The Electric Porsche Cayenne Is Here And It’s Quicker Than A Bugatti Veyron

Twenty-three years ago, one of the world’s most respected sports car marques unveiled an SUV. The original Porsche Cayenne rolled out to raised pitchforks, and it took a while for people to at least accept its styling, but it ended up being a remarkable machine. An SUV with a proper two-speed transfer case, locking differentials, available air suspension, a proper tow rating, and a Turbo model that could keep up with a BMW M5. Fast forward to the present, and history certainly has a way of rhyming. The Porsche Cayenne Electric is here, yet asking some Porsche diehards to accept electric propulsion is like asking a surf rocker to pick up a synthesizer. However, I don’t think enthusiasts have anything to worry about. You’re going to want to hear about what this thing can do.

Under the floor of the Cayenne Electric sits a 113 kWh battery pack, slightly larger than the one in a BMW iX but smaller than the long-range pack in a Ford F-150 Lightning. It’s actively cooled on both sides and integrates with an 800-volt architecture to DC fast charge at 390 kWh through the SUV’s NACS port. Or, if plugging in is a hassle, Porsche’s latest EV can be specced with wireless Level 2 charging. Yep, inductive charging for your whole EV. Out of the two launch models, the base trim with 402 horsepower is definitely the sensible choice. A launch control function whacks it up to 435 horsepower and 616 lb.-ft. of torque, good enough for a zero-to-62 mph dash in 4.8 seconds.

If you thought the idea of an electric SUV with a Turbo badge seemed silly, just wait until you get an earful of these numbers. While 844 horsepower in normal operation and 1,017 horsepower with the temporary overboost function enabled are already excessive, activating launch control in the electric Cayenne Turbo unlocks 1,139 horsepower and 1,106 lb.-ft. of torque. Porsche claims that’s good for a zero-to-62 mph run of 2.5 seconds, but that’s not the most impressive figure here. The top-spec electric Cayenne is said to run the quarter-mile in 9.9 seconds. If independent testing can replicate or beat those numbers, we’re looking at the quickest production SUV of all time.

For context, the quickest quarter-mile time Motor Trend coaxed out of the bonkers series two quad-motor Rivian R1S was 10.5 seconds. The Lucid Gravity Dream Edition clicked off a 10.6-second quarter-mile in the hands of Car And Driver. The Bugatti Veyron, the McLaren Senna, and the Lamborghini Aventador SVJ are all slower through the quarter-mile than this new electric Cayenne Turbo. It’s nearly as quick as a Porsche 918 Spyder, but that seven-figure hypercar sure isn’t rated to tow 7,716 pounds like the Cayenne Turbo is. What about the Tesla Model X Plaid? Well, the major magazines haven’t tested it, but CarWow was able to coax a quarter-mile time of ten seconds flat out of Silicon Valley’s fastest egg. Close, but no cigar.

Obviously, that sort of acceleration needs serious stopping power, so 600 kW of regenerative braking and optional carbon ceramic brakes combine forces on the Cayenne Turbo. As for ride and handling bits, adaptive dampers with air springs are standard, but you can option Porsche’s magic carpet Active Ride system if you’re the sort to want it all. It’s also worth noting that a limited-slip rear differential is standard on the Cayenne Turbo and optional on the base model, while four-wheel-steering is available as an extra on both cars. Promising stuff, and although Porsche is tight-lipped on range, Motor Trend managed more than 350 miles on a single charge in a pre-production unit.

On the outside, the Cayenne Electric looks unmistakably like a Cayenne. All the typical Porsche elements are here from the rear light bar to the Taycan-like headlights, just set in a larger mold. Up front, you get a pretty successful application of 911 Carrera GTS-style aero blades in the grille, and frameless windows and surprisingly normal door handles make an appearance in profile. It’s also worth mentioning that the wheels are large but not silly large. The biggest alloys you can spec measure 22 inches in diameter, and the smallest are dubs. Considering you can now get 20-inch wheels on a Mitsubishi Outlander, that sort of fitment is downright sensible on a 196.3-inch-long Porsche SUV.

What I’m not quite aesthetically sold on is the Porsche Active Aerodynamics system which includes extendable rear bumper fins on the Turbo model. While these should create a virtual longtail, they also look a bit weird. Then again, the whole rear bumper does have a generally blocky form, so perhaps it’s best to reserve final judgment until I see the Cayenne Electric in the metal.

Moving inside the Cayenne Electric, you’re immediately struck by a lot of screen. There’s a 14.25-inch OLED digital display for the gauges, a curved OLED infotainment screen, and a separate optional 14.9-inch OLED screen for the front passenger. It’s all so much screen that not much space has been prioritized for physical controls. There are rocker switches for temperature and fan speed, a scroll wheel for stereo volume, and that’s it. Everything else is either capacitive touch or in the screen, from turning on the heated seats to adjusting the climate control vent positions. On paper, it seems like a step backwards from the elegant simplicity of the combustion-powered Cayenne’s interior, and I’m afraid there’s a touch more bad news. The traditional V-shaped console-mounted grab handles are gone. Quelle tristesse.

On the plus side, at least Porsche has gone hard with color. Because not everyone wants a black interior, you can have a lavender one, or a sage one, or one in classic Pepita check. Changing the color of the gauge faces and general user interface is as easy as selecting a “Mood Mode”, heated armrests are unbelievably clutch, the available dimming moonroof seems nice, and that big tray with USB-C ports and plenty of phone storage seems more open than the console storage in the Macan Electric. I’d also want to try out the massive 87-inch augmented reality head up display, because it sounds pretty nuts.

Of course, the big reason why many people buy a Cayenne over a Macan is interior space, which continues to be a theme on the electric models. That five-inch wheelbase stretch ought to pay dividends when it comes to rear seat room, and you get 19.5 cu.-ft. (781 L) of cargo space with the rear seats up, 56.1 cu.-ft. (1,588 L) of cargo space with them down, and a 3.2 cu.-ft. (90 L) frunk for good measure. Pragmatic stuff.

What we have here seems like a machine of many talents. It can tow your race car, carry your whole family, and should run the quarter-mile in the high nines. The new Porsche Cayenne Electric promises to do it all, just like the original Cayenne did more than two decades ago. Pricing starts at at $111,350 for the standard model and $165,350 for the Turbo in America, and $131,300 for the Cayenne and $171,300 for the Cayenne Turbo in Canada. On the high end of the segment, but then again, when hasn’t a Cayenne occupied that upper echelon?

Top graphic image: Porsche