Porsche Cayenne Electric Review: A Phenomenally Capable SUV

Porsche’s infotainment system is one of the best I’ve used in recent years, and with the Cayenne, it’s been further refined to make menu navigation simpler and more intuitive. The navigation is also a delight compared to many other systems, but naturally, you’re likely to hook up Apple CarPlay or Android Auto instead. Porsche still hasn’t made the jump to CarPlay Ultra, despite stating its intention to do so back in 2022 and again a year later. That means your phone apps don’t appear on the Cayenne’s driver display, and CarPlay can’t handle the temperature or radio.

Since this is a full-size SUV, there’s plenty of space for four tall adults, plus a fifth if needed, and the trunk stretches from 27.6 to 56 cubic feet depending on the position of the rear seats. A frunk under the hood adds 3.2 cubic feet, handy for storing the charging cable.

Speed Demon

At launch, there are three variants of Cayenne Electric to choose from. The base model costs from $109,000 and has 435 horsepower, the midrange Cayenne S Electric starts at $126,300 and produces 657 horsepower, and the flagship Cayenne Turbo Electric is $163,000 and has 1,139 horsepower with 1,106 lb-ft (1,500 Nm) of torque. Yes, that last stat is absolutely enormous for any car, let alone a big SUV. It gives the Turbo more power than a Bugatti Veyron, and with double the torque of a V12-engined Ferrari Purosangue.

Zero-to-sixty times for the Cayenne family are 4.5, 3.6, and 2.4 seconds, respectively. Again, the Turbo is in a league of its own, and if anything, the zero to 124 mph (200 km/h) is even more absurd, at 7.4 seconds. That matches a Veyron and is about on par with a Tesla Model S Plaid. But honestly, comparing tenths of a second here is meaningless. Switch the Cayenne Electric Turbo to Sport Plus mode, engage Launch Control, and the result is genuinely unpleasant. As ever, my advice is to save tens of thousands of dollars and buy the one that goes furthest.