The SUV born from iconic sports cars – Uncompromising Sport Utility
Review by Tom Sedens. Photos supplied. There are always more photos at the end of my reviews.
Over 20 years ago, Porsche asked themselves whether a sports car company, known for making thoroughbred cars that brought technology from the race track to the streets, could build an SUV. An SUV that transcends all expectations and boundaries. An SUV that will not compromise the company’s sporting heritage – one that is still a Porsche at heart. And in answering that question, perhaps most of all in the eyes of the naysaying purists, it showed us
that anything was possible.
In the ever-growing luxury SUV category, the 2025 Porsche Cayenne remains an outlier. Its ability to mesh sports-car performance and off-road ability with luxury and utility is tough to match.
Exterior
From the front, the Cayenne is unmistakably Porsche, sharing headlight and hood DNA with all the other models. The silhouette has now become recognizable as the Cayenne, and even though we are now a few generations in, the styling has always continued to be evolutionary, not revolutionary, and builds on continuously refining the muscular stance and pronounced wheel arches. Its broad-shouldered good looks can be further individualized thanks to limitless
customization possibilities including a plethora of paint colours and wheel options.
Interior/Tech/Convenience
Endowed with a comfortable and luxurious cabin, pieced together with renowned precision from world-class materials, the Cayenne is sumptuous enough to please the most demanding of drivers. Plush carpets, a sea of leather and genuine metal trim touches adorn every square inch. Porsche’s customization possibilities continue on the inside where buyers can pick anything from trim materials to seatbelt colours. The seats combine outstanding comfort and the bolstering needed to keep driver and passengers in place during spirited driving.
The dash is an advanced world of multiple high-definition screens, an advanced user interface and other technologies working behind the scenes to ensure the drive is safe, controlled and enjoyable. Even the passenger can get a screen!
Features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and a surround-view camera system provide everyone in the vehicle with peace of mind on all journeys.
Rear Seats
The Cayenne’s spacious seating offers comfort for five adults with ample legroom and headroom – this ensures that even long journeys are a pleasure.
Storage
It is also remarkably easy to live with. Being an SUV, there is no lack of utility – the cargo area boasts generous and flexible space making it practical for both
everyday and heading onto the open road for a getaway.
Under the Hood
But it is the Cayenne’s performance that truly sets it apart. It starts under the hood. Even the base Cayenne’s V6 offers up 348 HP to play with. Drivers that need more can move up through the model line where hybrids and bi-turbo V8 engines show up, bumping horsepower figures up all the way to 729 in the Turbo E-Hybrid which will happily tear holes in the fabric of space and time.
The Drive
All that power would go to waste in a chassis unable to manage it but the Cayenne does something magical with it. Somehow Porsche has made this SUV so athletic and light on its feet that it feels almost supernatural. The refinement with which it tackles curves at high speeds is only equalled by its ability to comfortably insulate the driver and passengers from any and all road imperfections – this is thanks for Porsche Active Suspension Management, which continuously adjusts the suspension system. It’s not just impressive on the pavement – Porsche has engineered the Cayenne to be a monster off the beaten path too, a place it likely never sees in the vast majority of ownership cases. Massive brakes at all four corners quickly and easily haul things back down to earth. As easy as it is to drive fast, the Cayenne never lets you forget the other part of its mission.
Nitpicks
Porsche’s stategy of offering less than they should for the price and then making nearly anything your heart could desire available – at steep upcharges – continues and it can easily drive Cayenne pricing into the stratosphere.
The Verdict
WAF (Wife Approval Factor) is high. Although a bit bigger than what she likes to drive these days, it’s still one of her favourite SUVs.
The 2025 Porsche Cayenne is not just a luxury SUV – it is a statement of intent. It represents harmony between power, exquisite control and performance, elegance and technological innovation. That is why the Cayenne has always appealed to buyers who demand more from their vehicles. Whether it is navigating a busy commute downtown, flying down the highway or even tackling trails off the beaten path, the Cayenne delivers an exceptional experience that uncompromisingly embodies the spirit of Porsche. And for those seeking an SUV that simply excels in all categories, Porsche’s Cayenne feels like the ultimate choice.
If you enjoyed this review, feel free to check out my other vehicle reviews under the car reviews tab at the top of my blog.
