Porsche knows its buyers. Really knows them. A bartender knows their regular before they even sit down, Porsche knows you before you click “configure.” They know electric owners charge at home. 90% of the time. Fast charging at 400kW? Nice to have, sure, but you probably won’t use it much.
They also know the Cayenne makes money. It’s the breadwinner. In North America, 40% of people pick the Coupe version. Italy? That number hits 83%. Lower volume, maybe better taste. Doesn’t matter why. The point is clear.
Expecting these buyers to complain about less headroom for style is absurd. It’s basically asking a Ferrari buyer to complain the F80 has less trunk space. They wouldn’t. And why should the Porsche crowd sweat an inch of space when you get nearly Ferrari-level horsepower?
We drove it. Near Munich. Germany. Traffic cameras seemed to have gone on strike. The road was empty.
It goes flat fast
The roof swoops down. Big spoiler at the back. It looks fast even when parked.
Inside? It drives exactly like the boxy SUV sibling. Even without the fancy Active Ride suspension on the S Coupe model we tested, it stays flat through corners. Breathtaking is the word, though that’s a bit cliché. It just moves. Heavy? Sure. Three tons. 78 inches wide. Cars in your mirrors move out of the way quickly. They should.
143 mph for the base model. Easy on a forgiving Autobahn. 162 mph for the Turbo? Effortless. We almost forgave the fake V8 sounds blasting from the speakers. Almost.
Visibility from the seat is good. Forward. You can see. Backwards? Tighter. The rear glass curves in for that third brake light. Not as bad as a 911 GT3. And honestly? You’ll beat the GT3 down the drag strip. They take 11 seconds. You won’t. The Turbo Electric likely runs the quarter-mile under 10 seconds.
Interior sacrifices
Open the door. Get in. What does it feel like? Exactly like the SUV. If you’re in the front.
The touchscreen shows the car model. That’s it. No other cues tell you this is the Coupe. Until you look up. The panoramic glass roof starts lower. Over your head? Fine. Over the rear passenger’s head? Not so much.
Less than an inch of headroom lost compared to the SUV. Small number. But if you’re six feet tall sitting in the back… well, your head might prefer the ceiling. Rest your melon there. Comfortable, maybe. Headrests are a secondary concern at that point.
Rear seats don’t slide anymore. Used to be able to slide them forward in the gas version. Nope now. Keep some headroom, lose some legroom.
Cargo space takes a bigger hit. Nearly 10 cubic feet gone. Gone to make room for what? The massive active rear spoiler. Worth it? Porsche thinks so. Buyers think so.
Pricing out the weight
We looked at a Turbo. Options piled up. $223,00. Ouch.
- $10,90 0: Ceramic-composite brakes
- $7,79 0: Active Ride suspension
- $3,84 0: 22-inch wheels
- $1,37 0: Paint those wheels Satin Pyro Red
And $490 just for decals that say “PORSCHE” in giant black letters on the front door. For the dog. Wait for the Pomeranian to board. It screams branding.
But Porsche has a trick. A Lightweight Sport package. Costs between $10,36 0 and $18,850. It rips off the glass roof. Puts in carbon fiber. Adds black skirts, aggressive front bits, black wheel arches. Shaves nearly 4**0 pounds.
40 pounds. Do you know what that’s worth in cash? Exactly $10,360 in ones. Coincidence? Maybe. Drawback? Can’t put boxes on the roof anymore. Hardware gone with the roof.
Aero wins
Sporty shape isn’t just for show. Drag coefficient drops from 0.2 5 to 0.2 3. Better air flow means better range. Porsche claims 11 more miles. Put that somewhere between 340 and 350 total. Beats the hybrid Coupe’s 0.34 easily.
Front end looks the same. Square butt too. But the glass is steeper. Roof is lower. It softens the blunt nose. Looks sharper.
Orders start later this fall.
- Base Coupe Electric: $116,1 50
- S: $133,5 50
- Turbo: $170,3 50
That premium? To look cooler. To be the Coupe? $5,00 0. Roughly $2 00** less than those nice optional wheels on the turbo model we drove.
Is it worth paying half a grand extra just because it looks slightly better? Porsche doesn’t care if it makes logical sense. They care that you’ll say yes anyway.
And probably? You will.
