The 2021 Cayenne Coupe delivers incredible acceleration and is relentlessly grippy around corners. It's hard to believe it can pull this off yet be so comfortable to drive every day. We also like the expertly crafted cabin and huge range of customization options. Alas, those options are costly, and the Coupe concedes a good amount of cargo space and visibility because of its sloping roofline. But on the whole the Cayenne Coupe is an ideal luxury SUV for the performance-minded buyer.
Saying something is an SUV coupe seems like an oxymoron when it has four doors. But, hey, since when have grammatical semantics stopped automotive marketing? That's pretty much how we end up with the 2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe. It's just like the regular Cayenne but has a sleeker, more coupe-like roofline at the expense of rear headroom and cargo capacity.
It should come as no surprise that luxury SUV manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz, Audi and BMW (its X6 is the originator of the segment) offer their own take on this body style. While some of the above offer only a few trim levels, Porsche offers six for the Cayenne as well as near endless possibilities for customization. How much performance do you want? Read our review below for not only our expert opinion but also a walk-through of all the trims and engines available for the 2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe.
Edmunds Expert Rating
edmunds TESTED
by the Edmunds Experts
Average
7.6
out of 10
We drove the 2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe on our test track and on real roads. Our Edmunds team conducts rigorous independent vehicle testing, driving 500,000 miles a year.
Performance
8/10
How does the Cayenne Coupe drive? The Cayenne Coupe S — the trim we tested — is astonishingly fast in a straight line. In Edmunds testing, it accelerated from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds. Few high-performance midsize SUVs can beat that. When you're not accelerating full out, slow-speed response around town is a little lacking in the default driving mode. Selecting either the Sport or Sport Plus mode sharpens response to more agreeable levels.
Considering the Cayenne Coupe S is a sizable SUV, it handles corners extremely well, with almost zero body roll. It changes direction quickly and there's plenty of grip from the ultra-wide performance tires. Steering, though precise, requires more effort at slow speeds and delivers less road feedback than we were expecting.
Comfort
7.5/10
How comfortable is the Cayenne Coupe? The Cayenne Coupe S strikes an excellent balance between comfort and performance. The front seats are bolstered well and hold you in place around high-speed corners, and they're also plush enough to keep you comfortable on long road trips. The ride quality is excellent thanks to Porsche's optional air suspension that soaks up most big bumps.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Cayenne loses points here for an unrefined climate control system. Air-conditioning fans are relatively weak at low settings and loud at higher settings. It's hard to strike a comfortable but quiet balance. Engine noise is constant, but it's mostly at low volumes and admittedly a relatively pleasant tone. Tire noise, though, is a bit more grating from the summer performance rubber.
Interior
7/10
How’s the interior? There's a lot to learn with Cayenne's cabin controls. Small buttons abound, and many are tucked behind the console gear selector, requiring you look to away from the road to see what you're pressing. The driver's seat position is as you'd expect from a Porsche: excellent. There's a wide range of adjustments in the driver's seat and the steering column to suit a variety of people and preferences.
Forward visibility is great thanks to a low dashboard. But visibility directly back and at your flanks suffers because of a small rear window, sloping rear roofline and large rear roof pillars. As for interior space, the cabin is roomier than you'd expect thanks to certain design tweaks Porsche made in the Coupe. There's plenty of space for four adults. Headroom and legroom are great all around, though you still have to duck under the roofline a bit when entering the back.
Technology
7.5/10
How’s the tech? Porsche's 12-inch touchscreen has crisp graphics and bright colors; it's a great-looking screen. The standard audio system, however, is a bit disappointing at this price point. It distorts at high volume and has a poor dynamic range. Music lovers will want one of the optional upgraded systems.
Smartphone integration is a mixed bag too. Apple CarPlay integration works wirelessly or through a USB cord. But in our testing we found that if we connected an iPhone wirelessly, the Cayenne had a hard time figuring out what to do if the USB was plugged in as well. We also noticed other phone disconnects or failures to connect. The integrated voice command system works pretty well, though, and gives you some wiggle room for natural speech.
Standard driver aids are also conspicuously absent. Only automatic emergency braking comes standard. Blind-spot monitoring, lane keeping assist and adaptive cruise are all optional.
Storage
7/10
How’s the storage? The Cayenne Coupe loses some space when compared to its standard-roof sibling. Rear cargo space is 22 cubic feet behind the rear seat and 54 cubes with the seats folded. It's a nice, flat space to store larger items in, and side netting helps hold smaller items in the back.
The cupholders are small but sufficient for small bottles. Got small children? There are a pair of Isofix anchors in the back seat for installing child safety seats. They are easy to locate and connect to. But getting a bulky seat into the back can be tricky because of the Coupe's lower rear roofline.
Fuel Economy
8/10
How’s the fuel economy? The Cayenne Coupe S, which is what we tested, has respectable fuel economy for the performance it returns. The EPA estimates the Coupe S gets 19 mpg combined (18 city/22 highway). On our 115-mile evaluation route, our test vehicle achieved an impressive 22.8 mpg, besting its highway rating over a series of city, mountain and highway driving roads.
Value
8/10
Is the Cayenne Coupe a good value? Our test Cayenne stickered at close to $100,000, and it didn't even have much added from Porsche's extensive options list. But the price is easier to justify when you consider the Cayenne's muscular acceleration and nimble handling.
Warranty and roadside assistance coverage is typical for the class with four years/50,000 miles of coverage. Free maintenance is good for a year; some luxury rivals offer longer coverage.
Wildcard
8.5/10
The Cayenne Coupe is a true-blue Porsche. The sheer speed, combined with the excellent handling capability, makes for a truly enjoyable driving experience. It's also comfortable on the inside and unassuming and classy on the outside. Understatement at its best.
2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe trim level differences
The 2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe is a performance-oriented midsize luxury SUV. Seating for four is standard. (A five-seat configuration is optional.) The Cayenne Coupe is sold in six trim levels: base, E-Hybrid, S, GTS, Turbo and Turbo S E-Hybrid. These trim levels mainly differ by what engine is under the hood, though they do typically include a few extra features with each step up as well. All come with all-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Feature highlights include: Compare the 2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe trim levels in-depth.
Which Cayenne Coupe trim does Edmunds recommend?
It's certainly tempting to go straight for a high-performance variant like the new GTS or the Turbo, but to keep costs under control we recommend the plenty capable Cayenne S Coupe. To that, we'd spring for the Assistance package for the surround-view camera and adaptive cruise control. We'd also pick up the Performance package for the four-wheel steering and adaptive air suspension.
2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe Turbo 4dr SUV AWD (4.0L 8cyl Turbo 8A)
I bought a 2020 Cayenne Coupe last month (December) and this is the first car I have ever purchased for myself. I am very happy with this vehicle so far. I needed something that would fit all three of my young kids who are in car seats but still be aesthetically pleasing. The back seat has room for all three car seats (Diono Radian 3R) and I don’t feel like the kids are breathing down my … neck. I’ve yet to really play around with sport mode but so far the drive is great.
Autobahn cruiser.
5 out of 5 stars
FatehWhips , 01/06/2025
2020 Porsche Cayenne Coupe 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
I bought this car in 2020 , now I have put 42k miles on it. Car is flawless , still feels and drives better than new. Very fast and comfortable. All switches, controls, touch screen all feels very premium. 2024 model is slightly updated. but if someone can buy a 2020 cayenne coupe for less than 50g , in for a great deal of fun driving.
Cayenne Coup S 434HP
5 out of 5 stars
Honch0, 01/26/2025
2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe 4dr SUV AWD (3.0L 6cyl Turbo 8A)
I love the car. Drives like a sports car not an SUV. Quality is a Porsche hallmark and the Coupe is no exception. My next Porsche will be GTS Coupe, the V8 and almost 500 HP is due in on 4/15/25, tax day and a new Porsche, so now I'm looking forward to paying uncle Sam.
We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 Porsche Cayenne Coupe, so we've included reviews for other years of the Cayenne Coupe since its last redesign.
![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="1200" height="588" fill="none" preserveAspectRatio="none"%3E%3Cmask id="b" width="1200" height="588" x="0" y="0" maskUnits="userSpaceOnUse" style="mask-type:alpha"%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23a)" d="M896 513c116 45.015 222 64 304 75V0H0v501c40 36.024 154 76 340 76s344-146.269 556-64Z"/%3E%3C/mask%3E%3Cg mask="url(%23b)"%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23c)" d="M896 513c116 45.015 222 64 304 75V0H0v501c40 36.024 154 76 340 76s344-146.269 556-64Z"/%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23d)" fill-opacity=".15" d="M581.718 62.893c42.993 1.53 86.281 5.888 129.704 13.204 311.828 52.485 552.538 242.016 657.698 483.656-149.97-147.971-450.891-226.33-789.375-232.079-338.534.839-640.434 74.572-792.746 220.292 108.75-240.047 352.255-425.97 664.832-473.803a1041.548 1041.548 0 0 1 129.887-11.27Z"/%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23e)" fill-opacity=".5" d="M611.247 209.93a1458.84 1458.84 0 0 1 139.573 27.692c333.61 83.239 577.16 267.208 668.67 475.188-148.93-138.63-468.279-241.218-835.209-290.421-367.6-43.915-702.265-24.445-881.281 72.561 140.567-178.524 422.355-295.817 766.181-293.074 47.867.484 95.274 3.212 142.066 8.054Z"/%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23f)" d="M735.039 879.394c48.524-6.62 97.023-16.967 145.3-31.2C1227.03 746.059 1475.76 472.327 1564.28 145c-151.17 209.633-482.23 344.436-865.05 388.31C315.515 568.571-35.93 504.564-227 330.342-73.333 632.61 226.169 849.617 586.429 878.604c50.15 3.871 99.74 4.07 148.61.79Z" opacity=".3"/%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23g)" d="M694.222 783.712c50.956 12 103.317 20.27 156.946 24.578 385.102 31.013 738.232-146.76 952.062-439.434-231.22 151.216-613.24 158.795-1012.047 55.796C394.784 312.716 68.643 114.101-55.211-133c37.44 360.528 253.087 691.895 601.449 858.946 48.557 23.091 97.963 42.302 147.984 57.766Z" opacity=".9"/%3E%3Cpath fill="url(%23h)" fill-opacity=".5" d="M896 513c116 45.015 222 64 304 75V0H0v501c40 36.024 154 76 340 76s344-146.269 556-64Z"/%3E%3C/g%3E%3Cdefs%3E%3ClinearGradient id="a" x1="1005" x2="989.087" y1="23" y2="552.522" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop stop-color="%23007EE5"/%3E%3Cstop offset=".333" stop-color="%231561D4"/%3E%3Cstop offset="1" stop-color="%230A4AAB"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="c" x1="1005" x2="989.087" y1="23" y2="552.522" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop stop-color="%23007EE5"/%3E%3Cstop offset=".334" stop-color="%231561D4"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="d" x1="675.999" x2="879.999" y1="648.999" y2="120.999" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop stop-color="%23fff"/%3E%3Cstop offset="1" stop-color="%23fff" stop-opacity="0"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="e" x1="656.5" x2="637.602" y1="213" y2="622.259" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop offset=".115" stop-color="%23fff" stop-opacity="0"/%3E%3Cstop offset=".944" stop-color="%23017D8D"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="f" x1="398" x2="737" y1="599" y2="387" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop stop-color="%2300ABB5"/%3E%3Cstop offset="1" stop-color="%2300A0B5" stop-opacity="0"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="g" x1="1051.5" x2="271" y1="567" y2="575" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop stop-color="%230098C2"/%3E%3Cstop offset="1" stop-color="%23033E96" stop-opacity="0"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3ClinearGradient id="h" x1="1005" x2="986.038" y1="23" y2="587.43" gradientUnits="userSpaceOnUse"%3E%3Cstop offset=".813" stop-opacity="0"/%3E%3Cstop offset=".972"/%3E%3C/linearGradient%3E%3C/defs%3E%3C/svg%3E)
