Most noticeable at the front is a new nose section with black trim surrounding the centre air intake. Full LED lighting featuring the Porsche Dynamic Light System, which automatically bends the beam into a corner for better visibility, is now standard across the lineup as are the Sport Design style wing mirrors. 

Built upon the TNGA-K platform, the slim LED headlamps and full-width LED taillight bar, sloping roof and large 19-inch multi-spoke “super chrome” two-tone alloy wheels on the Limited grade Darpan evaluated make for quite a handsome product, actually. At 4,740 millimetres long the size is just right. Not too big or small.

Though smallish in appearance, the inside is quite roomy. Rear seat legroom is decent —— due to a slim seat back design utilizing ultra-light “giga-steel” in its construction — and the cargo area can accommodate 690 litres of stuff when the second row is upright, or 1,422 litres when folded down.

A 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, is complemented by two electric motors and a 400-volt battery pack. The resulting performance is nothing to scoff at: a total of 375 horsepower and 470 lb-ft of torque. 

The level of premium appointments in the interior is absolutely stunning. The cabin in our near grade-topping Sensory tester, slotting under the $67,995 Autograph, was draped in gorgeous melt-to-the-touch Saddle Brown semi-aniline leather with complementary hits of open pore ash wood looking elegant rather than gaudy as the trim sometimes can.

The most immediately noticeable outdoorsy aspect is the use of copious amounts of black body cladding on the bumpers, wheel arches and side sills. The addition of the off-road-ready armour complements the wind-swept lines of Kodo styling language surprisingly well, particularly in the desert-esque Zircon Sand Metallic paint colour of Darpan’s press loaner.