When the German carmaker first stepped into the SUV space with the Cayenne, they faced a lot of flak from the purists who believed that the company should only focus on sports cars. It has been quite a journey for the Cayenne and today it stands as one of the top names in the company’s portfolio. To the third generation Cayenne product line up, the brand is now looking at pushing the envelope even further with the introduction of the Cayenne Coupe.
Sharp looks
As the name suggests, the vehicle is a fine cross between the luxury SUV and a coupe. It boasts of sharper lines, a steep roofline, a rather unique-looking rear section with an adaptive spoiler and a short overhang. You also get a large panoramic fixed glass roof with a carbon roof option as part of the package. It sits on 22-inch GT Design wheels and since it is lower than its purebred SUV sibling, it looks more dynamic and sportier as well.
Plush interior
Its cabin carries that typical Porsche layout that is ergonomically crafted and finished in fine quality materials including Alcantara, carbon and fabric accents. The cabin is touted to be quite spacious with ample room for four passengers. The front seats are eight-way electronically adjustable units and the rear gets two individual seats instead of a bench. Keeping it practical, the manufacturer has ensured that it can carry enough in the boot as it has a 625-litre capacity.
Performance pedigree
This car will initially be offered with two high-performance engine options. The standard version gets a six cylinder, 3.0-litre turbocharged engine that delivers 340 hp of power and 450 Nm of maximum torque. It is capable of going from 0-100 kmph in 6.0 seconds flat. For the power-hungry buyer, Porsche is offering the Cayenne Turbo Coupe. This version gets a V8 engine that displaces 4.0-litres and comes with a twin turbo. It is capable of generating 550 hp of power and 770 Nm of maximum torque and can do the 0-100 kmph dash in 3.9 seconds!
The verdict
The first company to create this segment was BMW with the X6. Mercedes-Benz made their entry in the SUV-Coupe segment with the GLE 43 AMG Coupe and both these vehicles have done well across the globe. Porsche definitely wants a piece of the pie with their Cayenne Coupe and judging by how well the Cayenne does, they just might end up dominating this segment. The Cayenne Coupe goes on sale later this year and will come to India shortly after its global launch.
Prices are expected to be in the `1.3–`1.8 crore range.