Porsche Cayenne

Porsche Cayenne at a glance

First generation (9PA, 2002–2010): V8 power and off-road ability

Production began in August 2002. The bodies were built and painted in Bratislava, where engines, gearboxes and running gear were also fitted, and the cars were finished and inspected in Leipzig. At launch there were two V8s: the Cayenne S with 4.5 litres and 250 kW (340 PS), and the twin-turbo Cayenne Turbo with 331 kW (450 PS) and 0–100 km/h in 5.6 seconds. A 3.2-litre VR6 with 184 kW (250 PS) followed, and FCP Euro notes that this base car could be ordered with a six-speed manual, which is rare today.

The updated 957 phase switched the whole range to direct injection, enlarged the V8 to 4.8 litres and introduced the PDCC active anti-roll system as an option. Air suspension was optional on most models and standard on the Turbo. Porsche built 276,652 first-generation cars over eight model years. A test of an old Turbo is in the CarExpert video.

Second generation (92A, 2010–2017): lighter, hybrid and diesel

Porsche showed the second Cayenne at Geneva in March 2010. It shares its platform, body structure, doors and electronics with the Volkswagen Touareg and the Audi Q7, and it weighed about 250 kg less than before. FCP Euro adds that the low-range transfer case was dropped. An eight-speed Tiptronic replaced the six-speed automatic, and the manual stayed on the base V6 only until the 2014 update.

The S Hybrid of 2010 combined a supercharged 3.0 V6 with an electric motor for 280 kW (380 PS). In 2014 it became the plug-in S E-Hybrid with 306 kW (416 PS) and 18–36 km of electric range under the old NEDC test. The same update replaced the S's V8 with a 3.6-litre twin-turbo V6 of 309 kW (420 PS), lifted the Turbo to 382 kW (520 PS) and the Turbo S to 419 kW (570 PS). Diesel buyers could choose the 3.0 V6 with up to 193 kW or the S Diesel's 4.1/4.2-litre V8 with 283 kW and 850 Nm.

In 2017 an S Diesel towed a 265-tonne Airbus A380 for 42 metres, a Guinness record. Between 2015 and 2017 some cars were finished at Osnabrück.

Third generation (9Y0, since 2017): MLB, Coupé and Turbo GT

The third Cayenne was revealed on 29 August 2017. It uses the MLB platform of the Touareg, Audi Q7 and Q8, Bentley Bentayga and Lamborghini Urus, and it is about 65 kg lighter than the 92A. All versions use an eight-speed automatic, and rear-wheel steering became an option. The Cayenne Coupé, with a roof 20 mm lower and a drag coefficient of 0.34, was revealed in Shanghai in April 2019. A facelift followed in April 2023 for the 2024 model year, and since 2022 a plant in Kulim, Malaysia, has assembled the V6 models as well.

The Turbo GT was built for the track: test driver Lars Kern lapped the Nordschleife in 7:38.925 in June 2021. The GTS returned for the 2025 model year with 368 kW (500 PS). Details of every GTS since 2007 are in our Porsche Cayenne GTS article.

Cayenne E-Hybrid: batteries and electric range

The facelift nearly doubled the battery, from 14.1 kWh at launch (17.9 kWh just before the update) to 26 kWh, and the electric motor of the E-Hybrid now has 130 kW. The 2018 E-Hybrid needed 7.8 hours to charge on a 230 V socket.

Cayenne Electric (since 2025): a battery Cayenne on PPE

Porsche unveiled the electric Cayenne on 19 November 2025, series production in Bratislava started in February 2026, and a Coupé followed on 24 April 2026. It sits on the Premium Platform Electric (PPE), which it has in common with the second Macan, whose story is told in our Porsche Macan article. The battery holds 113 kWh gross (108 kWh net) and charges at up to 400 kW, from 10 to 80 % in as little as 16 minutes. At home it can also charge inductively at 11 kW. Outputs are 325 kW for the base car, 490 kW for the S and up to 850 kW for the Turbo with launch control.

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