Porsche is launching a new cockpit design in the 2024 Porsche Cayenne, the brand announced on Wednesday.

Blending the analog legacy of the Porsche 911 with the digital landscape of the Porsche Taycan electric sedan, the redesigned mid-size crossover SUV features a cleaner, smarter interface focused on the driver, who Porsche called the most important person in the car.  

"It's important to play with the tension between the analog and digital world," Ivo van Hulten, Porsche director of Driver Experience, said in a media briefing. "In this new generation of driver experience, we wanted to bring these worlds together. It shouldn't distract you from having fun while driving this sports car."

Marking the biggest change, the five analog dials in the instrument cluster have been replaced by a 12.7-inch LCD digital cluster. It shows up to seven views, with available features such as navigation or night vision projected in the foreground, an Assist display that shows the various driver-assist features in use, and a Pure screen that shows only the speedometer and shuts off the head-up display for "driving on the Autobahn," Porsche said. 

There will also be a Signature view that is a digital recreation of the five dials displayed on the current Porsche Cayenne, plus a throwback three-dial display showing the speedometer in the center, tachometer on the left, and a customizable view on the right side. 

Porsche did not come lightly to the digitization of the cluster. 

"That was a pretty intense discussion inside the company," van Hulten said in an interview, referencing the legacy of the 911. "At a certain point, we realized this gives us more flexibility in the future. After the Taycan, it liberated us a little bit. Then we decided to go forward with a digital approach."

The digital approach influences the entire cockpit design. The hood protecting the cluster from glare has been flattened. Porsche adopted an anti-glare filter from the Taycan that acts like polarized sunglasses to eliminate reflections in the new Cayenne.  

The start button still sits to the left of the reworked steering wheel, and the drive-mode selector attached to the wheel comes standard, but Porsche migrated the gear selector from the center console to the dash on the right side of the steering wheel. It's small and compact, and opens up the console for climate control toggles, heated seat buttons, a covered storage pocket, and a volume dial. It's a cleaner, less congested interface.

"We know in the U.S. physical controls, climate controls, are very important," van Hulten said.

Grab handles on either side of the center console remain, and a revised 12.3-inch touchscreen with larger icons sits in the center of the dash. Passengers haven't been neglected, either. An optional 10.9-inch touchscreen engages the front passenger with mostly redundant features from the center touchscreen, though streaming is an option.

A wireless smartphone charger with integrated cooling comes standard, as do two USB-C ports in the storage console and two more in the rear part of the console. Pairing a smartphone requires a scan of a QR code displayed on the touchscreen. 

Unlike Mercedes-Benz' Hyperscreen, Porsche's three screens fit in the current horizontal layout of the dash, flanked by wings with vertical vents. All the vents lack louvers, which is a first for the brand. The digitization doesn't overwhelm or dominate the dash; rather, it fits into it. 

At the top of the dash, ruling over the Cayenne's interior like the Eye of Sauron, is the Sport Chrono analog clock. 

Stay tuned for more at the 2024 Porsche Cayenne's world premiere on April 18.