Porsche 'reveals' updated Cayenne

It was no secret that Porsche was working on a mid-life update for its visually challenging Cayenne -- but here's the first official proof.

The Zuffenhausen sports car specialist has just revealed this teaser photo of the tweaked SUV, but the three vehicles pictured were photographed in dark and rainy conditions, making it somewhat difficult to glean the fine details.

Nevertheless, what is clear is that the nose has been fettled appreciably. A key improvement is the adoption of sleeker headlight clusters, which replace units that resembled those of the superseded 911 and Boxster.

The bumper/spoiler assembled also appears neater and cleaner in execution, and the combined effect of the changes is a vehicle that's far easier on the eye than its predecessor.

Look closely at the image and you'll notice the SUV in the middle differs from those beside it by virtue of twin 'power bulges' in the bonnet, unique LED indicators (just like the new 911 Turbo) and larger air intakes -- and that's because it's the Turbo variant.

The rear aspect obviously can't been seen from this image, but spy pics that have been circulating on the internet in recent times suggest there will be revised tail-light clusters and a couple of other minor tweaks.

Mechanical details are yet to be announced -- that'll probably happen closer to its Geneva motor show debut in March -- but we'd speculate that each of the powerplants will gain in power and torque to maintain the Cayenne's standing in the premium SUV pecking order.

The base model 3.2-litre V6 (which we don't get in Australia) has been eclipsed in recent times by the advent of the 3.6-litre-powered VW Touareg and Audi Q7, and this surely won't sit well with the Stuttgart top brass.

So it's likely the entry-level Cayenne will also score the 3.6-litre unit used by the Touareg/Q7, albeit with power ramped up from the 206kW quota it ekes out in the Audi and VW.

The 4.5-litre V8 Cayenne S is also more than likely to gain power/torque boosts from its existing tallies of 250kW/420Nm. This is pretty much a must as rivals such as the BMW X5 4.8is make 265kW/500Nm.

And while the current Turbo and Turbo S are hardly slow (331kW and 383kW respectively), don't be at all surprised if Porsche implements a few power/torque-enhancing fiddles to make sure that upstarts such as the 378kW Mercedes ML63 AMG don't get too cocky.