- New interior is expected to feature an all-new centre console and a redesigned gear lever.

- Exterior design update to include a host of changes at the front and back.

Launched in 2017, the current generation of the Porsche Cayenne is slowly but surely heading toward a mid-cycle facelift. Based on Volkswagen Group’s MLB platform, which is shared with other high-tech SUVs like the Bentley Bentayga and the Lamborghini Urus, the Cayenne is not exactly long in the tooth compared to its brothers, but Porsche has decided to seriously revamp it anyway.

A pre-production prototype of the model was caught outside one of Porsche’s secret test bases somewhere in Germany. Despite the rather extensive camouflage, it’s visible that the refresh will be consistent from a design point of view, with both the front and the rear of the car getting a new look.

The front fascia appears to be sporting a set of slimmer headlights, while the bumper and grille are all-new and look a lot more aggressive than before, despite this prototype not being a Turbo or a GTS version.

It seems that the rear end will get the biggest changes, and despite the model sporting a set of placeholder taillights for testing purposes, the camouflage does let it slip that the refreshed Cayenne will get an all-new design for the LED rear tail lamps. The license plate has also dropped down from the tailgate to the redesigned rear bumper, making for an entirely new look from just about every angle. Not seen in the spy photos is the new interior, which is expected to feature an all-new centre console and a redesigned gear lever. The latter will probably borrow the ‘shaver design’ from the Porsche 911 (992). Extensive changes will also happen under the hood, with most of the powertrains being already previewed in the Panamera facelift.

We expect the 2022 Porsche Cayenne facelift to go official in about a year from now, with most of the testing having been done in virtual reality so far.