Porsche Cayenne 2019 review: family test

As good as you'd expect a Porsche SUV to look. There is a low, lean front edge with the Porsche badge clearly on display, and a sleek elegant body that curves downwards at the back.

It's as sophisticated as you'd want it to be with a touch of sportiness thrown in. Oh, and expensive. It looks expensive. Which is exactly how it should look.

Inside is quite luxurious, with leather everywhere you look. On the dash, the doors, on the seats, which are also super comfortable, on the steering wheel, on the gear stick.

It's all about the leather which has a variety of finishes. Pebble finish for hard wearing areas, perforated leather for the centre of the seats and smooth leather accents for the steering wheel and to add extra luxury where it's not going to wear too hard.

The centre console is in a high gloss black and there's a completely digitalised touchscreen and touch panel below the screen.

This particular Porsche had a panoramic sunroof optioned in ($4490) which has a dark window tint on it so you can keep it open even when the sun is high in the sky.

Everything is of high quality and you won't feel like you're not in a Porsche. You are, just the SUV version.

This Porsche Cayenne starts at $116,300, and with all of the extras added, including 'Cayenne Exclusive Design' wheels for $7660. (image: Dean McCartney)

It is r-o-o-m-y. So big that I thought there'd be an extra two seats in the back, but the sloping boot wouldn't allow for it, really.

In the front it's airy and breezy, open and large. There's a load of leg and head space even with a sunroof, for me and my taller husband to be completely comfortable.

The back has loads of room and my two young girls were positively swinging around the back seat before I managed to get seat belts on them.

I could sit back there with about 30cm of room between my knees and the seat in front. (image: Dean McCartney)

I could sit back there with about 30cm of room between my knees and the seat in front, so taller adults and teenagers will have enough space in the rear even for long journeys.

You can also fit a third child seat in the middle, I did it with two booster seats and a baby capsule.

The boot is large as well, but a strange shape. So 770 litres sounds like it will fit a big load and it does - a bulky pram, groceries and sporting equipment go fine in there.

However, the sloping tailgate stopped me from stacking boxes to the roof and I had to fit some inside the car. A very minor observation as it's not often I have to transport boxes around!

The front seats are automated, as is the sunroof, there are shift paddles on the wheel if you don't want to extend a hand to the gearshift and the volume control is a cool silver barrel that rolls easily under the fingers.

I was surprised by a few things, though - on this bottom-of-the-range model you actually have to press the button on the key to open the doors, rather than a keyless entry.

770 litres sounds like it will fit a big load and it does - a bulky pram, groceries and sporting equipment go fine in there. (image: Dean McCartney)

You also have to put the electric park brake on and off yourself. Two things I didn't think I'd have to do in a Porsche.

There are two cupholders in the front, a spot for keys and a phone, a centre storage bin and bottle holders in each door that actually hold your bottle nicely.

Rear passengers get two cupholders in the centre armrest and a pocket on the back of the front seats, plus their own air vents.

It's fitted with airbags for driver and front passenger, plus side airbags and side curtain airbags for front and rear passengers - which earns a big tick from this family reviewer, not enough cars have side airbags for rear passengers.

Advanced safety equipment includes auto emergency braking, lane-keeping assist and parking assist and it has two ISOFIX points plus three top tethers for kids' car seats.

It has two ISOFIX points plus three top tethers for kids’ car seats. (image: Dean McCartney)

This Porsche Cayenne starts at $116,300, and with all of the extras added, including 'Cayenne Exclusive Design' wheels for $7660, the total, before on-road costs, came to $139,060.

Fuel consumption is quite high, at 9.2L/100km.

It's covered by Porsche's three year/unlimited km warranty with paint covered for the same period, and a 12-year (unlimited km) anti-corrosion warranty.