Porsche Cayenne S diesel 2016 review

The Cayenne Diesel S kicks off at a startlingly reasonable (hey, it's all relative) $144,800. Perhaps against type, there's a lot of stuff packed into the Cayenne and you could cheerfully go without ticking a single box on the breathtakingly long options list.

The standard car carries a 14-speaker stereo, 20-inch alloys, power everything including steering column, dual-zone climate control, front and rear parking sensors and reversing camera, keyless entry, electronic dampers, hill descent control, cruise control, cooled glovebox, satnav, bi-xenon active headlights, auto lights and wipers, partial leather seats, sunroof, air suspension and tyre pressure monitoring.

On top of the standard features, ours had a full leather interior ($7690), Yachting Mahogany Interior ($6590 and is what it sounds like), Yacht Mahogany heated wood steering wheel ($1450, ditto), 21-inch wheels ($5610), soft close doors ($1790), black roof rails ($1390), panoramic glass roof ($1190), saddle brown seat belts ($1090), compass ($760), Porsche logos on the headrests ($450) and monochrome black exterior package ($450). This made a grand total of $173,300.

Inside is very Porsche, and that includes Stuttgart's very unfortunate obsession with a button for everything.

A purely subjective opinion: the mahogany you can probably do without, along with the brown seat belts. That's not a comment on the quality, either – in isolation, it's very pretty wood.

Porsche calls its entertainment system "Porsche Communication Management". Nestled between the air-con outlets, Porsche claims that it's a high resolution system, but it is starting to look its age (the second-gen Cayenne launched in 2010). The screen is good enough, though, and responds quickly to the touch. The 14-speaker stereo is a belter, with tons of power and good bass filling the big cabin and the Bluetooth performance is above average.

It's an impressively comfortable car in all conditions and with the lazy diesel V8, you can drive it anyway you like

There's no getting away from it, the Cayenne looks like a big car because it is. With big wheels and a big gaping grille, the Cayenne has street presence few cars can match. It still not the looker one would expect of the Porsche, but this second-generation version is much better resolved than the earlier cars and is less bloated looking.

Inside is very Porsche, and that includes Stuttgart's very unfortunate obsession with a button for everything. If you think the Macan has lots of buttons, the Cayenne matches the price differential by supplying even more buttons for your buck. This sort of thing makes car journalists squeal because when you've only got a week to learn what they all do, it's a race against time that's difficult to win. Standing back and thinking about it, most owners will be perfectly happy after a week or two.

As for the rest of the interior, it's a lovely place to be. Our brown interior with extra brown overlaid with mahogany (brown) may not be to everyone's taste, but it was certainly luxurious. Everyone gets a comfortable seat and plenty of room in which to enjoy it.

With the added light from the panoramic glass, it's an extremely agreeable cabin, with a great view out. The high console in the front makes you feel like you're sitting low in the chassis (you're not) and the whopping big Porsche steering wheel leaves you in no doubt you're in Porsche.

The Cayenne's safety features include six airbags, ABS, electronic brake differential, stability and traction controls, trailer sway control. There is no EuroNCAP or ANCAP star score for the Cayenne.