Review of the Porsche Cayenne Estate

The Porsche Cayenne Estate is a luxury midsize SUV that's perfect for drivers who want practicality and performance. It comes with a beautiful exterior, powerful engines, and sporty handling. 

Rivals to the Cayenne Estate include the BMW X5, Range Rover Sport, Audi Q7, and Volvo XC90. 

Our Porsche Cayenne Estate review covers:

• One of the best-looking luxury SUVs around 
• Premium interior with loads of tech 
• 698-litre boot 
• Choose between a V6, V6, or plug-in hybrid 
• Three trims: Cayenne, E-Hybrid, and S

Pros:

• Rapid performance 
• Excellent handling 
• Spacious interior

Cons:

• Expensive to run thanks to poor MPG 
• Optional extras are pricey 
• No seven-seat configuration

The exterior of the Cayenne Estate is good-looking, featuring hints of the 911 at the front with its sleek headlights, flowing bonnet, and grille. At the rear, there's a small roof spoiler and a rear light bar that runs just above the number plate. 

The Cayenne Estate is a big SUV, so it comes as no surprise that there's plenty of space in the cabin. Head and legroom are generous regardless of whether you're in the front or back, and there are loads of storage options, such as generous door pockets, a compartment under the armrest, and cupholders. It can only hold five passengers, unlike the seven-seater Audi Q7.

Boot space comes in at a whopping 698 litres on the standard Cayenne Estate and reduces by 150 litres on the plug-in hybrid version. The boot is one of the best around, as its square shape and low-load lip make it a breeze to load heavy items.

Porsche has a reputation for luxury, and the interior of the Cayenne Estate does not disappoint. It's one of the most upmarket interiors, featuring loads of soft-touch plastics and leather trim. It also has superb build quality and feels better put together than the Range Rover Sport. 

You're surrounded by technology in the front of the Cayenne Estate. On the dashboard is a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system that features Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, sat-nav, and a 10-speaker stereo system. It displays sharp and responsive graphics and can be used through touch or by using the rotary controller below the centre console. 

There's also a digital instrument cluster behind the steering wheel and a front passenger display. Yes, you heard that right. Front passengers have a 10.9-inch touchscreen display in front of them, providing access to navigation and infotainment functions. 

Three trims are available in the Cayenne Estate: Cayenne, E-Hybrid, and S. 

Cayenne comes standard with 20-inch alloy wheels; matrix LED lights, automatic headlight activation including 'Welcome Home' lighting, a rear light strip, LED interior lighting, eight-way electric front seats, a partial leather interior, heated front seats, keyless drive, cruise control, a reversing camera, and a forward-facing camera with traffic sign recognition and lane keep assist. 

E-Hybrid adds to this with 20-inch aero design alloy wheels, a black e-hybrid logo on the front wings, and a 3.0-litre turbocharged V6 engine with a 130kW electric motor. 

S adds to this with 20-inch Cayenne S wheels in silver, twin dual-tube tailpipes, and access to the exclusive V8 engine. 

You can choose between a petrol engine with two variants or a plug-in hybrid petrol. All units come with all-wheel drive and are paired with an eight-speed automatic gearbox. 

The entry-level unit is the 3.0-litre V6 turbo that comes with a power output of 353hp, achieves 0-62mph in six seconds, and a top speed of 154mph. It's certainly powerful enough for an entry-level engine and pulls well from low revs, but it feels a little strained at high revs. 

For more power, go for the Cayenne S four-litre V8 unit, which has 474hp, achieves 0-62mph in five seconds, and has a top speed of a whopping 170mph. This is good enough for even the most power-hungry drivers out there, and make sure when you're going through a tunnel to wind down the window and listen to the intoxicating engine sound it makes. 

Finally, there's a plug-in hybrid engine available. It's the standard V6 petrol engine paired with a 130kW electric motor to produce 470hp, a top speed of 158mph, and accelerate from 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds. 

It can travel up to 46 miles on battery power alone and can fully charge using a 7kW home charger in just under four hours. 

The E-Hybrid is the sensible choice if you want to save some pennies as it returns a combined 156.9 - 188.3mpg. The two traditional engines absolutely guzzle fuel and peak at 26mpg. 

On the road, the Cayenne Estate returns some of the best performance around. Its handling is one of the best in its class, and it adds the optional air suspension and active anti-roll bars, and it returns sport car-like handling. 

It tackles bumps in the road and potholes well and returns a fairly comfortable drive, but don't expect it to be as good as rivals such as the Range Rover Sport or Audi Q7. 

If you want as little noise as possible, the E-Hybrid is quiet at normal speed and in electric-only mode. Both the other two versions can be quite loud, but it's acceptable, especially for the V8.

Prices for the new Porsche Cayenne Estate start from £76,000.00 OTR* or to lease from £1,034.19 per month.

Looking to get behind the wheel of the Porsche Cayenne Estate? Nationwide Vehicle Contracts is one of the UK's largest car leasing brokers and offers a range of leasing deals to suit your every need.

Leasing may be cheaper than an outright purchase, thanks to a low initial deposit and fixed monthly rentals.

*' On the road' price correct at time of publication and includes one year's road fund license, DVLA first registration fee and number plate fee. Prices are subject to change; always check with your nearest retailer.