Why Not Spend on the 2021 Porsche Cayenne If You’re Going to Pay Luxury Midsize Money?
If you’re looking for a midsize luxury SUV, you’ve got a bevy of attractive options available, some of them available for under $50,000. There’s the Lincoln Nautilus, the Lexus RX, Volvo XC90, and the Infinity QX60, to name a few. You can get solid performance and handling, a gorgeous interior, and various tech amenities without paying too much. But if you’ve got the budget for it, you may just want to splurge on the 2021 Porsche Cayenne, which starts at around $67,500.
The 2021 Porsche Cayenne
Ranked No. 3 on MotorTrend’s list, “The Best Midsize Luxury SUVs to Buy in 2021,” the 2021 Porsche Cayenne is a stunning vehicle from a brand associated with luxury. The sleekly designed Cayenne performs not only well on the road but also off-road as well.
The base model is powered by a 3.0-liter turbo V6 engine which provides a whopping 335 hp and 332 lb-ft of torque. It’s not especially fuel-efficient at 19/23 mpg city/highway, but it can hit 60 mph in a rapid 5.1 seconds. And for the environmentally conscious among us, the Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid comes with a 3.0-liter turbo V6 as well as a battery and motors that ramp horsepower and torque to 455 hp and 516 lb-ft, respectively.
The Cayenne seats five and has cargo space of 27.2 cubic feet (60.3 with the back row down). That’s a little on the smaller size. However, the interior is well-designed with pleasing luxury touches and trims. Each model also comes with a standard 12.3-inch touchscreen compatible with Apple CarPlay (though not Android Auto, unfortunately) and a 10-speaker audio system.
The Cayenne is also safe, garnering a perfect five-star rating from Euro NCAP. It also comes equipped with automatic emergency braking. However, common advanced driver safety assist features like blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping assistance cost more. If you’re willing to speed, you can add nonstandard items like a 360-degree camera system as well.
The Porsche Cayenne Turbo and Turbo S E-Hybrid
At the top of the trim range are the Cayenne Turbo and Turbo S E Hybrid, which will take you well into six-figure territory. Are they worth it? Well, the Turbo comes with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine that produces 541 hp and 567 lb-ft of torque. Fuel efficiency is low at 15/19 city/highway mpg, but it can hit 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds.
And the Turbo S E-Hybrid pairs the same engine with electric motors, providing drivers with 670 hp and 663 lb-ft of torque and a 0-60 mph acceleration of 3.6 seconds.
Both these vehicles are MotorTrend’s recommended trim level. And in addition to upgraded engines, they also come with a 14-speaker audio system, AWD (rather than the base model’s FWD), remote keyless entry, keyless drive, power sunshade, a panoramic sunroof, and built-in navigation, among many other amenities.
Drivers and passengers will be seated in leather upholstery and take advantage of heated and ventilated seats, multi-way seat adjustments, and more.
Of course, either vehicle will set you back more than $125,000. But if you’re willing to splurge on a Cayenne, the Turbo is the ticket.
Other available trims and features
Sandwiched in between the base model Porsche Cayenne and top-trim Turbo are the Cayenne S and the Cayenne GTS. The S comes with a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V-6 engine producing 434 hp/405 lb-ft and hitting 60 mph in 4.9 seconds. However, the fuel efficiency is only 18/22 mpg. The S, which starts at around $85,000, also comes with voice-activated radio, remote keyless entry, navigation, and a panoramic sunroof.
For a more souped-up Cayenne, you can also opt for the GTS, which comes with a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine. You’ll get 453 hp and 457 lb-ft of torque from the GTS, but this is the least fuel-efficient Cayenne trim at 15/19 mpg city/highway. It’ll run you more than $105,000, but it’s quite quick, taking 4.5 seconds to hit 60 mph on standard 21-inch rims.
Not only does the Porsche Cayenne pack on luxury amenities and features, but its on-road and off-road performance and handling across trims is also remarkable. You’ll find few other midsize luxury vehicles have the full package the Cayenne does. And if you have the money, you should definitely scoop one.
RELATED: Consumer Reports Says the 2021 Porsche Cayenne Is the Most Satisfying Porsche Model
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