The current third-generation Porsche Cayenne has been floating around since 2017 when the VW Group Modularer Längsbaukasten Evo (MLB evo) platform-based model bowed online as a 2018 model. The SUV shares its platform with the Audi Q7, Volkswagen Touareg, Bentley Bentayga, and Lamborghini Urus. After four years on the market, it’s time for a light refresh to bring it up to speed with the rest of the Porsche lineup. It isn’t exactly ancient, but the market is competitive, especially in the luxury sports SUV segment, so it’s time for an update.
A lightly camouflagedpreproductionn prototype was spotted by our spy photographers doing high-altitude testing in Colorado. Even with some effort on Porsche’s part to disguise the car, it’s clear that the company’s big SUV is getting a revamp inside and out. The new look on the outside will help differentiate it from the current model, hopefully driving further sales, and the interior refresh brings the Cayenne in line with the 992, Macan, and Taycan, which all feature full-width gauge screens, a large central display, as well as the 992’s “electric shaver” center-console-mounted shifter.
At the front you can see the new Cayenne’s headlamp design appears to have slimmed down a bit. It’s hard to tell from the pictures, but it looks like Porsche might still be experimenting with headlamp internals, but expect the 918 Spyder-inspired four-dot lamp trend to continue. This being the Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid, it is the highest-performance non-GT Cayenne with 670 horsepower of twin-turbocharged V8 and electric motor, and as such it needs a giant grille to allow more air to flow in the front of the vehicle. This new bumper is seriously aggressive, and while it’s only slightly different from the outgoing model, it’s a nice step.
It’ll be interesting to see if Porsche has made the CTSE-H even more powerful through lessons learned with the Cayenne GT. Maybe it’ll crank up the full beans with the same version of the turbo 4-liter, which if we’re doing our math right, would pump out some 760 horsepower, but still provide emissions-free commuting when you don’t feel like opening the gasoline-powered can of whoop-ass.
We can expect the new Cayenne to drop as a 2023 model, probably making its debut in early 2022. What do you think, are you going to wait in line to get one?