mReview: Porsche Cayenne Platinum Edition - The Pragmatic Premium Choice

The Porsche Cayenne. You either love it or hate it, depending on which end of the Porsche enthusiast spectrum you identify with.

When it was first launched in the early Noughties, many purists were properly chuffed. "How could such a storied marque give in to the SUV craze?", they moaned. And in a way, they were right. How could a brand most known for excellent low-slung sports cars enter a saturated mass-volume market full of Toyotas and Subarus?

The numbers never lied, however. Mainstream consumers loved the Cayenne to bits, thanks to its everyday practicality, and it quickly became the star child of the carmaker’s accounting department, achieving record sales that ultimately saved the company.

Fast forward some twenty years, and the high-riding Porsche remains the golden standard for sports SUVs, much like how their 911 is to the sports car. With over 340 horsepower to play with and seats for four, this is quite the family car to be in. And now, there’s a Platinum Edition to look out for.

Top tier

Much like its sportier twin that we reviewed a while ago, the Cayenne Platinum Edition makes a statement with its dimensions, measuring at 4.9 metres length-wise, and a smidge under 2 metres in width. The only difference between them is height, where this full-fat SUV edges out ever so slightly (by 20 millimetres).

It’s also arguably the most sensibly designed luxury SUV out there, even in Platinum Edition spec. Tasteful high-gloss black and satin finishing on the exterior trims have been added onto the vehicle without bordering on kitsch. The Cayenne’s window trim and quad exhaust tips, for example, are finished in gloss black, while the Porsche letterings mounted within the rear light bar are done up in satin finish.

Helping to prop the SUV up is a set of very sticky 265/40 ZR21 Pirelli P Zero tyres, all snugly wrapping around the sharp, if a bit pedestrian-looking, Cayenne Turbo Design wheels.

If you are in the market for something that can truly go incognito on the streets and still get nods of approval from those who know, the Cayenne is definitely the top contender against its other premium rivals.

Lap of luxury

There’s much to be impressed with once you enter the Cayenne Platinum Edition. Its cabin upholstery is wrapped in plush soft leather - in a gorgeous shade of Black/Mojave Beige for the press car - and there’s even a full-length glass roof to keep things airy inside.

Electrically-powered Comfort seats come as standard at the front, with optional Porsche crest embossments on the headrests.

Sitting dead-centre on the dashboard is the widescreen 12.3-inch infotainment display, which is not only crisp and intuitive to use, but also boasts full connectivity with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Audiophiles will also love the Bose premium surround sound system that’s packed into the Cayenne Platinum Edition

The rest of the cabin is exactly what you’d expect from any contemporary Porsche. Its five-gauge instrument cluster features a lone analogue tachometer in the middle flanked by four digital ones; a callback to the marque’s roots.

Positioned above the dash is another analogue dial, this time a clock. More adventurous owners can choose to swap it out for other optional extras, such as a stopwatch (as part of the Sport Chrono package) or even a compass.

Rear occupants will find space to be abundant, both vertically and horizontally. Even with the panoramic roof installed, there’s still plenty of headroom to accommodate tall individuals above 1.75 metres.

Legroom is a non-issue either, unless you happen to occupy the middle seat. In which case, you’ll probably find the transmission tunnel hump to be a hindrance, especially on longer journeys.

Dual-zone climate control is available at the back, which means comfort is pretty much guaranteed even on the hottest of days. And for the more tech-centric passengers, power options come in the form of a 12V socket and two USB Type-C ports; all three mounted on the rear centre console.

Just as generous is the cargo space at the back, which measures at a whopping 772 litres. Found yourself in a pickle and bought some furniture from IKEA? No problem. Flip down the 40:20:40 split rear bench, and you now have yourself 1,708 litres of cargo space.

Power play

Raw power is a given on the Cayenne Platinum Edition. Housed within the engine bay is the same 3-litre turbocharged V6 found on the Cayenne Coupé, which means you have 340 horses and 450 Nm on tap.

With comfort clearly the top priority of this model’s clientele, Porsche’s engineers have ensured that sound insulation is top-notch, which it is. On the road, the Cayenne Platinum Edition is pindrop-silent, with only the faintest of whispers coming from the smooth V6 motor. Its eight-speed Tiptronic S helps to keep things buttery smooth too, with no noticeable jerking whenever it changed cogs.

Floor the throttle, however, and you are rewarded with plenty of punch, albeit without much drama. It accelerates with urgency but stops short of giving you whiplash, climbing from nought to 100 km/h in a few fractions under 6 seconds.

But there is such a thing as being too comfort-oriented. The soft suspension setup feels very wafty, especially around the corners. This translates to a boat-like experience as the weight transfers from one end to the other, which is jarring for all occupants inside.

In this instance, I highly recommend equipping the Cayenne with adaptive air suspension and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), a S$12,900 option. Though pricey, the technologies improve the ride quality by leaps and bounds, with the reviewed Cayenne Coupé being a prime example.

The Pragmatic Premium Choice

There’s a lot to love about the Cayenne, and the Platinum Edition strengthens the case with gorgeous (and exclusive) visual add-ons.

It’s by no means a perfect SUV, and certain optional extras are needed to give it a much-needed boost – like the suspension. But when you put it next to other competitors, the Porsche just seems more polished and well-executed as a package than the rest.

Read More: mReview: Porsche Cayenne Coupé Platinum Edition - The Little SUV That Could

Photos: Muhammad Mu'tasim

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