When Porsche introduced the Cayenne over two decades ago, once people got over the shock, they expected the Stuttgart SUV to live up to its badge on the road, which, of course, it did. However, the serious off-roading abilities of the Cayenne were a big surprise. And we can now show you one of the first lifted third-generation (9Y0, a 2019+ model in the US) Porsche Cayenne examples with a Baja-like treatment.
With each new iteration, the Cayenne traded some of its initial hardcore spirit for the kind of added refinement the dominant part of the market seems to demand. And while special factory versions like the Nurburgring-taming Cayenne Turbo GT reclaimed that on asphalt, the aftermarket is more keen than ever to build on the rough terrain abilities of the Porsche SUV.
It’s a pity to see the Cayenne’s go-anywhere side remaining a secret to some owners, so without further ado, let us introduce you to Charlote-based Eurowise, a developer that has now lifted all three generations of the Cayenne, as well as some other Old Continent delights like this Audi R8.
The lifted, Baja-style third-generation (9Y0) Porsche Cayenne we have here greeted the world at the recent SEMA 2023 show, in the Hoonigan booth. And the vehicle is officially dubbed an Urban Adventure Overland, but let’s talk details, shall we?
A 3-inch lift kit for the third-gen (9Y0) Cayenne was just the start
The 9Y0 Cayenne work starts with a custom 3-inch lift kit sporting two-way adjustable coilovers for steel spring vehicles—since the company offers offer lift kits for air suspensions on older Cayennes, this one should follow suit.
Then there’s a tubular front bumper, a bolt-on piece that’s fully removable. The trick here is that the bumper follows the factory design of the Porsche, while adding a bull bar and an aluminum front skid plate with vents that follow the factory grille, plus Baja Designs light shapes.
The Cayenne also gets a tubular bumper at the back, which houses the OEM parking sensors. This one prides itself in offering a more generous departure angle—and clearance—compared to the factory bumper.
Oh, and just in case things don’t go according to plan while you’re out off-roading, both the front and rear bumpers feature recovery points.
Fitting the rear bumper meant the factory rear muffler of the base Cayenne demo car had to go (that’s 3.0L single-turbo 340 hp for you number fans). This was replaced by a custom muffler made with Vibrant Performance parts, so we now have a side exhaust with the OEM tip.
With a little help from some wheel spacers, the lifted 9Y0 Cayenne now rides on 18-inch Black Rhino wheels that allow the fitting of Falken hybrid terrain tires with a generous sidewall (think: 275/70/18).
Now, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that, after seeing both debuting at SEMA this year, we dream of an off-road encounter involving this Baja-style 9Y0 Porsche Cayenne and the first-gen (E53) BMW Ultra X5 we featured a few days ago.
