Watch out, world: the 1,140bhp Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric is here

A Cayenne that accelerates to 62mph in the same time as a brand-new 911 Turbo S - that’s 2.5 seconds, stat fans - and weighs 2.7 tonnes? Sounds fairly unbelievable. Until you find out that the new Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric has 1,140bhp and 1,106lb ft of torque; absolutely ridiculous numbers for a family hauler.

But that’s the way with electric stuff; big at Top Trumps, not necessarily heavy on the emotion. It might be vanishingly unlikely that anyone actually needs a Cayenne capable of this sort of stuff, but hey, more is … more.

And anyway, the headline-grabbing power and torque is also a slight misdirection. From the pedal, the Cayenne non-turbo Turbo has 845bhp. Hit the push-to-pass on the wheel and you get an extra 173bhp, engage launch control and you’re looking at the full whack. Because 845 is basically street tune. Y’know, for shopping and stuff.

And no, even sporting twin-valve dampers with dual-chamber air springs as standard, or optional Porsche Active Ride (which has a little pump for each damper that can compensate for pitch, yaw and roll), we’re not expecting it to be keeping up with the aforementioned 911 Turbo S on the twisty bits. But those 911 owners might find it an uncomfortably close run thing.

What’s even more interesting is the package and the range. There’s a ‘basic’ Cayenne Electric with more like 400bhp (sensibleness arrives in a relatively parsimonious £83k package), probably a mid-ranger - not available at launch - and the £131k Turbo. The basic car has flavours of VW product about it - blame that full-width lightbar and horizontal graphic on the rear - the Turbo more stance and attitude, unsurprisingly. Up front there are cleaned-up LED headlights in a singular unit, a restrained face that’s more Macan-like, and sculpted side skirts. One of those ‘it’ll grow on you’ moments. Probably.

But there’s a lot going on, even when you think things look less fussy. The slats on the bottom section of the front bumper open and close for both cooling and aero purposes, the top of the rear hatch has a small, electric extendable spoiler and there are extendable blades in the rear quarter panels that push outwards at speed, boiling off the turbulent air aft of the rear wheels and around the bumper, increasing range. Just don’t think about the repair costs if you nerf it in a car park.

The guts of the thing are similarly impressive: 113kW of battery, heated and cooled from two sides (previously it was only one), with even the cooling gradient managed from the inside edge (where it’s warmer) to the outside. Some 398 miles of WLTP range for the Turbo comes with 400kW DC charging, meaning 186 miles in 10 minutes, 10 to 80-per cent in 16.

Let’s not get too worried about finding a 400kW+ public charger and just glory in the fact that anything you can throw at the Cayenne will bathe in 800-volt architecture acceptance. There’s also wireless induction charging available - although that’s an option that has to be applied at build. And no, it won’t cook your cat if it sits between the pad and the car (we asked); it all just switches off until Mittens/Simba/Derek wanders off.

Inside, there’s a curved driver’s display and a curved ‘flow screen’ that melts into the lower portion of the centre of the dash. Widgets on the curved bit do all the car stuff, the main screen (and possible optional passenger screen) the multimedia and flash graphics. And it is good. Useable, sharp, crisp and intuitive. There’s even a rest for the heel of your hand called a ‘Ferry Pad’ that means you can accurately finger the right thing on the move - not always a given for a touchscreen when on an even mildly bumpy road.

There’s an AI assistant, massive head-up display which projects instructions onto the road ahead, Porsche Electric Sound (various levels of V8 rumble), a panoramic glass roof with various photochromic patterns, a communication light that welcomes you into the car and projects charging status, panel heating that cooks the armrest and door panels (because forearms need love too), various ‘mood modes’ which alter the seating position, air-con, lighting and all the rest. It’s a pretty comprehensive set of gadgets and fun stuff.

After that, there’s more space generally, electric heated and cooled rear seats, a big frunk and an enormous boot at 781-litres. And even if we know that there’ll likely be a sweetspot ’S’ or ‘GTS’ in the range eventually, the intrigue of a Cayenne with more than 1,100bhp lives rent free in our heads. As does the ‘off-road package’ which allows for 3,500kg of towing ability. There’s been a lot of thought thrown into this new electric Cayenne, and it shows.

It’s worth noting here that according to some sources, Porsche has gone off the idea of electric. That’s not true. What’s actually happened is that in the face of changing regulation, Porsche has extended the lifecycle of the combustion and hybrid models to cover the shortfall. So the new Cayenne will still be available with a twin-turbo V6 petrol, a V8 petrol in the S and an E-Hybrid. 

Porsche is also letting combustion run in new versions of the Cayman and Boxster, and the next-gen SUV set to live above the Cayenne is launching as a petrol and e-hybrid initially - instead of a full EV - as well. So Porsche is going back to a more mixed strategy rather than abandoning EV in any significant way. It’s all change, but not. So we’ll wait and see if the new Cayenne lives up to the hype.

Specs

Price: £130,900 (starts at £83,200)
Transmission: Dual motor, all-wheel drive, Power: 1,140bhp, 1106lb ft of torque
Range: 398miles WLTP
Performance: 0-62mph in 2.5 seconds (0-124 in less than 10), 161mph top speed
Battery and charging: 113kWh gross capacity (108kWh net), DC charging at up to 400kW, 10 – 80 per cent SoC in less than 16 min Range added in 10 min: 186miles, 11kW AC, recuperation rate of up to 600kW (comparable to Formula E racing cars) 
Weight: circa 2,600kg
Tow: 3.5 tones (with off-road pack)