The Porsche crossovers have been wildly popular. It’s the ultimate “dad wants a sports car but not a divorce” car. People have been buying these things up left and right. I get it. You want to drive a Porsche, but you still need a normal vehicle to use for something other than impressing your Porsche friends. As much as I enjoy busting Porsche people’s chops, some spy photos of the 2022 Porsche Cayenne just came out, and it looks killer. 

What’s new with the 2022 Porsche Cayenne?

According to Autoblog, even though the Porsche Cayenne got a big update in 2019, Porsche still decided to give the 2022 model a face and butt lift. 

Autoblog points out that in the spy photos, the Porsche SUV pictured is most likely a GTS or Turbo due to the angry, flared-out fenders and rectangular grill. The new hood shows a more bulbous power dome and more dramatic creases that stretch further into the hood than the previous one. The old grill didn’t have these two horizontal bars, nor did the top of the bumper grills line up like this. 

Around back things are looking a bit different too

The 2022 Porsche Cayenne looks the most dramatic in the rear section. The tag is no longer on the hatch. It now lives on the bumper, leaving the hatch a big smooth slab. Autoblog mentions that this design is actually how it used to be on the Cayenne Coupe. It’s hard to tell in the photos exactly how, but the taillights seem to have also been changed. Although there are a few aesthetic changes, Autoblogs assumes that there won’t likely be any major mechanical changes to this new model.

The 2022 Porsche Cayenne…probably

There’s no reason to believe that there will be any major changes to the 2022 Cayenne. Like the 2021 Cayenne, it will likely be sent out with a 3-liter V6 turbo making 335 hp as standard. There is a whole host of engine options for this model; a hybrid V6 (455 hp), 2.9-liter V6 turbo (434 hp), 4-liter V8 turbo (541 hp), 4-liter V8 turbo (453 hp), and at the top, a 4-liter V8 hybrid (670 hp). 

Regardless of which engine you prefer, they all come paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and an AWD drivetrain. 

This base model V6 is not overpowerful for the size and weight, says Consumer Reports. However, there are so many engine options to choose from; this doesn’t have to be a problem. 

The eight-speed shifts quickly and smoothly most of the time. Sometimes on downshifts, the gear changes can feel a little indecisive and sloppy. However, overall, the automatic transmission gets you where you need to go. 

Can it take a corner like Porsche?

Everyone tends to agree that the way this big SUV takes a corner is astounding. Many makers try to make “sporty” SUVs, and it just about never works. They tend to be powerful flip hazards, but that is not the case here. CR says that the Cayenne is rare in that it handles like a car. It showed tons of grip, little to no body roll, and tons of steering feedback. This factor is what makes this such a popular model. 

The downside to its sports handling is its sports ride comfort. There is a noticeable stiffness that likely won’t be going anywhere with the 2022 model. Porsche may be steering further into the sports camp based on the angry fender flares and sporty-looking grille.