2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe first drive: Fastback, big money

05/24/2019

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe gets the 4.0-liter V8 with 541 horsepower and 567 lb-ft of torque. It’s as fast as it looks with that orange paint.

In 2018, Porsche launched the third generation of the Cayenne SUV and, in so doing, introduced an all-turbocharged engine lineup, a clever new front suspension configuration and a lot of other neat stuff.

What you see here is an SUV coupe version, called, reasonably enough, the Porsche Cayenne Coupe. A vehicle that is effectively the same thing save for a fastback roof and a less spacious cargo area. OK, it’s not quite that simple. All the body work from the A-pillar back is different on this Cayenne Coupe. In fact, the roof is 0.8 inch lower, and the rear track width is 0.7 inch wider. As a result, second-row passengers also sit lower, with seatbelts for two configured in such a way to mimic more supportive bucket seats. But three-place bench seats are available as a no-cost option. And it is more than appearance, as the Coupe comes standard with the sport chrono package and a fixed glass roof; there’s also an optional lightweight sport package.

The sport chrono package places a dial on the steering wheel that adds two drive modes. Instead of normal and sport, you also get sport-plus and individual. Also, in the center of the dial is what’s called the sport response button. When pressed, the powertrain goes to the lowest available gear and delivers maximum engine performance, regardless of drive mode selected at the time. Sport chrono also includes performance start, which works in sport-plus mode and is a launch control, of sorts — more on that in a moment.

The Porsche Cayenne S Coupe has the same fastback shape but gets a 2.9-liter, twin-turbo V6 making 434 horsepower. Power channels through an eight-speed transmission and to all four wheels.

The lightweight sport package replaces the glass roof with carbon fiber and swaps in 22-inch forged aluminum wheels. Inside you get nice, grippy houndstooth cloth sport seats, some carbon interior trim and a synthetic suede, heated steering wheel. Choosing this option is largely for the look, but the wheels weigh less, and the carbon roof noticeably drops both curb weight and center of gravity. All told, when so equipped, the Cayenne Coupe weighs 48 fewer pounds.

But back to appearance: Another difference between the Cayenne Coupe and noncoupe are the two spoilers. Both versions now come with a fixed roof-mounted spoiler that hangs off the back edge of the roof a few inches. But the coupes also get an active spoiler that opens and closes just above the taillights and opens automatically above 56 mph, similar to a 911. According to Porsche, this additional spoiler provides legitimate downforce and allows a lower trailing edge to the fastback roof without sacrificing high speed stability.

Speaking of appearance, does the Cayenne Coupe look good? Well, it doesn’t look bad. More importantly, it’s a nicer shape than many of its SUV coupe competitors. So, in a narrow context, yes, it’s beautiful. But remember, that’s in a very narrow context. Don’t buy one, park it next to a Speedster and expect similar results, especially if you have a fragile ego.

The Porsche Cayenne Coupe comes with a fastback shape and a 3.0-liter V6 making 335 horsepower. Power channels through an eight-speed transmission and to all four wheels.

What is similar between this and noncoupe third-generation Cayenne’s is everything else — like the chassis, which for the third generation has a different front-subframe and suspension layout. The double wishbones are gone, replaced with a multilink setup arranged in a similar fashion to wishbones, but with subtle differences that improve wheel control throughout suspension travel. Additionally, the inside ends of the link now mount to the frame directly, not the subframe. This allowed engineers to simplify and lighten the subframe significantly and indeed, the new Cayenne weighs 120 fewer pounds than the old one.

On the powertrain side, all three engines offered use at least one turbocharger. The base Cayenne has a 3.0-liter V6 with one turbocharger, which makes 335 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. Upgrade to the S and displacement drops to 2.9 liters and turbos increase by one. Peak output jumps to 434 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque. Buy the Turbo-badged model and you keep two turbos, add two cylinders and increase displacement to 4.0 liters. All that brings peak power to a healthy 541 hp and 567 lb-ft of torque.

Regardless of engine, power channels through an eight-speed automatic transmission, though the Turbo has different gear ratios, and on to all four wheels. As a result, acceleration starts at darn decent and ends at damn impressive. Cayenne coupes only need 5.7 seconds to reach 60 mph (5.6 seconds with the lightweight package) and will carry on to a top speed of 151 mph, which is about as quick as a 993 chassis 911 Carrera. The S needs but 4.7 seconds to reach 60 mph (again, 4.6 seconds with the lightweight package) and will carry on to a top speed of 163 mph. The Turbo continues the upward trend, taking a mere 3.7 seconds to reach 60 mph whether it’s lightweight package-equipped and will hustle its way to a top speed of 177 mph.

To reach these times in all three cars, you need to engage performance start, which I did … in all three cars.

The Porsche Cayenne Coupe looks better than many of its SUV coupe competitors

Performance start is, essentially, a brake-torqueing maneuver with a really high torque converter lock-up speed. In other words, the engine will rev really high without being inhibited by the engine computer or the vehicle starting to move. To use it, put the car in sport-plus driving mode. Then press the brake and hold it firmly, and floor the gas. Over the course of two, three seconds, revs climb and then hold steady between 3,100 and 3,200 rpm.

Release the brake and the Cayenne Coupe violently shoves you back in the seat with what feels like a moment of 1 g of force, which is a lot. There is not a hint of wheelspin, whether you try this in the wet or dry, which I confirmed in a nice rain storm. And from there, the Cayenne Coupe rushes off into the sunset, snapping off gears like a PDK box, not relenting its pace until you’re well beyond 60 mph. Obviously, from the aforementioned acceleration figures, the Turbo shoves hardest, but the sensation, and the lack of wheelspin, is similar with all three engines.

All of the above may seem antithetical to vehicle type, but, truthfully, the Cayenne Coupe, and its noncoupe sibling, hold up to that level of sport driving with no trouble. Yes, this is a full-size SUV. But also, yes, the Cayenne tries to deliver competent, even lively, driving dynamics on any and all curvy country roads. And, I almost hate to say it, but the Cayenne also succeeds.

A look inside the Porsche Cayenne Coupe, very similar to the Porsche Cayenne.

Everything feels neat and tight. The supportive seats, grippy wheel, steering, brakes and throttle work together well and quickly build confidence at spirited speeds. Porsche’s arsenal of adjustable and adaptive systems, such as antiroll bars and dampers, belie the Cayenne Coupe’s size and center of gravity to such a level that it impresses even more. And that’s in addition to rear-axle steering and an electronically locking rear differential with brake-based torque vectoring. Hell, even ceramic brakes are available.

Don’t get me wrong: This is no 911. The engagement from the wheel, the willingness to transition from corner to corner, or general athleticism is nowhere close. If the 911 is Roger Federer, the Cayenne Coupe is that dentist you know who’s surprisingly good at tennis and won that local amateur tournament last year. Actually, you know what it drives like? Like, almost exactly? A Cayenne.

Here are some of the details of the Porsche Cayenne Coupe, including the 3.0-liter V6 making 335 horsepower.

ON SALE: Fall 2019

BASE PRICE: Cayenne Coupe: $76,550; S: $89,850; Turbo: $131,350

POWERTRAIN: Cayenne Coupe: 3.0-liter turbocharged V6, S: 2.9-liter twin-turbocharged V6, Turbo: 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8; eight-speed automatic transmission, AWD

OUTPUT: Cayenne Coupe: 335 hp @ 5,300 – 6,400 rpm, 332 lb-ft @ 1,340 – 5,300 rpm S: 434 hp @ 5,700 – 6,600 rpm, 405 lb-ft @ 1,800 – 5,500 rpm Turbo: 541 hp @ 5,750 – 6,000 rpm, 567 lb-ft @ 1,960 – 4,500 rpm

CURB WEIGHT: Cayenne Coupe: 4,663 lb; S: 4,725 lb; Turbo: 5,024 lb

0-60 MPH: Cayenne Coupe: 5.7 sec; S: 4.7 sec; Turbo: 3.7 sec

FUEL ECONOMY: Cayenne Coupe: 19/23/21; S: 18/23/20; Turbo: 15/19/17 estimated city/hwy/combined

PROS: Prettier than most SUV coupes

CONS: Still not pretty or practical or economical — none of which is Porsche’s fault, by the way

The Cayenne Coupe exists because there is a market for it. Don’t blame Porsche for wanting to build vehicles people will buy. And I can’t find fault in them charging at least $76,550 for the base Coupe, $89,850 for the S and $131,350 for the Turbo, a price increase of $9,600, $5,700, and $5,500 over the noncoupe Cayenne, S, and Turbo models, because those same people will pay it.

It is, however, a sad state of affairs that there is a market for an SUV coupe in the first place. They are, after all, sport utility vehicles with purposely reduced utility. I’m not a fan of these types of vehicles. I want my SUV to haul people and things and my coupes to be sporty, not a combination of the two. That’s like mixing spaghetti sauce with salsa or putting french fries on pizza (editor’s note: French fries on pizza is delicious, Robin!). But I digress.

This is clearly a trend. And in this burgeoning SUV coupe category, Porsche built a mighty fine example.

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