The world belongs to those who dare. This adage bears its load of pertinence as signature carmaker Porsche celebrates the 20th anniversary of its first ever SUV, the now iconic Cayenne.

Twenty years ago, inching their first few rides into the new millennium, car aficionados were flummoxed at the prospect that Porsche was about to manufacture its own SUV. The sports car specialist must be skewing astray, they wondered.  

 But it was underrating the business acumen and vision of the German exclusive car giant. At that time top-of-the-range SUV was emerging as the preferred option or as the second family vehicle. Porsche had no plan ending up as an anachronism. 

The urge to merge

The urge to merge sportiness with utility was felt. Lo and behold, Porsche Cayenne twins were born in 2002: Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo, the fastest SUV on earth with its six-Tiptronic gear automatic transmission.  

The irresistible curves and performance of the five-seater, four-door offroad beasts became such a roaring success that within no time production had to go beyond cruising speed. In just 15 years, three generations of Cayenne were already hitting the highways the world over.

The Mythical First 

The second Cayenne generation came in 2011 with a thorough design revamp adding more refined traits along with the intrinsic Porsche styles powered by the typical V6 and V8 engines.

The most striking feature, however, was the non-rechargeable hybrid version combining a-333 horsepower V6 with a 47-horsepower electric motor. 

The third Cayenne generation, introduced in 2017, uses the Tiptronic S eight-speed automatic transmission with torque converter. The gearbox has been reengineered to improve fuel economy. 

Two decades down the line, Porsche still gives great importance to the mythical first generation, a classic within the brand which continues to fascinate enthusiasts.