirrors the main display; no one riding shotgun—myself included—found it particularly useful. It’s just there.
Further down, Porsche reworked the centre console, but it takes one step forward and two steps back. There’s more storage, and Porsche still includes a volume knob and row of physical toggle switches for quick climate control adjustments—all of which finished in a very pretty knurled look. I’m still not thrilled about the relocated shifter—it’s on the dash now, and it’s obstructed by the steering wheel—and I’m much less thrilled about the acres of gloss black coating the rest of the centre console, including the climate controls. This unfortunate combination shines the midday sun directly into your eyes. Ask me how I know.
Otherwise, the Cayenne’s fit-and-finish is top notch, the seats are comfortable, there’s plenty of headroom and legroom regardless of where you sit, and there’s more room for your junk in its trunk compared to the coupe. The regular-roofed Cayenne S punches in with 770 L of cargo space with the seats up, expanding to 1,707 when you fold the second row. Both figures are more generous than the Coupe. One word of advice: spring for the optional Burmester sound system. Not that the base Bose system on this particular tester wasn’t good per se, but the Burmester audio is worth every penny.
Bang-for-your-buck is often hard to define with a Porsche. The Cayenne S kicks off at $107,500 to start, but Porsche does have a tendency to nickle-and-dime you once you start ticking option boxes. To wit: this particular Cayenne S included an entire Honda Civic’s worth of options, bringing the as-tested total to $146,920. It’s a lot of money, but look at it this way: the base, V6-powered Cayenne Coupe we drove punched in at $136,950 all-in. When you consider what two extra cylinders bring to the table here—a meatier soundtrack, a serious spring in its step, and of course the bragging rights—that ten-grand jump is worth it. Now, it has the straight-line performance to match the driving dynamics and first-rate interior, all befitting of the crests plastered all over.
I said it once and I’ll say it again: skip the base V6 and start with the 2024 Porsche Cayenne S.
