2024 Ultimate Guide to Porsche Cayenne Options

[@monerofglory12345]

Amazingly filmed! Reminds me a bit of Top Gear (minus the fracas I hope). Great stuff, even though I probably won't be buying a Porche anytime soon!

[@arlo.guthrie]

@@monerofglory12345 Thank you! In fact the first numberplate was a small nod to Top Gear.

[@cbatiau2528]

Actually, the new 2024/2025 Cayennes are quite different from the earlier versions like the one you have (in many ways). Lots of stuff that was formerly optional is now standard (and the MSRP correspondingly higher). Also, what's standard vs. what's optional varies a LOT from country to country (i.e., UK and Europe specs are very different from American specs in this regard). I would also disagree with you that the base Cayenne is the place to "stop"; I think that the E-Hybrid is by far the best Cayenne in the line-up, with its 50-or-so miles of all-electric range and better torque, not to mention sport-chrono package standard (at least in America). The 2025 E-Hybrid comes so packed with standard stuff now that I'd not spend much at all on options. Totally agree with you on getting the standard factory wheels vs. spending anything more on larger wheels. Regarding 8-way vs. 14-way seats, the latter give you good lumbar-support adjustment that's important for most people, and 14-way seats don't cost that much more; adding any leather interior, on the other hand, is a total waste of money in my book (I just go with the standard black seats; the burgundy-red seats look really horrible about 1-2 years into ownership, as they fade into a very crappy-looking reddish-brownish-blackish color). As for off-road driving: I do that a lot (more off-pavement than off-road, but I do go onto beaches and into fields enough to make it important to have the good ground clearance that Cayennes have ... though the air suspension and any "off-road package" is totally unnecessary for my purposes). I agree with you on the roof: I prefer all-metal roofs, and roof rails are kinda silly on a Cayenne generally because it's very hard to put anything up there (very high off the ground; though some families will make use of putting luggage and even a spare wheel/tire atop the roof). I've owned Porsches with and without air suspension, and the difference in ride quality seriously isn't enough to warrant buying it; and air suspension is something that can and will break (as detailed in the Rennlist threads from owners). Sport Chrono package is standard on all E-hybrid Porsches; its main usefulness is having the dial on the steering wheel for changing drive modes, but also it allows you to spec (for free) a compass instead of the clock on the dashboard (which I see as vastly preferable, since it looks classier and has a digital clock plus altitude gauge built-in). I've had the heated windshield before and would not spec a car without it; it removes snow, ice, and fog from the windshield much faster than the standard blown-air defroster/defogger and without any air being blown (and there are no visible wires in the windshield, as it's made with copper specs melted into the glass, I think). Other things standard in the 2025 Cayenne E-Hybrid (in America) that used to be optional: heated steering wheel; LCA; surround-view camera; prep for tow hitch; heated front seats; LED matrix headlights; soft-close doors; ambient lighting ... which make the higher MSRPs a little more palatable. Two other great things in the 2024/2025 Cayennes that are new: the gear shifter has gone to the dashboard (as in all other Porsches now), clearing out the crappy electronic gear shifter that took up so much space in the center console; and they've brought back actual physical switches for climate controls (replacing the horrible haptic-push controls in the center console in the 2019-2023 Cayennes that didn't always work and required eyes-off-the-road too much to operate). NVA: all cars should have this, and I've had it in my Panamera, but Porsche has designed it really horribly; the camera is not wide-angle but rather very-narrow-angle, and it's mounted way too low on the bumper (when it should be mounted atop the windshield). I find that 360-degree cameras really help a lot with head-in parking, especially in a big vehicle like the Cayenne. Sound system: my recommendation is to stick with the base Porsche audio and save your money; I've had both the base and the Bose audio in my Porsches, and the base system is very good (going for pricy sound systems is just a way to give Porsche more of your money).

[@arlo.guthrie]

@@cbatiau2528 Sorry, got to disagree with you! Yes, I made the point that the base price has gone up and lots of really unnecessary (previously optional) things, like the stupid ‘soft close doors’, self parking, and surround view are now standard. However the really good options, like leather, air suspension, bose, hd matrix etc are still options and they are still options on the higher priced e-hybrid. The whole point of my review is that there is much more value in better headlights, driving assist etc than a bit more torque/acceleration/top speed, because the base model is already a decently fast car, and you cant legally drive that fast anywhere other than Germany. I did have the hybrid on loan for a few days, and the idea that it has 50 mile range on electric is a bit misleading, because you cant drive it much faster than a supermarket trolley on e-power.

[@cbatiau2528]

@@arlo.guthrie No, I'm seeing owners of the new E-Hybrid on Rennlist say that they're getting 50 miles of all-electric range driving half of that at 70 mph and half of it "in town". We own two PHEVs now (and I had a Panamera e-hybrid previously), and we do almost all our local driving in electric-only. Unless you're close to home and don't need to use gas at all, the key to driving PHEVs in all-electric mode is doing it at < 45 mph only, and bringing in the ICE at speeds > 45 mph. You can drive all PHEVs that I know of (Porsche and non-Porsche) at up to about 85 mph in electric-only mode, and the torque is quite good in normal driving from stop at stop signs and red lights. The new 2024/2025 e-hybrids are vastly different/better from the earlier e-hybrids, according to Kyle Conner and others.

[@cbatiau2528]

@@arlo.guthrie also, notice that I added more to my original comment that wasn't there when you made your reply (e.g., NVA, Bose, etc.).

[@arlo.guthrie]

@@cbatiau2528 I see. Interesting. My second car had the standard sound system, and my whole family agreed that whilst it was OK, it really did sound quite tinny compared with the Bose. I wouldn't now buy another one without the Bose. (But I would draw the line before I got to the Burmeister!). I found the electric mode on the hybrid really pointless, as the petrol motor always kicked in unless I drove incredibly slowly. And I think we may be talking at cross purposes on headlights, because the top spec HD Matrix headlights do not come as standard on the ehybrid here. My experience with the air suspension is different too. I find it noticeably more comfortable, and so far no faults with it. I am sure we can agree to differ on the leather!

[@cbatiau2528]

@@arlo.guthrie It sounds like the traction battery on your e-hybrid was not charged... The electric-only driving is actually better (to me) than the ICE driving in an e-hybrid (context: I prefer electric driving to ICE driving, but we do long roadtrips where BEVs are not yet practical for us); Porsche has designed its PHEV drivetrain quite well. But if the battery wasn't charged, or if you slam your foot down hard on the accelerator pedal every time you drive the car, you won't see electric-only driving. As for leather vs. Bose vs. air suspension: it's all subjective, really; what's comfortable or good-looking or good-sounding for one person can vary from one person to the next. My point (and the context for my comments above) is to follow your theme: don't spec things that aren't really important or necessary, to keep the price down -- unless you're very wealthy and $10k-$30k of extra options are not an issue.

[@celesteculp2762]

Thanks!

[@arlo.guthrie]

@@celesteculp2762 Gosh, wasn’t expecting that, thanks Celeste … you’ve just increased what I’ve made from this film so far by about x10!!

[@jimmomusic]

I ordered the hybrid because of the 8% benefit in kind tax advantage.

[@jantwehncke1528]

Gotta admit, I‘d choose not to buy a Porsche in the first place

[@arlo.guthrie]

What would you choose?

[@jantwehncke1528]

@@arlo.guthrie more of a bike guy or at the very least a more functional, smaller car. But that’s just personal philosophy :)

[@arlo.guthrie]

@@jantwehncke1528 I know what you mean, I would have preferred something smaller myself, like the Ferrari 296 GTB. But needs must.

[@jantwehncke1528]

@@arlo.guthrie 🤮

[@ymaizosz]

Pretty please do not mispronounce Porsche as “Porch”.. 😬

[@arlo.guthrie]

I don’t believe I did!

[@cbatiau2528]

I notice that the Brits tend to say "Porsh" more often than other people in other countries, at least via KZbin videos...

[@ymaizosz]

@@cbatiau2528 Americans too.. Just like how they pronounce “Coupe” as “Coup”.

[@arlo.guthrie]

@@cbatiau2528 Yeah, in the UK, calling it the same as the lead character in The Merchant of Venice sounds a bit pretentious. Not so in the US.

[@cbatiau2528]

@@ymaizosz I'm in the US. I find that Porsche owners in the US tend to pronounce it the German way; people who've never owned a Porsche in the US often just call it "Porsh" also. But I've noticed a lot of Brits who actually have owned Porsches also say "Porsh" also, thus my comment about it being more a Brit thing.