The new Porsche Cayenne is now set to be revealed on April 18 at the Auto Shanghai show in China. Porsche has shared photos of the interior cockpit with the iconic dials gone and a new dashboard with three screens!
Being dubbed the Porsche Driver Experience, it is a fully digital display with claimed versatile individualisation. Porsche has grouped most controls around the steering wheel. This creates a simpler way to interact with the car which is necessary to stay in control while driving.
As we all know these seem familiar and they have been taken from the Taycan electric sports car and transferred for the first time to a Porsche with a combustion engine equipped car. The instrument cluster is curved and has a free-standing design with various display options and a redesigned centre console. The latest-generation steering wheel also makes it to the Cayenne which seems thicker at first glance. The gear shifter is now located to the right of the steering wheel. This has made room for a larger air conditioning controller which seems to be made in a premium black panel design. Passengers' interaction with the vehicle and the driver via the optional passenger display is also set to change dramatically with this new setup and this is already seen before with manufacturers like Ferrari and Jeep.
The curved display that does not have or require a hood cover, as claimed by Porsche, gives it a simple and futuristic experience.
Typically for a Porsche, the new engine start button is to the left of the steering wheel. The gear selector is now to the right of the steering wheel between the instrument cluster and the central display. This makes room on the centre console for a new, large air conditioning control panel with analogue controls and more storage space. Porsche has redesigned the control lever for the driver assistance systems directly on the steering wheel in the new Cayenne.
The new multifunction sports steering wheel is borrowed from the iconic 911 and has been completely reworked when compared to the previous model, with a high-quality, modern and sporty design. The driving mode switch for selecting Normal, Offroad, Sport and Sport Plus modes directly on the steering wheel is now standard. The new toggle button for selecting functions and designs in the instrument cluster is also placed directly on the steering wheel. The optional head-up display can be controlled from there too.
The new Air conditioning panel is a combination of touch recognition and haptic feedback with mechanical air conditioning switches as well as a physical volume controller ensuring functionality that is both haptic and old school which is preferred by some markets the most. Air conditioning works well is good news for the middle eastern markets.
Porsche Communication Management (PCM) is now fitted on the 12.3-inch central display. Comfort functions and multimedia functions are easily adjustable from here. A completely new feature in the 2023 Porsche Cayenne is the optional 10.9-inch passenger display. The additional touchscreen allows the front passenger for selecting a multimedia option.
The Porsche Cayenne is the sportiest car in its segment – and its interior reflects luxurious, comfortable and typical Cayenne design features. Needless to say, this does look rather futuristic and in line with today's trends.
The entire instrument panel, centre console and upper part of the inside of the door have been completely redesigned. The increased horizontal emphasis on the design does make the interior look even wider indeed as claimed by Porsche.
The newly designed air vents are vertically aligned and still very old school and they could have been digitized as well. in typical Cayenne fashion. However, Porsche has designed all the air outlets in the cockpit without louvres. We think this is a welcome move, but we will miss the barrage of dials that made us feel like we were in a true Porsche of the past.
