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2008 Porsche Cayenne S - Comfort
Front Comfort
Cayenne drivers are rewarded with a big, comfortable chair for their task. It’s adjustable every which way, but we found that just the usual fore-aft and seatback angle adjustments were all that were needed. The leather is soft, the padding is comfortable without being too squishy, yet it’s also supportive for when you want to push the Cayenne. Overall it’s one of the better seats out there. The steering wheel falls readily to hand, but some of us felt it was too large.
Rear Comfort
Compared to the front seats – or the rears in many other competitive vehicles – the Cayenne’s rear seats leave a lot to be desired. The position is bolt-upright, and even though there’s good head room, the poor leg room is exacerbated by the hard plastic used on the back of the front seats. Don’t look for a seatback angle adjuster, because there isn’t one. The seat cushion is also low to the floor, so your knees are subsequently at an uncomfortable angle. Volkswagen and Audi do much better with the same platform, which makes the Porsche’s rear bench that much more inexplicable.
Loading Cargo
Filling up the cargo area is a breeze thanks to a big opening, a power liftgate that takes only three seconds to open, and a special “loading” level on the air suspension that settles the Cayenne onto its haunches like a kneeling camel. Beefy cargo hooks mount flush to the floor, and a handy hidden compartment to the left of the cargo area keeps small items hidden from view. The rear seats fold flat, but the Cayenne fights you as you remove the head restraints, flip the seat cushions forward and finally force the seatback down.
Ride Comfort
Our Cayenne was equipped with Porsche’s adjustable air suspension, which offers three different modes: Sport, Normal and Comfort. Sport is, obviously for sporty driving, while the Normal and Comfort settings are just as self-descriptive. We found ride quality to be good in all three modes, surprising considering how relatively agile the Cayenne is in Sport mode. Normal provided the best highway ride; Comfort was too soft, making the Cayenne feel floaty and unwieldy. The suspension also alters ride height over a wide range, from a bumpin’ load-only mode to a tippy-toes mode for off-road adventures.
Visibility
Good, but not great. The view forward is very good, and the raised fender blisters help remind you that this is, in fact, a Porsche. Large side mirrors help in changing lanes, and the side glass is large, too. The second-row head restraints poke up and intrude on the rear view, and the rearmost pillars are quite thick, further impeding things. The rear glass itself is large, but it’s still confining. Surprisingly, at our test car’s $70,000-plus sticker, a backup camera and even backup sensors are still optional; they should be standard.
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