When the Cayenne debuted in 2003, Porsche was mired in controversy. The 996 defied Porsche convention, abandoning air cooling and gaining both radiators and amorphous headlights. Hot on the tails of sharpening up the 911’s lighting in 2002, Porsche launched in to yet another controversy. In 2003, Porsche released an SUV. Though sharing a platform with the Volkswagen Touareg, the original Cayenne was very decidedly a Porsche. Each successive generation has been fast, luxurious, and handled in a way that defied their immense girth. With a new model freshly arriving to the US, it is only fitting that Doug DeMuro lends his trademark enthusiasm to its quirks and features.
Despite criticism from the press, which it garnered mostly from simply existing, the Cayenne became a runaway sales success. In 2018, the Cayenne outsold the 911 and the 718 combined. Over more than a decade and a half of production the model has steadily evolved, gaining class-leading technology, and even spawning hybrid derivatives back in 2010.
The $160k Cayenne Turbo Doug is demonstrating is about as well-equipped of a Cayenne as you are likely to see in real life. Equipped with the Sport Chrono package, Porsche Carbon Ceramic Brakes, and Burmester audio, this Cayenne features a whopping $35k in optional equipment. As I found using Porsche’s configurator, however, it’s not difficult to add nearly $70k in options to a Cayenne Turbo. You could likely go even higher, should you disregard my desire for all the optional trim to color-coordinate.
At nearly 24 minutes, this overview is one of Doug’s longest, barring genuine exotics or his occasional forays into the genuinely bizarre. Given that the instrument panel displays contain more technology than my entire daily driver, that’s not at all surprising.
What are your thoughts on the new Cayenne Turbo? Let us know in the comments below.