Porsche Cayenne review – MPG and running costs
The standard V6 model can easily beat Porsche's claimed fuel consumption, and PHEV models offer Benefit-in-Kind tax advantages
During a mixed 200-mile route of town driving, B-roads and motorways, we averaged 33.2mpg in the standard V6 Cayenne, which beats Porsche’s official figure by 6mpg and pulls ahead of the (admittedly more powerful) Range Rover Sport P400 with its mild-hybrid straight-six. That’s a very respectable result for a V6 petrol-engined SUV that weighs over two tons.
With a larger twin-turbo V8, the Cayenne S is unlikely to fare as well. Porsche quotes 22.8mpg on the WLTP cycle, which is slightly worse than the storming BMW X5 M60i with its 4.4-litre turbocharged V8.
The PHEV models offer company car drivers a significant Benefit-in-Kind tax reduction, courtesy of the Cayenne’s 52-mile electric range that drops it into the eight per cent BiK bracket. It’s worth noting that unless you frequently use the car for short trips and charge regularly, the E-Hybrid’s claimed 201.8mpg figure is best taken with a pinch of salt.
The stark reality of running a big heavy SUV on such substantial hardware will also be pretty fierce once consumables like tyres, brake pads and bushes start wearing, but on the upside the Cayenne's residual values are historically strong, taking some of the sting out of ownership costs.
