PORSCHE CAYENNE COUPÉ

The luxury car SUV that (still!) thinks it's a sportscar

- ABHAY VERMA

At the expense of sounding cliched, I have to say, it’s names like the 911, Cayman, Boxster, GT3 RS and more that come to mind far before the Cayenne when you mention Porsche. But the past two decades have seen the Cayenne try to get as popular as the Stuttgart-based manufacturer’s two-door sportscars as a nameplate. Of course, there’s little doubt about the Cayenne’s success, and also the ease with which it has appealed even to diehard sportscar fans! Porsche has just given the SUV some serious updates to ensure the current (third) generation Cayenne continues to stay on the radar of luxury SUV buyers. This, while ensuring it has the magic recipe that makes it worthy of the brand’s hallowed ‘coat of arms’ logo.

In fact, the Cayenne gets what Porsche is calling one of the most comprehensive model updates in the history of the brand, which is quite a statement. You’d expect that for the 911, but the fact that it’s the Cayenne we’re talking about should tell you how serious Porsche is about its full-sized SUV. While we didn’t get a chance to drive the Cayenne in the North East a few months ago, I just got my hands on the Cayenne Coupe, allowing me to see whether it is still worthy of the tag of being one of the most driver-focused SUVs money can buy. I’ve always admired how Porsche has infused its sportscar genes into the Cayenne, and I think that’s what has helped the SUV stand out.