The 2024 Porsche Cayenne Is A Base Spec Gem Under $90,000

The 2024 Porsche Cayenne is the most practical and dynamic SUV from the marque that offers multiple customizations and unadulterated fun

I feel like there's this stigma with Porsche where someone may see a base 911 or base Cayman drive by and they'll be like, “That's not the Turbos S or the GT3 or the GT4 RS,"  and no, but it's still a Porsche, and that's exactly how I feel about the refreshed 2024 Porsche Cayenne. No, it's not the 600-horsepower supercar slaying Turbo GT version but still a damn good SUV, and one that a semi-normal person could actually afford. 

The recent refresh does not alter the Cayenne formula fundamentally in any way. It's still the luxury family hauler SUV that you can drive the kids to school and have fun while doing so. The different configurations for the 2024 Porsche Cayenne are much simplified, and even the suspension system is retuned to support a mild increase in horsepower. The exterior gets a minor refresh, while the interior is the one to look up for 911 elements. 

2024 Porsche Cayenne Price 

Porsche Refined The Cayenne’s Design, With The Same Ideology!

In terms of exterior design changes, the easiest way to tell that this is the new Cayenne is with the headlights. They're a bit more angular now and just make the car a bit more modern and in line with their electric lineup like the Taycan and the Macan EV. The hood is now a bit more sculpted which is a subtle but very nice touch, and the front grilles are a bit more squared off. 

The rear end is even more subtle in terms of major changes, you still got the uni-beam tail lights, but it's a bit more three-dimensional in terms of the way it sticks out of the rear. Then, you've got a lot more diffuser action going on compared to the previous version, but that's pretty much it. 

To notice the changes in the above-mentioned all elements, you'd have to be a Porsche enthusiast. But that's perfectly fine because this is Porsche doing what Porsche does best, which is refinement versus radical regurgitation-inducing designs that make you wonder who's making the decisions over at the HQ! I've always liked the design of the Cayenne, and I feel like this is Porsche nearly perfecting it. 

The 2024 Porsche Cayenne’s Interior Is Impressive But Isn't Perfect

If you ask me, the major changes to the Cayenne are really on the inside. The first major one is the fact that we now have a fully digital gauge cluster, as opposed to the semi-digital gauge cluster that had an analog tachometer in the previous versions. I always thought that was kind of the perfect way to go about these cars from a design perspective.

Also, many Porsche owners like the classic analog design and a traditional sports car rather than a modern lab. But apparently times have changed, and this is what Porsche customers want, according to Porsche, and I would really like to talk to those customers in person. But I have to give them credit where it is due. 

The screen is incredibly high quality and extremely responsive. I'm not sure what kind of panel this display is using, but it definitely looks like an OLED in terms of having very deep blacks and phenomenal contrast. And like I said, very responsive. Porsche definitely tried to make the tachometer as responsive as a physical one would be, and they've done a pretty good job at that. 

But I wish there was a world where I could say, at least, we know they're not going to do this to the 911s. The 911 is going to keep the semi-digital gauge with the analog tachometer in the middle as of now, but soon after, they will fully reveal the new hybrid 911 that has a fully digital gauge cluster. So yeah, that's a bummer! 

Another way in which Porsche has now strayed from traditions is with the start-stop button. We no longer have the ignition switch like we used to have on the older Cayenne models, and what we have on the 911s and the Caymans right now. It's kind of just weird to look at quite honestly, and I'm not sure what the reasoning for it was. 

New-age customs compromise with authenticity of different elements

As far as getting rid of it, I'm not sure if there was some sort of technical limitation that prevented them from keeping it around or if maybe this is how Porsche is trying to silently signal to us that they're going to get rid of this on all the lineup. And that kind of sucks, because it's what makes a Porsche a Porsche right? 

It's like every time I get in the Porsche, it's like I want to get in and turn that switch on the left and start it up. It's kind of just the Porsche thing you know, but no longer in the Cayenne. I definitely miss that feeling! Also, Porsche has also eliminated the traditional gear selector that would be in the center console. 

It is substituted by a little knob that sits on the right side of the steering wheel. That's very similar to the new 911s, if you've seen those. So, the fact that you can no longer use a handle to change gears is really the only thing that you're missing now with this change. However, a traditional shifter would have added to the overall driving feel. 

But if we're going to nitpick, I find it pretty unintuitive to switch from drive mode to manual mode using this new selector. I often find myself having to do it one or two times, maybe two-three times to actually have it engaged into manual mode. It doesn't seem the most intuitive right now but that really is just nitpicking, and most people driving this car, are not going to use it in manual mode anyway. 

But outside of that I'm not really mad at this; I feel like this is just Porsche trying to modernize a lot of their lineup and getting rid of a physical gear selector like they had in the previous Cayenne. So, one thing that I am a fan of now is that, you now have a little area to put your phone and wirelessly charge it, which is not something you had in the previous versions of the Cayenne or even in the current Macan and this is definitely something. 

The software isn’t exciting, but supremely fluid to use!

The center console area is just a lot more clean and sleek-looking which is honestly something I'm a fan of. The layout just looks a lot more simple and straightforward, which is nice. I like the changes they've made there, it's not all cons as far as interior design changes. As always, Porsche software isn't the most feature-packed or exciting, but man, it is functional! Everything I need to see within the software is easily accessible and well organized. 

You of course get Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, which is what I'm interacting with 95% of the time but Porsche really doesn't get the credit where I feel like they deserve it for software. It's not exciting, but it's just so fluid and functional in a way that works so well for me! 

Something that I found Porsche still hasn't really improved on, is their backup camera. This camera is the big poopy unit for nearly $100,000 for this car after options. It's just an embarrassingly low-quality camera that just doesn't cut it for me quality-wise. It's definitely functional and useful for reversing into spots and things like that. But, every time I go into reverse, and I see it pop up on the screen, it feels nasty!

The back seats are plenty roomy for anyone under 6' 2” or something like that. Just don't get stuck in the middle because you've got a transmission tunnel, which makes this middle seat just like every other gas-powered car. Not fun at all! However, there's 27.2 cu-ft of cargo space behind the rear seats, which is quite decent. 

Don’t Underestimate The Turbo-V6!

The beating heart of this base Cayenne is the same Volkswagen V6 making 348 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque, and unfortunately, there's no PDK automatic in this car. So you're using a regular 8-speed torque-converter automatic. To be honest, this isn't the monster engine with 600 horsepower from the Turbo GT version, so I'm perfectly fine with the setup. 

Just barely 350 horsepower, I feel like that's a perfect number for this base Cayenne, and keep in mind, that's exactly what you'd get in a base BMW X5 or a base Mercedes-Benz GLE or something like that. Plus, the thing that makes a Porsche a Porsche is the fact that they do a lot of software tuning in the background to make the engine and the transmission work very well together. So, this is one of the better examples of the 8-speed torque converter that I've tried in a modern sports SUV. 

It's definitely sharper than a BMW X5 and definitely sharper than a Maserati SUV, and certainly sharper than something like a Jaguar F-Pace or something like that. And honestly, it's so good that I rarely find myself even using this car in manual mode. Oh, and talking about manually changing gears with these paddle shifters, I feel like the transmission just knows what I want to do most of the time, and so I feel like the computer's just better than I am in most situations, at least for normal driving. 

Going full throttle on this, it’s about a 5-ish second 0 to 60, which puts it right in line with its competition. And it's got pretty much a good amount of power, where you can safely merge onto freeways and comfortably do takeovers and things like that. The 350 horsepower is pretty much the perfect amount of power where you feel like it's not ever going to overwhelm you, but it's also not stupid slow and going to be unable to keep up with other modern cars out there. 

Fuel economy is also something I've been keeping track of, I've been getting well over over 20 miles per gallon. Now that isn't a Toyota Camry or a Toyota Prius Prime number, it's nothing on that level. But, for someone who has probably enough money to easily and comfortably fill a Porsche up on 93 or 91 fuel, I feel like that's a pretty solid number. And, you should be able to get well over 400 miles of range on a full tank. 

Body roll is next to non-existent in the 2024 Cayenne

But the handling in combination with such a competent drivetrain is what makes a Cayenne a Porsche. With the optional air suspension, this car just rides so well. A BMW X7 or Mercedes GLS is going to be probably a bit more comfortable for everyday stuff but it's definitely really solid when you consider how capable this car is in the corners! 

It handles, bends, and curves, with such ease; and usually in a big SUV, when you take a Bend at a higher speed, you feel all this mass leaning to one side or the other and it might make you a little bit nervous, but when you do that stuff in a Cayenne, you're just like yeah we're chilling! 

Final Thoughts

The 2024 Porsche Cayenne just feels so competent and confident in the corners that it just really makes you feel like you could do whatever in this car on the road! Obviously, a base Cayenne has its limits, but for the kind of people who are going to be buying the base model, I feel like this should be more than enough!