Porsche lets free Couped-up Cayenne

PORSCHE has unveiled its sloped-roof Cayenne Coupe that will take on the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLE Coupe when it lands in local showrooms early next year priced from $128,400 before on-road costs.

Although the base Cayenne Coupe is powered by a 250kW/450Nm turbocharged 3.0-litre six-cylinder petrol engine, buyers can also step up into the $254,000 Cayenne Turbo Coupe that ups the ante to 404kW/770Nm thanks to a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8.

Pricing puts the Coupe $12,500 and $15,000 upstream of its Cayenne and Cayenne Turbo siblings.

Although exact details were not revealed, expect to see the Cayenne Coupe send drive to all four wheels via an eight-speed ZF torque-converter automatic transmission with torque vectoring, mirroring the five-door wagon.

As a result, the base Cayenne Coupe can accelerate from zero to 100km/h in 6.0 seconds – which can be cut by another 0.1s with the inclusion of optional lightweight sports packages – and carry onto a top speed of 243km/h.

Meanwhile, the top-spec Turbo will blitz the landmark triple digit sprint in just 3.9s and top out at 286km/h.

Though BMW and Benz do not offer a direct petrol rival to the Cayenne Coupe, the Bavarian brand’s diesel-powered 190kW/560Nm X6 30d kicks off at $119,900, while the 190kW/620Nm Mercedes GLE 350d Coupe can be had for $126,330.

Competition for the large luxury performance SUV coupe crown, however, is a more direct with the 430kW/760Nm Mercedes-AMG GLE63 S Coupe priced at $203,830.

Lowering the front roof edge of the Coupe by 20mm has resulted in a shallower A-pillar compared to the regular Cayenne, while the shoulders are also enlarged by 18mm with the fitment of new rear doors and boarder fenders.

Aside from the new body style, the Cayenne Coupe also deviates from its wagon sibling with an adaptive rear spoiler mounted to the roof that can extend 135mm when speed hits 90km/h.

As standard, the Cayenne Coupe is fitted with four sports seats, but a three-seat bench can be swapped out in the second row at no additional cost.

The front sports seats feature eight-way power adjustability with integrated headrests for what Porsche describes as “exceptional comfort and optimum lateral support”.

The rear pews have also been lowered by 30mm to ensure headroom is not compromised by the sloping roofline, while boot capacity in the Cayenne Coupe measures 625 litres and expands to 1540L with the seats stowed.

Turbo variants, however, only offer 600/1510L of stowage volume.

Standard fitment includes 20-inch wheels, Porsche’s Active Suspension Management adaptive dampers and the Sport Chrono Package with mode switch functionality.
 
A fixed panoramic glass roof is also fitted from factory, which can be optionally switched out for a contoured carbon-fibre roof in one of three sports packages that also include lighter 22-inch GT Design wheels, check fabric seats and Alcantara interior accents.

Stepping up into the Turbo variant nets buyers 22-unch wheels and, with the lightweight package option ticked, a sports exhaust.

While only two engines will be available from launch, it remains to be seen if plug-in E-Hybrid and the spicier S grade will make their way into the Cayenne Coupe.

Porsche chairman of the executive board Oliver Blume said the Cayenne Coupe will appeal to buyers looking for a more stylish large SUV.

“The Coupe includes all the technical highlights of the current Cayenne, but has an even more dynamic design and new technical details that position it as more progressive, athletic and emotional,” he said.

2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs