Porsche has made a habbit out of gradually revealing most of a new or revised model’s look during the testing phaseโthe German carmaker’s prototypes often pack some of the lightest camouflage in the industry. And the latest example of this is provided by the 2023 Porsche Cayenne facelift, with the revealing nature of the recent test vehicles making this accurate rendering possible.
Given Porsche’s taste for evolutionary styling, the company’s said M.O. is not surprising. Even so, the Germans take advantage of the all-black prototypes hiding a lot of styling cues to begin with. As such, this digital work, which comes from Kolesa, strips away those final bits of camouflage, while painting the vehicle in the all-revealing white and adding production wheels.
The 2023 model year is set to bring the facelift for the third iteration of the Cayenne. However, when non-Porschephiles sometimes have trouble telling generations apart, you can’t expect the visual updates of a mid-cycle revamp to be significant.
And one of the easiest way to spot the fresh work involves the headlights, whose lightning signature is now closer to that of the Taycan EV (the latest widebody kit for the Taycan is uber-impressive!), along with the LED stripes underneath them. If you feel like it, you can always compare the pixel model to the prototype showcased in the spy video at the bottom of the story (lens tip to DrGumoLunatic).
Nevertheless, with the rear light clusters of the 2023 Cayenne test vehicles still being covered with tape, this is a tentative element of the rendering. Othwise, we can see the slightly revised diffuser and exhaust tips.
What else will the 2023 Cayenne refresh offer?
As shown by previous prototype sightings, the interior of the updated Cayenne will sport a range of new elements. The most important changes involve a 911-like shifter next to the steering wheel and the dash being extended over the infotainment screen.
With the shifter out of the way, the center console also sports a new appearance, contributing to a cleaner overall appearance.
On the tech front, Porsche has managed to prevent any info on potential changes from reaching the world. Still, the traditional way would involve slight power bumps on most powertrains, be they hybrids or not. After all, the range already includes a plethora of options, from hybrid and plug-in hybrids (hey, even the 911 is getting a gas-electric version soon) to the 631 hp (640 PS) Turbo GT, whose Coupe version currently holds the Nurburgring production SUV record.
And while we’re on the topic of electrification, Porsche has confirmed it’s working on another battery-powered SUV that will be sold alongside the all-electric Macan that’s coming next year. And while the company has mentioned this will be focused on luxury, the newcomer is expected to be larger than the Macan EV.
In terms of the driving experience, the second and the third generations of the Cayenne seemed to have traded off some of the 2000s original’s raw driving experience for some extra refinement and we expect the trend to continue via incremental changes implemented across the vehicle.
The third-generation Cayenne facelift should land by the end of the year and, as mentioned, this will be a 2023 model year.
