Engineers have long since figured out how to produce SUVs that accelerate as quickly as sports cars, and thanks to advanced suspension and tire tech, ones that can hold their own on a track. However, practically all of these tall family haulers struggle when it comes time to deliver a heightened sense of engagement. Ripping a lightning-quick sprint to 60 in something that weighs well over 5,000 pounds is nothing to scoff at, but what good is that physics-defying performance if it’s just impressive but not fun?
Recent efforts at the very top of the SUV food chain have been more than promising; Aston Martin’s DBX707 is a tail-happy riot with its burbly and reactive V8, while Porsche’s Cayenne Turbo GT is as track-ready as it’s practical. Though as exciting as this pair may be, they start at over $200,000 before ticking the options boxes, which, in the Aston’s case, often push it well past the quarter-million mark. The Turbo GT is particularly of note as, in previous years, it represented a massive leap in performance and fun over the rest of the Cayenne range.
However, as I learned over a week behind the wheel of the 2024 Porsche Cayenne S Coupe, the once sizable gap between the midrange and the flagship has shrunk considerably. With the return of a characterful V8 engine under its hood, now developing 468 horsepower, an optional adaptive air suspension system similar to the GT’s, and a comprehensively reworked interior that adds more physical buttons, this latest refresh is a substantial upgrade. Starting at $103,750, including destination fees, my tester comes in at $127,300 with options factored in.
Now in its third generation, the Porsche Cayenne S Coupe received a significant refresh alongside the rest of the range last year. These updates include a re-styled front end with a new hood, headlights, and fenders, while its rear sees the most significant shift. Its license plate holder no longer sits in the middle of its rear hatch, now relinquished to the top of the rear bumper, while its thin but wide LED taillights adopt a 3D effect, as does its “Porsche” script, protruding significantly. Stepping up to the S adds quad exhaust tips as standard, which flank a very subtle rear diffuser.
Yet despite the lengthy list of updated parts, the 2024 model is a refresh in the truest sense, retaining a strikingly familiar aesthetic. At first glance, telling the latest model apart from its predecessor is challenging unless you know what to look for. Three new exterior colors, Algarve Blue Metallic, Arctic Grey, and Montego Blue Metallic, join its already lengthy list of options, with my tester wearing the third choice of the set. With ten available wheel designs in sizes ranging from 20 to 22 inches, alongside Lightweight Sport and Premium packages, the Porsche Cayenne S Coupe is visually adaptable, though often at a substantial premium.
Setting off in the 2024 Porsche Cayenne S Coupe reveals immediate upsides over the outgoing model, practically all surrounding its engine. It’s a twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8, which, at its core, is the same unit that powers the recently unveiled GTS and the aforementioned Turbo GT, just producing a reduced 468 hp and 442 pound-feet of torque. Still, that’s 34 hp and 37 lb-ft more than the outgoing S and a substantial 120 hp and 74 lb-ft over what the turbocharged V6 in the current base Cayenne can muster up.
Combined with a quick-shifting eight-speed automatic transmission and a standard all-wheel-drive system, the S sprints to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and tops out at 169 mph. That’s impressive, but as I alluded to earlier, it’s no longer a standout trait. Instead, it’s this V8’s character that takes center stage. Thanks to a healthy dose of torque low in the rev range, this 4,800-pound family hauler is rapid while cutting through rush hour traffic and up on a twisty mountain road. It may not have the Turbo GT’s 650-hp output. Still, it delivers its 468 in a strikingly familiar fashion, with tons of low-end shove that carries through consistently to the redline, resulting in an SUV that feels even quicker than its stats suggest.
Moreover, the burbly, throaty song emanating from its quad exhaust tips adds to the driving experience in a way the outgoing V6 couldn’t. While the six may have been a fine powerplant in isolation, let’s not forget that the 2024 Porsche Cayenne S Coupe starts at $103,750. The V6 is refined, but an SUV at this price point deserves to be powered by something special.
Alongside its new V8, the refreshed Cayenne range receives an updated set of standard and optional suspension options. While steel springs pair with two-valve shocks in the base Cayenne, S, and E-Hybrid models, my tester benefits from the equally new $2,390 Adaptive Air Suspension. Similar to the standard system in the Turbo GT, the two-valve tech aims to separate rebound and compression stages. Porsche’s goal in incorporating it was to sharpen handling while better differentiating the driving experience across the Normal, Sport, and Sport Plus drive modes.
While there are noticeable improvements to how this SUV handles, mainly in the reduction of body roll, improved grip, and an overall higher amount of communication from the chassis in Sport and Sport Plus modes, you have to hustle to feel them. The “problem” is that the outgoing Cayenne was already one of the better-driving SUVs in the segment. It may share its bones with other Volkswagen Group products, but Porsche’s engineers did an excellent job tuning it to make it feel distinct from its mechanical siblings. As such, the amount by which you can improve shrinks. So yes, the Cayenne S turns in sharply, is nicely balanced in the bends, and is communicative, but so was the outgoing model.
Improved sporty credentials aside, the Cayenne is still, at its core, a luxury SUV. Drawing inspiration from the Taycan, this refreshed SUV now counts on a 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster. Looking through my tester’s leather-wrapped steering wheel, I’m met with a clear view of all the necessary gauges, although the screen’s lack of a glare-reducing hood still looks strange, almost as if the interior is unfinished.
An optional 10.9-inch passenger display, capable of streaming video, joins the central 12.3-inch infotainment screen. The most significant update, however, is found in this SUV’s center console. Due in part to customer feedback, Porsche took a slight step back from the extensive use of haptic feedback buttons in the outgoing model and instead incorporated physical switches to cover most basic functions. While you’ll still control most of the car’s finer functions through the central screen, the switches bring back more of a tactile feel when adjusting the setting you’ll fiddle with most.
As with practically everything the German carmaker produces, the Porsche Cayenne S Coupe’s list of optional extras is neverending. Offering no less than 13 interior configurations ranging from mundane to more exciting options like Night Green or Blackberry (purple) leather finishes, my tester wears a somewhat unflattering black and Mojave Beige combo. It counts on black leather seats instead of tan ones, with virtually no light-colored accents in the second row, giving off an unbalanced vibe rather than achieving a pleasant two-toned look.
The 2024 Porsche Cayenne S Coupe costs $103,750, including a $1,650 destination fee. However, for the upcoming 2025 model year, the base figure jumps to $109,995. My relatively lightly optioned 2024 tester adds the bits you’ll want, like its $2,390 Adaptive Air Suspension, $3,690 Technology Package, and $1,290 14-Way Power Seats, but skips on pricier wheel options or lightweight packages, bringing its as-tested price up to $127,300.
The updated Porsche Cayenne S is a masterclass on how subtle fine tweaks can result in a massively improved product. It now begins to move out of daily driver territory and closer to being an enthusiast’s one-car solution, more akin to a half-priced Turbo GT. Previously, jumping up from an S to either a Turbo or the range-topping GT meant a significant leap in performance. Now, thanks to its turbo-eight and more adaptable suspension, the S is moving up, bridging the gap between it and its pricier siblings by combining the performance we’d come to expect with an added layer of engagement.