New Porsche Cayenne Electric prototype review: crucial SUV ready to face big challenges
Porsche's SUV has more power, technology and pace than ever before. Let’s hope there are enough customers willing to take the plunge to enjoy it
Verdict
The all-new Porsche Cayenne Electric is certain to be one of the best electric SUVs on offer. Yet it’ll arrive in a challenging environment that is simply out of Porsche’s control; if residual values for electric cars don’t become more stable, the firm could struggle to convince buyers to take the plunge. It’s a shame that even the Turbo, with its 1,000bhp and 3.5-ton towing capacity, might struggle to pull Porsche out of the ditch it has found itself in.
Porsche has a rocky, narrow path ahead of it, not unlike the one we’re traversing in a prototype of its all-new Cayenne Electric. The German brand came out swinging in the electric era with its brilliant Taycan, and the impressive global sales that followed made it seem that the company had nailed the concept of premium electromobility.
But things have changed. Dwindling sales of its EVs in China and the United States have not only put Porsche under pressure to keep the fires burning with its petrol-powered models, but also go hell for leather with future electric models just to keep up with the rapidly advancing competition.
This new fourth-generation Cayenne is one such new EV, and even in prototype form, and as we’re finding out, it’s an impressive statement of intent. That’s a big relief, as the model will be key to the brand’s future.
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2018 Porsche
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88,375 milesAutomaticDiesel3.0L
Cash £24,995
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42,860 milesAutomaticDiesel4.1L
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2023 Porsche
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Cash £41,495Cayenne Electric vehicle program director Michael Schätzle and his team have gone all out on the new model. Instead of simply stretching the smaller Macan Electric, they’ve taken its PPE platform – developed jointly with Audi – to the next level by repackaging the battery pack and developing new oil-cooled electric motors. Porsche says this adds significantly more performance and staying power from the batteries, helping the big SUV post some class-leading numbers in a rapidly-changing market.
The Cayenne can charge at up to 400 kW, and maintains this plateau long enough to add around 185 miles in as little as ten minutes. The 10 to 80 percent top-up is done in only 15 minutes, and it can recuperate electricity through regenerative braking at up to 600kW – as powerful as a Formula E race car!
The battery is also larger than either the Macan or Taycan can offer, at 113kWh gross. Porsche hasn’t revealed official range figures yet, but expect at least 370 miles. All variants will come as standard with two motors, and therefore have all-wheel drive.
The initial line-up will be fairly simple, with a 400bhp base model joined by a Cayenne S that will settle somewhere between 600bhp and 700bhp. Topping the range from launch will be the Turbo; this will have the full arsenal of Porsche tech alongside a near-1,000bhp power figure.
It’s this model we’re in with Schätzle at the wheel. When he steps on the throttle without warning, the almost three-ton SUV is catapulted to 62mph in well under three seconds. It’ll hit 124mph in under 10 seconds, and reach a limited 155mph top speed.
There’s a whole array of interesting chassis tech on board too, including all-wheel steering with up to five degrees of steering angle on the rear axle. There are also two different suspension systems on offer. All models come as standard with air-suspension and adaptive dual-valve dampers, but as with the new Panamera and Taycan, Porsche’s Active Ride Control is available as an option. This system gives each wheel true independence, using hydraulic actuators to fully control body roll and lean – useful for on and off-road applications.
Porsche is also focused on delivering driving dynamics that, for Schätzle, should make the new Cayenne Electric a “sports car among SUVs” again. That’s a tricky task with so much mass to control.
Yet for many customers, the Cayenne has always been a practical and family-friendly Porsche. To this end, the brand has refined its offering. It’ll be the first electric car ever that can tow up to 3.5 tons. It’s also longer and wider than the existing petrol-powered model, but lower to reduce its drag coefficient. The wheelbase has been stretched, too, unlocking extra interior space, especially in the rear, and freeing up an additional 99 litres in the boot. There’s also a bonus 90 litres under the front bonnet.
A peek under the thick camouflage mats in the cockpit reveals a digital landscape that’s completely different to the rather conservatively-styled Macan EV. “We’ve come up with something new,” explains Schätzle, stirring up curiosity about the new centre console by adding “the likes of which we've never seen before”. There’s a bit more luxury too; just as we've previously seen from Rolls-Royce and BMW 7 Series, the doors of the Cayenne open and close electrically on request.
No Cayenne has ever been quite so overtly luxurious, but then few have been as expensive either. The electric model should start at around £90,000, but the Turbo will likely exceed £160,000 as it lines up against not just BMW, Audi and Mercedes, but Bentley and Aston Martin. The world premiere isn’t until November, and it will be another six months after that before the cars go on sale, plus there’s a second Coupé bodystyle on the way in 2026.
Porsche is confident that the new Cayenne Electric can pull the entire brand’s EV operation out of the mud. But it still doesn’t seem to fully trust its own plan. Not only has it installed a sound composer that gives it a V8-like shrill under hard acceleration, it’s also not cancelling production of the existing ICE Cayenne (which it did with the Macan).
Instead, it will give it a further update in the next 24 months, and continue to sell it for the foreseeable future. Read into that what you want.
| Model: | Porsche Cayenne Electric |
| Base price: | £90-100,000 (est) |
| Powertrain: | 112kWh battery, 2x e-motor |
| Transmission: | One-speed automatic, all-wheel drive |
| Power/torque: | 400bhp/-Nm (est) |
| 0-62mph: | 5 seconds |
| Top speed: | 155mph |
| Range/charging: | 370 miles (est)/400kW, 10-80% in under 15 mins |
| Length/width/height: | 5,100mm/2,000mm/1,550mm (est) |
| On sale: | Q2 2026 |
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