Images
![New Porsche Cayenne [E3] (2018 - 2023) review](https://ssl.caranddriving.com/f2/images/used/big/porschecayenne[e3]2018to2023.jpg)
1 / 8
The Cayenne large luxury SUV was the car that turned around Porsche's fortunes and it's a car that still managed to set standards in its segment in this third generation form. This earlier '9Y3' version of the E3 model was smarter, faster, more efficient and impressively advanced than its predecessor, while a Plug-in Hybrid version and efficiency improvements across the range aimed to keep the green lobby at bay. Best of all, it can reward you at the wheel in a way that no other rival from the 2018-2023-era can.
+ More
History
Back in 2018, Porsche rejuvenated its large luxury Cayenne SUV in this '9Y3' third generation guise. The styling represented a mere gradual evolution, but the changes inside and beneath the skin were genuinely far-reaching.
The 911 sportscar may be the model Porsche is known for, but it's the Cayenne large luxury SUV that made the brand the world's most profitable car maker. This was the model that really established the company in this modern era, achieving over 770,000 global sales by the time of this MK3 model's launch in early 2018. For much of this Millennium, this SUV has out-sold all of Porsche's other models put together.
The switch to this MK3 design necessitated a need for this Cayenne to fulfil a slightly different role in the company's line-up, following the introduction of the smaller Macan SUV. Where previously, Porsche would talk about this model being a 'family sportscar', 'a five-seat 911' and so on, by 2018 that mantle sat more comfortably with the Macan. The Cayenne by then had more in common with the brand's 'Gran Turismo', the Panamera, sharing much of that executive contender's engineering, including its new-tech active anti-roll bar set-up, its rear axle steering system and its three-chamber air suspension, all of it co-ordinated by Porsche's freshly-developed '4D-Chassis Control' central network system.
It was clear from the start that all of that technology would certainly be needed if a genuinely sporting conveyance was to be made out of something this big and heavy. But it was an objective further aided by this MK3 model's adoption of a shorter version of the hi-tech MLB-Evo platform that it shared with Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley and Lamborghini. Under the bonnet, there was a range of completely new V6 and V8 engines, all of them mated to a new 8-speed PDK auto gearbox, plus there was cutting-edge hybrid Plug-in technology that from launch was designed to completely replace the need for diesel power (diesels weren't offered in this MK3 Cayenne). A separate 45kg-heavier Coupe body style was introduced in 2019. And both cars sold in this form until late 2023, when the range was substantially upgraded. It's the earlier pre-facelift versions of this '9Y3' third generation E3 Cayenne model we look at here.
+ More
What you get
This third generation Cayenne was quite a smart-looking thing but in the past, this car rarely has been. From the front with this E3 model, there was no longer the feeling that Porsche was rather awkwardly trying to graft 911 styling cues into a boxy crossover silhouette and the previously rather bluff frontage had been softened somewhat with a long, sweeping bonnet. This featured a more distinctive power dome that helped to emphasise sleeker wings that flowed into LED headlights featuring three-dimensional light modules and the usual four-beam arrangement favoured by the brand.
Take a seat inside and as ever with a Cayenne, you get a driving position that remains remarkably low-set for a large SUV, in keeping with that quest for sportscar-style driving dynamics and a 'cockpit-style' feel. Around the gearstick the fiddly little buttons that previously decorated the centre console were replaced on this MK3 model by a shiny black panel that comes to life with touch-sensitive controls once you fire the ignition. Just above lies the other defining feature of this cabin, the huge 12.3-inch colour touchscreen controlling the standard 'Porsche Communication Management' infotainment system. More screens are found in the instrument binnacle either side of the prominent rev counter gauge. All of it's configurable to your personal preferences as part of one of the most sophisticated cabins you'll find anywhere in this segment from this era.
What about the rear seat? There was no wheelbase increase for this E3-series model, so no real increase in leg room, but the scalloped front seat backs help and you can better prioritise space for your feet by making use of seat bases that slide over a range of 160mm across a 60:40 split. The seat backs recline in ten stages in two degree increments from 11 to 29-degrees for greater comfort on longer journeys. And the relatively low height of the centre transmission tunnel means that three adults can be accommodated without too much discomfort for the occupant who's drawn the short straw and gets stuck in the middle.
Click the keyfob button for the standard power-operated tailgate (which was optionally operable by foot gesture) and you'll find that all models offer significantly more boot space than the previous generation model could provide. With base and 'S' variants, there's 770-litres of capacity (100-litres more than before).
+ More
What to look for
By the time of this third generation model, Porsche had sorted out most teething Cayenne issues. Still, we did come across a few issues as part of our ownership survey. We've heard reports of squealing brakes and Porsche issued a recall for a brake warning light that didn't let you know your pads were about to wear through. We also come across a few models with faulty powered tailgates. If the Cayenne you're looking at is loaded up with high-tech extras - like heat-sensing night vision, a head-up display, a 360-degree parking monitor, 14 or 18-way power front seats with massage, ventilation or heat functions - make sure that all these features work properly. And don't entertain inflated prices designed to cover the original cost of these extras.
Check for scratched or kerbed alloy wheels and for the usual child damage in the back. And of course insist on a fully stamped-up service history. It's extremely unlikely that you'll come across a Cayenne that's been used to any great extent off road but look around anyway. We came across some particular specialists in Cayenne information, sales and maintenance; try www.jzmachtech.com (sales and service), www.saxton4x4.co.uk (sales), www.cayenneforums.com (forums) or www.porscheownersclub.org.uk (club).
+ More
Replacement parts
(Estimated prices, based on a 2019 year Cayenne S) - ref www.design911shop.com Cayenne spares are predictably quite pricey, although they never cross the border into exorbitant. An air filter will be priced at around £40-£66. An oil filter is in the £14-£28 bracket. A wiper blade is around £80.
Front brake pads are around £273; for rear pads, you're looking at around £99. Front brake discs are around £180; for a rear disc, you're looking at around £236. A rear brake pad and disc package is in the £357 bracket. A pair of PDLS-spec headlamps would cost you £1,100. For a rear lamp outer section, you're looking at around £489.
+ More
On the road
From a dynamic driving point of view, the Cayenne has always redefined the kind of car a large SUV can be and this third generation version continued to push those boundaries. When you're pushing on through the turns, it's able to seek out grip and traction you'd think a car of this sort simply wouldn't be able to find, delivering it with the kind of poised body control that you'd normally expect would be foreign to a 2.2-tonne SUV. And it's all further embellished by Porsche's expertise in steering feedback and a bespoke clutch-based four-wheel drive system that can send more torque rearwards, more of the time. Ah yes - torque: there'll certainly be plenty of it, regardless of which option you select from the petrol-powered engine range. There's a 340hp 3.0-litre V6 used in both the base model and the E-hybrid, a 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 for the 440hp Cayenne S and a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 for the potent 550hp Turbo version. All the powerplants are mated to a ZF 8-speed auto gearbox.
All variants are good to drive, though it's still fair to say that a well engineered conventional sports estate would still reward you more; the laws of physics have to tell somewhere. Still, get a car whose original owner spent extra on the various elements of dynamic gadgetry available for this third generation model - things like the three-chamber air suspension system, 'PDCC' active anti-roll bars, 'PTV Plus' torque vectoring and rear axle steering - and you can mitigate Newton's laws to a surprising extent. The stiffer MLB-Evo platform adopted by this third generation design also helps, as does steering that's brilliantly feelsome for an SUV of this kind. Most used models will have the optional 'Sport Chrono' package that gives you F1-style Launch Control, embellishes the 'Drive Mode' system and includes a 'Sport Response' button that helps with a burst of acceleration when you need it. Efficiency can be exemplary if you select the E-Hybrid, which is capable of up to 88.3mpg on the combined cycle and up to 72g/km of CO2. This car is also surprisingly capable off the beaten track too, particularly if you get a car specified with air suspension. That's thanks to a set of dedicated 'Offroad' driving modes and a 'Porsche Hill Control' system that eases you down slippery slopes.
+ More
Overall
For some luxury SUV buyers, there's simply nothing else quite like a Cayenne. This was the model that opened up Porsche ownership to a whole new group of people. They're not sportscar purists but they love the idea of sportscar technology being applied to make a real luxury 4x4 appeal to real drivers. Certainly it took the German brand some time to get this right: early Cayennes were rightly forgettable. But this lighter, faster, greener and better looking MK3 version was hugely impressive, in many ways back in 2018 the most astonishing car of its kind we'd yet driven.
It's the Cayenne Porsche always threatened it would build: a cutting-edge benchmark in the luxury SUV segment with a re-designed cabin makes the required six-figure statement. In short, when we talk of this model being 'rejuvenated' in this E3-series form, we mean that in every sense. Ultimately, it's a magnificent thing, better than it ever needs to be, both on-tarmac and, perhaps more surprisingly, off it too. In almost every way that really matters, it's a really credible class contender. And if you want the quickest point-to-point performance SUV in this segment from this era, nothing else in the class really gets close.
+ More
Have you considered these alternative models...
Find a Review
We have over 500 new and used car reviews to help you find your next car.
Browse reviews and model guides for all makes
