Porsche Cayenne

The SUV That Saved Porsche - The Cayenne

Current Cayenne Lineup / Cayenne Generations / Every Cayenne Model Ever

In 2002, Porsche gave us their first SUV, which would also be the first production Porsche with four doors. No longer just a sports-car maker, it transformed Porsche into a volume manufacturer and a massive money maker. The original Porsche Cayenne shared its platform with the Volkswagen Touareg, but had plenty of Porsche engineering underneath. The Cayenne S when originally release had a 350-horsepower 4.5-liter V-8, while the range-topping Cayenne Turbo had 450 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque, making it easily the most powerful SUV on the market at the time. For the 2005 model year, Porsche added a base model with 3.2-liter narrow-angle V-6 that was good for 247-hp. For 2008, the Cayenne range got a facelift and upgraded powertrains (still considered part of the original generation technically). The Cayenne S's V-8 was increased to 4.8 liters and 385 hp, while the Turbo rose to 500 hp. The base V-6 got a displacement increase to 3.6 liters, up 43 hp and 44 lb-ft. A new Cayenne GTS had a 405-hp version of the 4.8-liter V-8, and was available with a manual transmission. In 2009 Porsche introduced the monster 550-hp Cayenne Turbo S.

The second-generation Cayenne appeared for the 2011 model year, and Porsche kind-of put forward its green credentials with the introduction of a Hybrid model that combined a supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 and added an electric motor. The rest of the range got a design refresh and an increase in power. The Cayenne V6 now up to 300 hp, the Cayenne S hit 400 hp and the Turbo nudged 500 hp. The Turbo S and GTS models were dropped, but the GTS came back in 2013 with 420 hp alongside a new 240-hp Cayenne Diesel. The Turbo S returned for 2014 with 550 hp. The Cayenne was facelifted for 2015, and the V-6, Turbo S and GTS models were put on hiatus. The Cayenne S switched from a V8 to turbocharged 3.6 liter V-6, while the hybrid (now called Cayenne S E-Hybrid) was up to 416 hp. The Cayenne Turbo's V-8 delivered 520 hp. The missing engines showed up in 2016, with the base V-6 retaining its 300 hp rating. The GTS once again built on the S' turbocharged V-6 with 440 hp, while the Turbo S offered a mind-twisting 570 hp. Automatic transmissions were now standard across the board. A showy Platinum Edition package was available for 2017 in V-6 and E-Hybrid models.

An all-new Cayenne made its debut for the 2019 model year, and despite having all new sheet metal, the look did not change dramatically. As per tradition, Porsche trimmed the power lineup for the debut year. The base model received a 335-hp 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6, the Cayenne S had a 434-hp 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V-6, and the Cayenne Turbo had a 541-hp twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V-8. For 2020, Porsche began offering a four-door Cayenne Coupe with a faster roofline. For 2021, Porsche added the E-Hybrid model, with a combined 455 hp from its 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 engine and electric motor combo. The new Turbo S E-Hybrid combined the Cayenne Turbo engine with a plug-in hybrid system for a staggering total of 670 hp. The 2021 Cayenne GTS once again took the S engine and bumped it up to 453 hp.