Porsche Cayenne 2024: V8, hybrid, quick hire

Facelift details, Taycan-style cockpit and daily or weekend hire packages for the sporty SUV.

Porsche Cayenne: the performance SUV that rewrote Stuttgart’s playbook

When Porsche unveiled the first-ever Cayenne in 2002, purists cried sacrilege: a tall, five-door vehicle wearing the same bonnet crest as a 911? Twenty years—and more than 1.5 million units—later, that bold move is credited with rescuing the brand from financial ruin, funding the 918 Spyder and now underwriting Porsche’s electric future. Three generations—9PA, 92A and today’s E3, refreshed for 2024—trace a steady evolution: from the “ginger-bread” look of the original to the latest sculpted bodywork, enhanced by HD-Matrix LED headlights whose 32,000 micro-segments paint bespoke light signatures. Yet the formula endures: an ultra-rigid steel chassis, permanent all-wheel drive with a multi-plate centre diff, and a suspension that makes you forget the Cayenne’s height and heft. Suddenly the unasked question found its answer: can an SUV behave almost like a 911 while towing three horses or conquering the Rub’ al-Khali desert? Yes—this one can.

2024 powertrains: from a 353-hp V6 turbo to a 739-hp Turbo E-Hybrid

The 2024 facelift brings the broadest Cayenne line-up ever. It starts with a 3.0-litre turbo V6 producing 353 hp—15 % more efficient thanks to centrally-mounted injectors and a twin-scroll turbo. The Cayenne S swaps the old V6 biturbo for a brawny 4.0-litre biturbo V8 with 468 hp and 600 Nm, good for 0-100 km/h in 4.7 s. King of the hill is the Turbo E-Hybrid: the same V8 paired with a 176-hp electric motor inside the eight-speed Tiptronic. System output is 739 hp and 950 Nm, launching to 100 km/h in 3.6 s and covering 82 km WLTP on electric power alone from a 25.9 kWh battery. Track junkies can opt for the Turbo GT—Coupé only—with a 17 mm lower chassis, 22-inch forged wheels, P Zero Corsa tyres and a 659-hp V8 that lapped the Nürburgring in 7:38.9. Every variant uses twin-chamber air suspension with continuous damping: ground clearance tops 245 mm in Off-Road, while Sport Plus drops the body 28 mm and active engine mounts stiffen the nose for hammer-through-hairpin agility.

Taycan-style cockpit: three displays, pure Porsche ergonomics

Inside, the third-generation Cayenne adopts the Taycan’s “Smart Cockpit”: a 12.6-inch curved cluster, 12.3-inch PCM infotainment with native streaming and online maps, plus—for the first time in a Porsche SUV—a 10.9-inch passenger screen that plays video invisible to the driver. The gear selector moves behind the steering wheel, freeing the centre console for a black-panel climate interface with tactile sliders and haptic feedback. Materials are grand-tourer grade: Club leather, contrast stitching, brushed-aluminium or Poros wood trim, and 18-way massage front seats. A 160-mm sliding rear bench balances leg-room against a boot that ranges from 598 l to 772 l, depending on powertrain; the Coupé sacrifices just 22 l while gaining a 911-like roofline. On the ADAS front, InnoDrive blends adaptive cruise with predictive navigation, and Emergency Assist can bring the car to a safe stop and summon help if the driver is unresponsive.

Sustainability, motorsport and a battery-electric future

The Cayenne was Porsche’s first hybrid (2010) and first plug-in (2014); today, more than half of European sales are electrified. A Cayenne EV on the 800-V PPE platform—shared with the upcoming electric Macan—lands in 2026, targeting 700+ km WLTP range and 270 kW charging to fend off rivals like Lotus Eletre, Maserati Grecale Folgore and BMW iX. Motorsport pedigree endures: Porsche just won Nürburgring’s E1-Hybrid class with a Cayenne prototype running synthetic fuel, proving the SUV remains a technology lab for the entire lineup. Day-to-day, sustainability shows in standard heat pumps, vegan Race-Tex seats and an Off-Road pack featuring recycled-plastic components—all without compromising revered German build quality.

Short-term rental: the smartest way to savour a Cayenne

Dropping €185 k on a Turbo E-Hybrid—or more on the track-bred GT—may not top the list when you need an extraordinary ride for a Côte d’Azur weekend or a Zurich-to-Frankfurt meeting sprint. High-end platforms—Driverso foremost—let you book online, pick SUV or Coupé, petrol or hybrid, set mileage and hand-over point (five-star hotel, yacht club, private jet terminal) and pay only for the days you drive. A single fee covers full-coverage insurance, purpose-built tyres and 24-hour assistance, leaving you free to relish the V8’s roar, the EV module’s hush in low-emission zones, and handling that channels a 911 lifted 40 cm. It’s a no-strings, no-stress way to discover how one SUV can blend performance, luxury and versatility into a single, unmistakable Porsche crest.