Porsche Cayenne Cayenne S

Costs

Great strides have been made regarding engine efficiency, making the car's more economical and cleaner in terms of emissions. This should mean lower fuel and tax bills, but remember that it's all relative in a car like the Cayenne. For some the hybrid variant offers a good compromise if a lot of your driving is in town - the ability to run in full electric mode at low speeds shouldn't be underestimated.

Space and practicality

With a cabin easily able to accommodate four or five adults, the Cayenne is very family friendly. There is plenty of oddment storage in the cabin, plus the car's boot is a good size. Rear seats can be moved fore and aft, while head and legroom is good - even in the back.

Controls and display

The Cayenne's various controls and displays should be familiar to Porsche fans. As with the rest of the family, everything is logical and easy to read. The centre console is initially intimidating thanks to the bank of buttons, but you soon learn where everything is. The off-road controls are easy to understand, and due to their layout give you an instant status update for the suspension and transmission settings.

Comfort

Despite claims of only minor changes, the perception when behind the wheel is that you're sitting lower now. This chimes well with the enhanced performance focus. And with plenty of adjustment, the seats are both supportive and comfortable. Road and wind noise is well suppressed for a car of this size running on large, low profile tyres.

Car security

Being a desirable car, there's an immobiliser and alarm is fitted as standard. In addition, UK-sourced cars are fitted with a tracking system as standard which is an impressive and welcome feature.

Car safety

With all the airbags and electronic stability systems you could ever need, the Cayenne is well equipped in this department. The car's all-wheel drive system is, obviously, a major asset. Cars fitted with the active system (not the V6 or hybrid models) offer a sophisticated system that directs up to 100 per cent of the power to the required wheels.

Driver appeal

This is where the Cayenne will surprise you; although a conventional SUV with the ability to keep a Range Rover Sport honest in all but the most extreme conditions, it's on road where the car really shines. With a more obvious focus on agility, the Cayenne demonstrates a willingness to change direction that would shame even some genuine performance cars. The Turbo is, predictably, mightily impressive and corners flat and rides well over broken tarmac. Even the S impresses, while the hybrid variant demonstrates Prius-like frugality without any hint of a compromise.

Family car appeal

For all the Cayenne's performance credentials, the car is also a great addition to the family. Offering generous accommodation and high levels of comfort, the added bonus is that the Cayenne is fun to drive when the whole family is not aboard. That said, with its plush interior it's not a car for sticky-fingered toddlers.

First car appeal

It might be an easy car to drive at modest speeds, but the Cayenne is not hardly an appropriate first car, due in the main to its performance and running costs.

Quality and image

The Cayenne brand has had its ups and downs over the years. Its looks divided opinion from launch, although a mid-life facelift greatly improved things. There's no question over the car's abilities on or off-road, though. And there's the badge, which still carries a lot of weight today. There's an obvious uplift in cabin quality too, which should also silence the critics.

Accessibility

Being one of the more low-slung SUVs on the market, cabin access should be straightforward for most agile people - even accessing the rear seats is easy. Opt for a car with a powered tailgate and all your problems are solved if you're of short stature, otherwise it'll be a bit of stretch.

Stereo and ICE (In car entertainment)

With the car's central colour display dominating the fascia, all the car's major infotainment features are easily accessible through the touchscreen, although some of the unit's functions are buried deep in the menu system. Audio quality is good, however, and the connectivity options - phone, MP3 player, iPod - work well.

Colours and trim

As with the rest of the Porsche family, the Cayenne can be selected in a wide variety of exterior and interior colour combinations. Surprisingly, both dark and light exterior hues work well - the car no longer looks big in the conventional sense. Inside the Panamera-style cabin looks good in black, helping to boost the already impressive quality levels.

Parking

Despite the car's size, it proves an easy vehicle to manoeuvre. There's ample assistance from the steering, while the parking sensors help enormously. And even though the car's exterior mirrors look small, their position and size are fine for when parking.

Spare wheel

Spare fitted beneath the boot floor -S Hybrid equipped with tyre inflation kit.