The Cayenne has never been far from controversy. At its launch in 2002, it was ridiculed as a Chelsea Tractor—an excessive SUV for well-heeled urbanites. Yet it has since sold 1.5 million units across three generations, saving Porsche.
This fourth-generation model is fully electric, although not every battery-powered Porsche has been an unalloyed success since the Taycan (2019) or the Macan (2024), with reports of dubious reliability and poor residual values. The company has become more realistic about EVs in its marketing mix, so the third-generation petrol and hybrid Cayenne will continue alongside this all-electric version.
The Cayenne Electric leads the range on performance. Forget the standard £83,200, 436bhp, 399-mile model. What you need is the 383-mile-range Turbo (no turbocharger—it's now a marketing name) at £130,990. That buys you 1,140bhp with launch control's 10-second boost, 1,106lb ft of torque, and four-wheel drive. Add optional four-wheel steering (£1,389), air suspension (standard), and active damping (£6,799), and you have a 2.6-ton SUV capable of 183mph and 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds.
That acceleration is literally sickening. One second you're stationary, the next you're accelerating at 1.13g. It's horrible and hard to avoid fainting or vomiting. As one journalist said, 'You'd only ever do that once.'
The powertrain includes a 113kWh lithium-ion battery with 192 LG pouch cells in 12 packs, liquid-cooled via upper and lower plates. The motors are permanent-magnet synchronous units, with silicon-carbide inverters and 800-volt electronics for faster charging. Regenerative braking goes up to 600kW, and the Cayenne fast charges at up to 400kW DC and 22kW AC.
Inside, the interior is spacious, with generous rear space for three. The boot offers 506 litres with seats up, 1,588 litres folded, plus 90 litres under the bonnet. A curved instrument binnacle and a 'flow' touchscreen dominate the fascia, with physical buttons for key functions.
On the road, the air suspension and active damping manage the heft well, but communication with the road is less direct than in a Range Rover Sport. In Comfort mode on 22-inch wheels, it's too soft, but Normal provides a balanced blend. Sports modes firm everything up, and off-road electronics are impressive.
The regular Cayenne is a perfectly acceptable battery-electric SUV. The Turbo, however, is bonkers—125kg heavier, much more powerful, and exists only because wealthy folk think too much is never enough. As a Porsche engineer admitted, 'it's a bit of a beast.' And who wants one of those?