To roof tent or not to roof tent? That was the question. Usually, sticking 56Kg on top of a car would be a no-no. That sort of weight compromises dynamics. It greatly reduces your top speed and eliminates any desire to attack a country road. But, how often do you get offered a roof tent for the weekend? I’ve got two young children, the weather was set fair, so why not give it a go? There was that compromise, though. The Porsche Cayenne, particularly in coupe version as tested here, is based around driving dynamics. It is, after all, a Porsche. Despite the additional weight, elements of that still shone through brightly.
First things first, however; how on earth does that tent work? I’m not what you’d describe as a practical person. My ham-fisted attempts at DIY often result in me wishing I’d left it well alone as I settle the repair bill. Nor am I camper. I went to a music festival once. Waking up at 6am on a Sunday morning with sopping wet legs was a low point. Straight into a plastic cup filled with Malbec was a curious start to that day and I’ve not been near a tent since.
Thankfully, someone at the Porsche centre in Reading was able to give me a quick run through. Thanks, Naz! Turns out it’s really easy. Unlock, unfold, stick a couple of supporting bars in and you’re done in a couple of minutes. It really is idiot proof.
What’s the Porsche Cayenne like to drive?
We’ll come back to the tent, because this isn’t really supposed to be a tent review. Even though it kind of is.
First impressions are strong. Pulling onto the M4 in my first yards, the effortless pickup and ride quality shone through. There was zero fuss in getting up to motorway speeds and the Porsche Cayenne settled into a plush rhythm. It positively glides over the road, the adaptive air suspension working wonderfully. It’s a £1,760 option but is a box well worth ticking.
The model tested here is the Porsche Cayenne Coupe e-hybrid. It only dawned on me after a few miles along the M4 that I hadn’t yet got out of e-power. It had been running on battery power the whole time. This had eaten into the range somewhat. It stated 45 miles of electric range when I got in, but 10 miles later stated 25 left. It’s best to stick it into hybrid mode, via the drive selector on the steering wheel. This reduces the burden on the battery and brings the V6 seamlessly into the equation.
There’s also a button within the drive selector. Press this and you get 20secs of maximum power. 470hp and 650Nm of torque are all there through your right foot. 0-62mph takes just 4.9secs in this mode, although the tent undoubtedly took a bit out of this. At any rate, performance is plentiful.
Rear axle steering (£1,325) manoeuvres the rear wheels as well as the fronts and brings a bit more agility into the fray. When you’re hustling the Porsche Cayenne, it responds neatly to your inputs with real composure. Even with a tent on top of it.
Living with the Porsche Cayenne
Another option worth ticking is surround view with active parking support (£1,116). At 4.9m long and 2.2m wide, the Porsche Cayenne isn’t a small car. The overhead view afforded by this system is first rate, really helping you to get out of tight spots.
That size brings with it great practicality. Even in coupe guise, there’s plenty of room for four passengers (you can have it as a five-seater at no extra cost) and a sizeable boot. A panoramic glass roof would add to the sensation of space if you didn’t have a tent overhead.
Inside, the Porsche Cayenne is superbly assembled. It’s minimalist, but with buttons in the right places. The infotainment is crystal clear and intuitive to use. Porsche has also thought about making the mandatory, annoying stuff easy to disengage. A shortcut button on the steering wheel disables the speed limit warning and a button on the cruise control stick kills the lane keep assist. There’s no need to dive into sub-menus, which is a welcome relief.
I found the Porsche Cayenne immediately easy to use, which isn’t always the case with modern cars. Everything feels really well thought out. There are physical interfaces beneath the screen for HVAC and you rarely need to divert your eyes from the road to use anything. You can just settle in and enjoy the Bose surround sound system. £1,052, but a very good system.
Then there was the tent. A sunny weekend, a quiet spot in the countryside and a picnic with the family. It was idyllic. My kids loved it and, for one weekend only, I was a cool dad. Who doesn’t want that?! You could sleep two people up there comfortably. It has a memory foam mattress, a surprising amount of space and is incredibly easy to use.
Conclusion
I’m not into camping, but if it comes like this, count me in. Serenely sail around in your Porsche Cayenne, find a quiet spot, set up and enjoy. It really is that easy. At £4,500, if this is your thing, it’s worth having. Take it off when you don’t need it and enjoy your Porsche; stick it back on and get back to nature when you do. It also transpired to be a genuinely fun feature. I set it up on our drive for my eldest and one of his friends and they had plenty of conversations with the locals. Two kids camping on a Porsche’s roof isn’t an everyday occurrence.
You would want to take it off when you don’t need it, though. From around 45mph, there’s noticeable wind noise from the roof. It’s not insufferable, but it is prominent. Crank up the Bose and drown it out. Overall, the tent certainly added to the experience though.
Such has been the overwhelming success of the Porsche Cayenne since its launch that it doesn’t draw anything like the attention of its more illustrious stablemates. You see a lot of them. I’ve wondered what the point of coupe style SUVs is, but here it just works.
I think it’s a good-looking car. It’s sleek and understated. Yet it’s also a Porsche. Sure, not in the same way as a Porsche 911. But from the thin steering wheel to the punchy performance and underlying dynamic capability, it’s a car that you can enjoy driving.
After a prolonged weekend, it had quickly and almost unnoticeably become part of the family. That’s the point, isn’t it? It felt like ‘my’ car and I was a little sad to see it go. The Porsche Cayenne remains at the top of the SUV game.