Base Porsche Cayenne Coupe should not be underestimated

Standing at the till in a Fourways cycling shop a few Sundays ago made me realise just what a statement the first ever Porsche Cayenne Coupe has made since it recent arrival. One of the shop’s sales people were in awe of the car as he stood taking pictures from every possible angle as I was paying at the cashier.

He probably thought to himself “look at that lucky bastard” as I climbed in and drove off. To say that Porsche’s first effort in the Sports Activity Coupe, which means traditional SUV with a coupe-like slanted roof at the back, has been well-received, would be an understatement.

Stuttgart certainly did not invent this growing segment, as this honour belongs to BMW with the X6 that debuted just over a decade ago, but it has certainly done its homework in creating a product that has random onlookers drooling with desire. Porsche only rolled out the Cayenne Coupe internationally for the first time earlier this year and when it finally landed in South Africa very recently, we were lucky enough to get the Coupe, the most basic next to its Coupe S and Coupe Turbo siblings, on test for a week. And we can safely say that we shared the sentiment with the hordes of instant fans.

At first sight, the Coupe might look very similar to the Cayenne SUV with just the very attractive low slanting at the rear that differentiates them, but there are quite a few styling changes elsewhere. The front windscreen and A-pillar are shallower than the Cayenne’s due to the roof edge that has been lowered by 20 mm. An overall muscular impression is achieved through redesigned doors and fenders that make the shoulders 18 mm broader.

The vehicle seems closer to the road courtesy of a rear number plate integrated into the bumper. The exterior highlight is the adaptive roof spoiler which debuted in the new Cayenne Turbo last year. As part of Porsche Active Aerodynamics, the roof spoiler is combined with an adaptive rear spoiler and extends by 135 mm at speeds of over 90 km/h.

On the inside, the standard large panoramic glass roof, measuring at 2.16m2 of which 0.92m2 is glazed, gives an impressive sense of space. A carbon roof is optional. The comfort inside the cabin is second to none with new eight-way sports seats in front and a rear bench seat with the characteristics of two individual seats. The boot capacity is a very generous 625 litres.

The Coupe is powered by a three-litre, six-cylinder turbocharged engine that delivers 250kW and 450Nm of torque. Aforementioned is sent to all four wheels via an eight-speed Tiptronic S gearbox. It is claimed to go from 0-100km/h in six seconds with the assistance of the standard Sport Chrono Package and we have no reason to doubt this number. The top speed is a claimed 243km/h.

If you want more power, there is always the Coupe S and Coupe Turbo options, but for a soccer mom or a commuting dad, the Coupe’s power is more than adamant. If you want to play a bit harder, the Sports Chrono system provides you the option of Sport and Sport+ if Normal mode is too mundane for you. There is also the option of Individual which allows you to customise your ride. Paddle shifters at the back of the steering wheel can make your ride even sportier once you put your game face on and turn the steering wheel mounted drive system selector knob to Sport+.

The extremely wide rubber the Coupe has wrapped around its 20-inch wheels, 275/40R20 in the front and 305/40R20 at the rear, together with the support from the active rear spoiler make the car stick to the road like super glue. Even at higher speeds around bends, the Coupe is as solid as a rock.

As far as fuel consumption goes, we achieved 12.7l/100 km over the course of 567 km, which is three litres per 100 km more than the claimed figure, but around what you’d expect from a car weighing just over two tonnes with a very willing power-train. It goes without saying that the easier you take it the better that number will be, as we managed to get 8.7l/100 km in a 30 km trip on the highway with the cruise control set to 110km/h, which isn’t pull your hair out of your head slow. But that number will seldom be achieved due to the random urge to floor it combined with everyday city traffic will affect the consumption.

Priced at R1 320 000, the Cayenne Coupe is actually cheaper than its main rivals, the BMW X6 xDrive40i at R1 338 679 and the Audi Q8 55 TFSI quattro at R1 388 000. The forthcoming Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe’s price hasn’t been announced yet.

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.