Change This, Not That: 2024 Porsche Cayenne Review

Porsche's family hauler has gotten a mid-generation redo that makes it more desirable than ever before. The 2024 Porsche Cayenne's freshening brings it closer in aesthetics and technology to the company's Taycan all-electric sedan and Macan small SUV.

Over a week of using the Cayenne as my daily driver, I came to see why the all-wheel drive base model is no slouch and why it makes sense for a driver to jump ship from a BMW, Mercedes-Benz or Audi into the Porsche.

What we tested: Newsweek test drove a 2024 Porsche Cayenne AWD in Montego Blue Metallic for this review. The SUV had a sticker price of $79,200 as equipped with a $1,650 destination charge added on.

KEEP: Montego Blue Metallic

The vehicle Porsche sent for testing was painted Montego Blue Metallic. The rich, mid-blue hue is simply stunning. For the $2,840 up-sell, Montego Blue Metallic is a far better color to have your Cayenne in than one of the blacks, greys or whites that Americans seem to be so fond of.

CHANGE: The weird cup/phone/gum/bottle/keys holder

It's just a big "why". Why does this even exist? If you put your phone in it, it inevitably goes flying over to the front passenger area with any level of dynamic driving occurring.

Why is it the shape it is? You can awkwardly put a phone, keys, a bottle, gum or toll booth ticket in there, but the size and shape doesn't warrant organization or ease of use.

In a week with the Cayenne I never found a reason to use it for anything other than testing if certain items would fit in it or not.

CHANGE AND KEEP: Center console switchgear

The Cayenne's center console switchgear is the same as that in the Macan Turbo. Toggle switches feel good in the hand. They're detailed and weighted enough to not give the appearance of being cheap.

But the haptic controls are another story. A halfway step between having everything on a screen and everything analog, the black surface where the controls sit in the console are middling at best. When fingers touch them while driving, it's hard to know exactly what you're pressing.

Sure, most drivers are "set it and forget it" types, but during a week of driving I never got used to adjusting via the flush touch controls.

CHANGE: Screen responsiveness

The centrally-located infotainment screen in the Cayenne is slow to respond to touch. There were multiple times during the weeklong test that I found myself tapping two or three times before I realized that the system was on its way to doing the function I had requested.

This is disappointing because the screen graphics, easy-to-navigate interface and overall appeal of the system are very high.

CHANGE: Opt for a hybrid

With a 26-gallon gas tank and premium fuel on order, the daily driver cost of using the Porsche as your around-towner is heavy, despite it getting an Environmental Protection Agency-estimated 17 miles per gallon in the city and 23 miles per gallon on the highway.

Porsche sells a hybrid version of every Cayenne SUV on the market today. Though it does come with a hefty up-charge from the gas-powered model ($12,500 to go from the Cayenne to the Cayenne E-Hybrid), buyers get more horsepower and a quicker model for their trouble.