Porsche’s all-new, all-electric Cayenne achieves feats that its gas-powered counterparts simply can’t match.
Launch control activated. As our foot comes off the brake pedal, we’re not quite prepared for what this 5,850-poundis about to do next. The Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric’s tsunami of torque and horsepower awakens it in a lightning bolt, hurtling it forward and throwing us backward.
Before you can even start to process what’s happening, it’s already happened.Yes, there are quicker supercars, many of them electric-powered Porsches, that we’ve driven and tested over the years. Electrification has changed the calculus, however, with monstrous and monstrously heavy machines doing ever more mind-blowingly fast things. But none of them so far have bent the laws of physics quite like Cayenne Electric.into the event horizon high above the spectacular Spanish hill country near Barcelona, it would be easy to attribute it all to the madness of the SUV’s available 1,139 hp and 1,106 lb-ft of torque. And you wouldn’t be wrong, necessarily, with sheer power overwhelming weight. Porsche also isn’t wrong about its quoted 2.4-second 0–60-mph time for the Cayenne Turbo Electric; in fact, it’s almost certainly conservative, as will be the quoted sub-10-second quarter mile. It will no doubt beat those figures and be the quickest SUV we’ve ever tested when we get one in to evaluate.But the story is far more compelling than just “big electric SUV goes real fast” when you start digging into the several years’ worth of engineering work that went into the Cayenne Electric, much of which we already outlined. There’s the Porsche-designed and motorsports-tech-transferred oil-cooled rear motor for the Turbo that does much of the lifting when you go heavy on the accelerator , and Porsche’s Active Ride , which is employed to great effect on a large SUV like the Cayenne Electric. Not to mention the availability of well-established but vital technologies like Porsche’s air suspension, torque vectoring, active suspension management, and four-wheel steering, depending on the model and options. A concerto of systems and software harmonize operation, and when everything is playing the same glorious tune, it gets you quickly in rhythm with any road you’re on, whether you’re trundling along in its cosseted Comfort mode through a small Spanish hamlet or barreling around the next tight and crag-lined corner in Sport Plus. In a loaded-up Turbo we experienced on the first stretch of our drive, the steering proved subliminal in its feel, with little to no correction necessary into tight hairpins.Boot it out of a low-speed section, and there’s still a mountain of “hold on tight!” power, some 844 hp worth, to draw upon. When you mat the accelerator, we didn’t hate the synthesized Porsche Electric Sound that mimics the dulcet baritones of Porsche’s internal combustion V-8. We wouldn’t exactly say the Cayenne Electric shrinks around you, thanks to a 5.1-inch wheelbase stretch over non-electric Cayennes, not to mention the weight gain. But thanks to the Turbo’s torque vectoring and Active Ride especially, it cornered pancake flat, turn after turn, slow speed or high. It was uncanny behavior for a vehicle of this size and heft. Halting is also equally impressive in the Turbo, thanks to what Porsche says is up to 600 kilowatts’ worth of regenerative braking force, a massive amount of electrified whoa-down supplemented occasionally by the carbon-ceramic binders on the Turbo model we drove . When you really put your foot into the pedal, it doesn’t bite and feel artificial in any way, and there’s very little if any dive under hard deceleration . Pedal force is applied evenly and firmly, no matter if you’re trail-braking into a corner or slamming on the pedal before a super-low-speed switchback.We also had a chance to whip a base Cayenne Electric around a challenging section of glorious Spanish mountain roadway . With roughly half the horsepower, no Active Ride , and no fancy rear motor , predictably, it wasn’t quite as engaging at the extreme end of the driving envelope. Yes, there was more lean as we navigated into and out of challenging sections, midcorner steering corrections were often necessary, and there wasn’t the explosive acceleration given its 402 total horsepower . But the base model still proved plenty of fun to hustle as we explored its capabilities, and its brakes felt just as responsive, powerful, and progressive in operation as the Turbo’s when called upon. In around-town driving situations, it also came off as being as composed, easygoing, and smooth-riding as the Turbo. If you want to take your electrified Cayenne to the dragstrip, handling circuit, or relentlessly attack a mountain pass, you’re going to want a Turbo. Just be prepared to pay a hefty premium to get the full, physics-bending experience. One thing all Cayenne Electrics get standard is a 113.0-kWh gross lithium-ion battery. The pack itself, which is divided into 12 sections and lines the floor of the vehicle, charges at speeds of up to 400 kW if you can find a charger to push that kind of power. All vehicles also have two charge ports, one located at each rear fender, one a NACS connection and the other a common home-charging port.Given our prior experience with Porsche’s electric-powered models and our recent experience with a Cayenne Electric prototype, we expect to see an EPA -rated range in the 300-plus-mile neighborhood , depending on model. Given our experience with charge testing other Porche electric models, we also expect the vehicle to perform along the lines of what Porsche is estimating, anywhere from 16 to 26 minutes from 10 to 80 percent depending on the charging station. Oh, and it can tow up to 7,716 pounds. We’ll report back as soon as we can get our hands on one to test.Over the years since the Cayenne’s launch, Porsche has played up the SUV’s all-terrain versatility and backed it up with an impressive off-road track record, and it wants its electric versions to be perceived the same way. Timo Bernhard helped make sure of that. We got two hot laps with the Porsche ambassador and championship-winning race car driver on a big-boy rallycross track, and all we can say is, OMG, that was freaking amazing. Sliding and bounding and crashing and whirling around the circuit in a way that only a seasoned professional driver can, Bernhard did more to demonstrate in five minutes what this SUV is capable of off-road than virtually any amount of trail running we might do. It was a physics-defying experience along the lines ofWhen the dust finally cleared, we asked Bernhard what impressed him most about the Cayenne Electric. “The power delivery,” he said, adding that he also appreciated how well it manages torque . We appreciated how you managed to make our day, Timo. What a ride. Porsche also had us traverse a mildly challenging off-road course in the Cayenne Electric, which can be optioned with a package that marginally improves its capability . It does what you’d expect, turn the dial to Off-Road mode, and it easily traverses sandy uphill sections, muddy ruts, and navigates declines thanks to a solid hill descent setup. So, yeah, it can do off-road things. No matter how or where you drive it, the new 2026 Cayenne Electric has some cool stuff going on in the cabin. If you haven’t had a chance yet to see the new infotainment setup that sits front and center, you need to get bent! To be clear, it only looks bent; in reality, Porsche’s 12.8-inch OLED Flow Display is curved. It’s one of the more novel-looking screens we’ve seen to date. The best part is, it’s not just wow factor for wow factor’s sake, it works well, too. For the passenger, there’s an optional digital panel that offers audio and visual capability. What’s front and center for the driver besides the now ubiquitous Porsche steering wheel setup is a configurable 14.3-inch OLED digital instrument panel. Another highlight is the optional augmented reality head-up display that’s one of the best in the business.Downsides inside? There are a few. The usable space in the center area isn’t great, and the area between the front seats around the floor isn’t opened up as in other EVs of its ilk. While the handrest below the Flow Display is a solid idea, usability wise, below that, the space is hard to access and awkward, almost like a cave. Second-row passengers have it pretty good, however, with lots of room thanks to the wheelbase stretch. Cargo capacity isn’t wildly impressive, but it’s decent for an SUV with lots of electric bits under the rear of the vehicle, with 27.6 cubic feet behind the rear seats, 56.1 with them folded, and a 3.2-cube frunk.While it’s worlds different on multiple levels than its stablemates, there’s a familial look to the exterior of the Cayenne Electric—at least at first glance. Zoom in, however, and you start to notice frontal area changes that electric vehicles employ to aid airflow and help it achieve a 0.25 drag coefficient, which is one of the best among all SUVs on the market. Aero tricks include the active “aeroblades” that automatically extend from the rear fenders at 34 mph, and an adaptive roof spoiler. Trim and lighting signatures also abound, especially out back, where the horizontal light bar is hiked high, right below the glass, and a lack of tailpipes leads to meaningful lower bumper and diffuser changes. There are multiple wheel choices , muted exterior color options , and for the Turbo, its front and rear treatments are far more aggressive in appearance over the base model. Pricing is what we’ve come to expect from luxury EVs, with a 10 to 20 thousand markup over equivalent gas and hybrid Cayennes. We drove a Cayenne Turbo Electric loaded with options that crested the $200,000 mark, and base models hit upwards of $160,000. In other words, with a few exceptions, you will pay a premium over equivalent gas-powered Cayennes. As with everything Porsche, it’s how you spec your car that matters when it comes to pricing. To get the good stuff, you will pay accordingly. Speaking of, with the arrival of the Cayenne Electric, Porsche now has all the bases covered, with gas, hybrid, and all-electric models of the SUV that changed everything for the automaker more than two decades ago. But there’s no question that despite the uncertain future for EVs, given the tremendous amounts of blood and treasure Porsche has expended to develop this physics-defeating model, there are many in the halls of Stuttgart who fervently believe the path forward for its seminal sport utility is ultimately an electric one.Get the newest car reviews, hottest auto news, and expert analysis of the latest trends delivered straight to your inbox!A 30-plus year veteran of the publishing industry, Mike cut his teeth in the newspaper business before covering cars full-time in 2000. He's spent his career on the bleeding edge of digital operations and editorial at MotorTrend, with a stint as editor-in-chief of Automobile magazine along the way.
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