Disclosure: PGA Cars lent us a Porsche Cayenne for five days. It came with a full fuel tank, and the writer paid for toll fees, additional fuel, and carwash costs.

This is the best car I’ve ever driven on Philippine roads. There. That’s it. Review done. 

Okay, maybe the review isn’t done. It would be a disservice to you, our readers, if I don’t explain myself and why I think the Porsche Cayenne deserves to be on top of any serious and loaded driver’s consideration.

With pricing starting off at ₱9,000,000, the Cayenne isn’t actually on the affordable side of the family SUV spectrum. It would be easier to say that the 5-seater is more of a luxury item than a practical necessity. Think Hermès, Chanel, or Louis Vuitton. They’re all luxury bag brands that can carry your stuff, but they also project exclusivity and uniqueness while commanding a stiff price tag.

Now the Porsche Cayenne we drove isn’t the full-on Turbo GT with all the bells and whistles. This is “just” the run-of-the-mill 3.0 V6 Cayenne, shod in 20-inch wheels with staggered rubber (275/45/20 up front and 305/40/ZR20 on the rears), a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 mill with 340 PS and 450 Nm of torque, an 8-speed Tiptronic S automatic gearbox, all-wheel drive, and active air suspension.

This particular Cayenne test unit also has a neat party trick with its air suspension - the ability to raise and lower its ride height at a push of a button. Plus, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) smoothens the ride even more by evaluating the driving conditions and modifying the damping force on each wheel depending on the driving mode you select. 

The system lets you choose the driving conditions your Cayenne will negotiate. Offroad with a raised chassis, to Normal at standard height, to Sport with the chassis dropped, and Individual where you can customize the drive, surface, and height settings. You can even choose the kind of surface the Cayenne will roll on, from Gravel to Mud, Sand, and Rocks.

To say that the Cayenne is a crossover that’s only good over urban terrain is a travesty, as clearly, it has the chomps to venture over unpaved surfaces. A capability we had the opportunity to try. 

A drive for the books

Anyone who drives to Tagaytay on a late Saturday morning will swear by the stand-still traffic that sprouts along portions of the Santa Rosa-Tagyatay road. Google Maps is quite aware of that, too, as it led us through some of the narrowest barangay roads you can squeeze a car through.

Running parallel to the main thoroughfare, Google can let you skip sections of stop-and-go traffic in Santa Rosa. But what are the odds that these narrow, concrete-laden roads would end up in an unfinished dirt section that connects a newly-developed subdivision to the existing streets? 

This was precisely the scenario when I took my family to Nasugbu via the notoriously clogged roads of Tagaytay one busy weekend. As we skirted traffic by passing through village streets, we ended up in an unfinished section of dirt that cut through a hill. Suffice it to say, this was the best time to select Offroad mode, even though the terrain wasn’t that challenging. No harm in raising the ride height a bit, right?

That real-world versatility of increasing ground clearance while still retaining the comfort of a proper luxury crossover made me realize why those who can are willing to pay for a Cayenne. It is essentially three luxury cars in one!

It can be a plush 5-seater crossover that’s docile and cozy, plush, easy to drive, quiet, and serene.

Then at a touch of a button, it turns into a raised SUV with all-wheel drive ready to get you out of a sticky bind. 

But what completes the experience, and frankly, makes this vehicle worth its extravagant price, is the sportscar-like acceleration and handling - car number three.

What sorcery is this? 

It was only as we drove past Calaruega that I was able to stretch the legs of the Cayenne. And by golly, were they long legs!

The long straights combined with sweeping corners on the way to Nasugbu revealed the beast's true nature. The Cayenne’s acceleration was simply effortless, and the soundtrack of the 3.0-liter V6 was glorious as it resonated into the cabin in a welcome way.

On the way to Nasugbu, the car simply would not lean on fast bends, and it remained flat even as we negotiated 80-100km sweepers. The composure the chassis had while I was dealing with switchbacks was just mindblowing. How could a large, heavy SUV be so confidence-inspiring on these roads?

The answer could only be the harmony between the multi-link front and rear suspension combined with Porsche Active Suspension Management software that automatically controls the underbits’ stiffness, compliance, and ride height. I didn’t have to drop the ride height to enjoy the car. And on the times I did drop the height, it was even more engaging and fulfilling. 

And to complete the track-like driving experience, I must mention the Cayenne’s brakes. They were so spot-on in bite.  Tap the pedal lightly, and the car smoothly loses speed. But when you urgently need to step on the anchors, the Cayenne’s front end didn't even dip. 

And that’s how sportscars differ from the ordinary sedans we drive daily. They maximize the tires’  grip along straights and corners by maintaining the car’s balance. When you accelerate with an average car, it will squat; with the Cayenne, it just moves forward and keeps level. 

When you turn with an average sedan, you will tend to resist the lean induced by the car. But with the Cayenne, you’ll remain planted in your seat, calmly turning the wheel while wasting no energy countering any lateral movement. 

A 5-seater sportscar

The Porsche Cayenne is simply a serious driver’s SUV. It doesn’t have to pretend to be one using marketing fluff. It just is. It is a sportscar dressed in practical, utilitarian SUV garb. And it can be proud that it brandishes the Porsche badge because it genuinely is one.

Sure, no car is perfect. The Cayenne will give off a noticeable thump if you take on a non-compliant speed bump at speed, and there are many of them in the country. Even the best hardware and software combo can be taken for an unwitting ride on Philippine roads. 

But everything else? The comfort and firm hug of its leather seats, the intuitive controls, and even the digital sportscar dials on the instrument cluster and that central analog tachometer will remind you about the sporting heritage the Cayenne draws its DNA from.

All these little touches combined with everyday practicality and space make this Porsche a desirable luxury for someone who values each driving experience. 

Alas, the Cayenne is not for everyone, and its price of admission keeps it out of reach of ordinary people like you and me. Like any symbol of affluence, the Cayenne’s brand equity lets it dictate its price. And maybe it’s for the better. 

With the updated 2024 Porsche Cayenne just around the corner, we can only assume it would be an even more well-rounded ride. 

But, prohibitive as it may be, the  Porsche Cayenne still commands respect not just because of the money you'll fork out for it but also because it is actually worth its price.

Now I'm done.