As Porsche technicians, we love repairing Porsches. This is more than a job for us. It’s a passion that wavers between hobby and pathology. We repair Porsches all day long at our auto repair shop in Cincinnati. We live and breathe car repair. But when we’re not repairing Porsches, we’re reading about them. We follow Porsche like some people follow their favorite football team. We’re in it to win.
That’s why we were thrilled to read Motor Authority’s glowing review of the the 2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe, a four-door luxury crossover coupe, or as Senior Editor Robert Duffer describes, “another pricey Porsche variant with an underwhelming base model and a bonkers Turbo that would easily eclipse $150,000.”
“Those suspicions were put to rest for me with a week behind the wheel in a mid-grade Cayenne Coupe S,” Duffer writes. “Porsche is not just following the other luxury brands, it’s carving a distinct corner with its coupe-like crossover.”
Safe to say he liked it, but as a car critic, he has to find at least some fault in the art of this new Porsche.
Porsche’s Beautiful Sporty Style
He loved the sportiness of the new Cayenne Coupe: “Most luxury crossover coupes look like turtle shells bound to roller skates. Ugly. Not so with the 2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe. It’s lower, wider, and sportier than the Cayenne, and looks more like a cross between a 911 and an SUV than a turtle and a skate. The integrated rear roof spoiler and adaptive lower spoiler that rises at speeds above 56 mph give it wings. The rear arcs down like a fastback, or, a Panamera. It trims 5.0 cubic feet of cargo room from the standard Cayenne, but most of that is in the upper corners. Multiple sets of golf clubs fit just fine,” he writes.
A Tight Ride
But on roominess? Not so much. “The good looks of the Cayenne Coupe come at the expense of rear seat passengers. Unlike most competitors that seat five, the Porsche Cayenne Coupe S only seats four. Realistically, that’s not a big problem—how many adults is BMW squeezing into the X6? It’ll fit maybe three tweens at best. But two adults fit better in the X6 than in the Cayenne Coupe S. The Porsche’s low, arcing roofline trims head room to make 6-footers squeeze in, especially with the panoramic glass roof.”
This Porsche is Pricey
What’s also not to like? The price. As Porsche technicians, we can certainly appreciate this one. The base price is $89,950, including $1,350 destination. How many Porsches would we have to work overtime repairing at our auto repair shop just to afford one of these babies? More than the day has time for.
“It’s not just the paint that is expensive at Porsche. Between base and performance models, the 2020 Cayenne Coupe costs $5,000-$15,000 more than the BMW X6 and Mercedes-AMG GLE Coupe,” Duffer writes. “In the middle, the $90,000 Coupe S squares off with the 2020 BMW X6 M50i. The BMW costs less than $87,000 but is better equipped with a larger engine that hits 60 mph in 4.1 seconds, compared to 4.7 seconds for the Coupe S. The advantage of the Coupe S is better handling, thanks in part to the adaptive air suspension and active sway bars, which are extras that add about $6,000. Choosing those options makes it about $9,000 more than a quicker, better-equipped X6 M50i.”
Handles Like a Word of Art
But Duffer loves the handling of the dynamic chassis control. “Even though the X6 M50i’s 523-hp 4.4-liter turbo V-8 drubs the 434-hp twin-turbo V-6 Cayenne Coupe S off the line, I’d take the Porsche on a racetrack. Porsche calls those active sway bars Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control and they do a great job of reducing the body roll endemic to crossover SUVs. Available on the 911 and Panamera, it offsets inertia to stabilize the Cayenne in turns for quicker, steadier cornering. A graphic on the instrument cluster shows the rear of the vehicle with arrows pointing to the front; turn hard right, and the left arrow fills depending on how hard you take the turn. The power air suspension also helps by lowering the Cayenne in Sport+ mode. It offers sport sedan-type agility, and it’s much more athletic than the X6 M50i.”
Good enough for us. Maybe we can’t afford one, but we can dream. If you happen to own one of these babies, bring it into our auto repair shop in Cincinnati. We love to take it for a test drive. Don’t worry — we’ll return it in perfect condition.
