Driven
54 http://www.evoIndia.com | July 2019
Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe
Where some SUVs
bludgeon their way
down a road, the
Cayenne Coupe
is adjustable and
fluid
HERE ARE TWO WAYS OF
looking at the Porsche Cayenne
Coupe. The first is as a big, dumb
lump of ostentation, ammunition
for the kind of people who would ban cars
altogether if they could, and as an object of
dubious style over substance bought not for any
semblance of practicality like a regular Cayenne
might be, but purely for whatever image you
think it projects about yourself.
The other is, like all Cayennes that have
come before it, as Porsche’s cash cow, but
one without cynicism, engineered to the same
exacting standards and dynamic sensibilities
as any other car from Stuttgart, even if it’s
conceptually as far from a Boxster or 911 as it’s
possible to get.
And after an hour or so behind the wheel,
your thoughts drift inexorably from the first
school of thought to the second. It’s still large,
brash and deeply vulgar, but if circumstances
or desire lead you to buy an SUV, few are better
suited to those who actually enjoy driving than
one made by Porsche.
The current third-generation Cayenne and
its Coupe counterpart were designed aroundthe same time, so while Porsche may be later
to the party than most with its swoopy SUV, it
does have unique characteristics beyond just a
sloping, fastback-like (we refuse to say coupe-
like) roofline. The rear doors and wings are
18mm wider than the regular Cayenne’s, while
the A-pillars and windscreen are more swept
back, and the roofline 20mm lower. We’d stop
short of calling it athletic-looking, but parked
alongside a standard Cayenne the regular car
does lose a lot of its impact. The Coupe does,
unavoidably, look like others we’ve seen recently- there are strong hints of Mercedes’ GLC and
GLE Coupes about the hind quarters – but
despite the roof chop, it maintains a sizeable
boot and, thanks to rear seats mounted 30mm
lower, good rear headroom.
The rest of the cabin is largely identical to the
regular Cayenne’s, though the rear bench isn’t
really a bench but two separate seats, unless
you specify otherwise. A panoramic glass roof
is standard, but the most compelling changes
come when you specify the Lightweight Sports
Package. The glass roof is then replaced by
a 22kg-lighter carbonfibre panel (with an
Alcantara headlining inside), some sound
deadening material is removed, 22-inch forged
alloy wheels are added, and the seats are
decked in a grippy houndstooth cloth like that of
classic Porsches – or the more recent 911 R.
Along with Alcantara for the steering
wheel, the change in ambience is surprisingly
transformative, and there’s definitely a touch
more road and wind noise. Other stand-out
options include rear-axle steering, Porsche
Dynamic Chassis Control, and carbon-ceramics.
And, of course, just choosing the Coupe itself
attracts a premium. You can pick one of three
variants – the basic Cayenne Coupe, with aT
Porsche’s Cayenne joins the coupe SUV party, but what – if anything – does it mean for the driving experience?