The upcoming mid-life update for the Porsche Cayenne will bring exterior styling changes heavily inspired by the Taycan.
Images shared by CocheSpias on Instagram, which appear to show a screen from the car’s infotainment system, have revealed the revised front- and rear-end styling of the brand’s flagship SUV.
The headlights are shorter and more squared off like the brand’s EV, while down back there’s a full-width light bar reminiscent of the Taycan. The bumpers also have a more aggressive look.
While the images don’t depict the Cayenne Coupe, we expect to see similar changes applied to this sleeker body style too.
Camouflaged prototypes of the Cayenne have been photographed extensively ahead of its expected debut on April 18, while last week Porsche revealed the SUV’s interior completely undisguised.
Like the exterior, there are a lot of nods to the Taycan here, including the stubby gear selector, air vents, and 12.6-inch curved digital instrument cluster.
The new steering wheel is lifted from the 911 sports car, while the centre console has a new climate control interface.
Two big screens dominate the dashboard. A 12.3-inch touchscreen sitting in the middle of the dashboard runs the latest Porsche Communication Management software, while the passenger can now take control with a 10.9-inch screen of their own.
A film on the passenger display means the driver can’t see it on the move. Porsche says it “allows the front passenger to take the strain off the driver”; we’d say it enables backseat drivers like never before.
Other detail changes include more USB-C ports, and a cooled area to wirelessly charge your smartphone at 15W.
The brand has confirmed some of the new features that will be offered. These include a new semi-active chassis, and brighter high-definition matrix LED headlights.
Porsche says the “significantly upgraded” model has received “major revisions” to its chassis system, while updates have also been made to its powertrain, design, equipment and connectivity.
The third-generation Cayenne crossover made its debut in 2017, and the “coupe” variant launched in 2019.
The current car looks set to be the last offered with petrol engine options, with the next generation model expected to be based on the electric-only Platform Premium Electric (PPE), which will underpin the upcoming Macan EV, as well as a slew of models from Audi, including the Q6 e-tron and A6 e-tron.
According to Porsche, prototypes for the Cayenne facelift have clocked up a total of four million kilometres, with most test vehicles completing 200,000km within a few months.
Testing locations include off-road tracks in Spain, sand dunes in Morocco, winter snow and ice in Finland, and the Nürburgring Nordschleife track.
