Though motoring writers have been attending launches of “new” Porsche Cayennes for more than 12 years, the car is actually only in its second generation – although one would be hard-pressed to tell the various year models apart, unless they were all sitting next to one another.
Like yet another variation on the 911 theme, my reaction to the latest Cayenne, when we are deposited at the Gran Hotel La Florida, high on a hillside with a spectacular view across Barcelona, is a bit “so what?” On first viewing the nicely staged show car at the door of the hotel, I almost walk past it before realising that it’s one of the cars I’m in Spain to drive.
Such, to some extent, is the Porsche way – a more disciplined and Teutonic approach to “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. And, if truth be told, there was nothing much wrong with the old Cayenne – any of them really, if you want to go back all of those 12 years.
What stands out now is mainly what you can’t see. That boils down to 25 per cent more power and a whopping 36 per cent improvement in economy, if you pick and choose the models carefully, since the inception of the car. Of the five latest models being launched, we have access to two petrol engines (a V6 bi-turbo of 420hp and the halo-car V8 bi-turbo of 520hp), as well as the best toy in the box: a V8 turbo-diesel with 385hp and enough torque to rip the white lines off the middle of the road – and strip tree bark when off-road.
Since the Cayenne S E-Hybrid was coyly being held back for its debut at the Paris Motor Show, it’s not available, and if the entry-level diesel car is anywhere here, I can’t see it.
Barcelona proves to be a great choice for the launch – twisty roads on the outskirts of the city followed by steep yet fast climbs out of the suburbs and into the Catalan countryside. While a bit keen to get into the overdrive gears at the top of the eight-speed box, to support the massive economy improvements, I find both petrol cars respond better to early manual shifts in the now industry-leading Tiptronic gearbox. Keeping the cars “on the cam” and at the peak of their torque stops the rush through the rest of the gears.
A couple of hours of spirited driving takes us to Les Comes, one of Catalonia’s most spectacular off-road facilities, where a sensitively converted farmhouse and outbuildings, dating back 300 years, doubles as a conference centre, and is the base for the rest of the day.
It’s here that I really notice the improvement in the latest and newest of the new Cayennes. With the eight-speed gearbox and three differential locks on the full off-road models, there’s no longer any need for an expensive, heavy and bulky transfer case. With the exception of perhaps a little modification to the bumpers, the Cayenne, for the first time in my view, is worth considering as a fair off-road competitor to the Range Rover Sport or the archaic Mercedes Benz G Class.
The reality is that no one makes speed bumps in shopping malls or outside schools that are at 35 degrees to the rest of the world or made of rock, gravel and tree roots, but it’s a comfort to know that, come the day, your new Cayenne will actually be able to cut it where no Cayenne has gone before. It will be blisteringly expensive if you get it wrong, but the new car is very impressive, in the right hands.
As an overview, it seems likely that those going into a new Cayenne will be coming out of an old one. It will be a familiar if slightly busier office from which to work, but it will be quieter and a bit cheaper to run.
Sharper eyes will notice the change in tail-light structure, the different bonnet line, a wider rear seat and a more complex multifunction steering wheel. Apart from those few observations, the new Cayenne is cleverly not so new, and Porsche has wisely resisted the temptation to overdo a facelift when a completely new car must be due soon. These cars will appeal to existing Porsche buyers or those with aspirations to upgrade from an older model, but there’s not quite enough on the surface to convert from other brands, I fear.
And perhaps that is a good thing: at 12, the Cayenne has done a great job in saving Porsche from certain doom not that long ago, but it’s the new Macan range that points to the future.
If the Cayenne nameplate is to continue beyond its current life cycle, and be a big sister to the Macan, it’s going to need seven seats next time around – then it really could be viewed as all things to all people.
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lupita%20Nyong'o%2C%20Joseph%20Quinn%2C%20Djimon%20Hounsou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Sarnoski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Match info
Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')
Southampton 0
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Looming%20global%20slowdown%20and%20recession%20in%20key%20economies%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Russia-Ukraine%20war%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Interest%20rate%20hikes%20and%20the%20rising%20cost%20of%20debt%20servicing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Oil%20price%20volatility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Persisting%20inflationary%20pressures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Exchange%20rate%20fluctuations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shortage%20of%20labour%2Fskills%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20A%20resurgence%20of%20Covid%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Stan%20Lee
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet
Price, base: Dh429,090
Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed automatic
Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km
