Porsche’s Cayenne Coupe Turbo will make even 911 owners nervous

Back in 2002, Porsche fans went wild when the Cayenne debuted at the Paris Motor Show. More than 20 years later, Porsche now sells more SUVs than anything else in its lineup. Last year, the Macan and Cayenne accounted for 62 percent of all Porsche sales. Now, these SUVs are driving traditions in a new way: They have gone electric, and and Cayenne Electric to join Macan small plug. And Cayenne Coupe Turbo it’s too fast to have 911 owners looking over their shoulders.

Even die-hard Porsche fans, who go there Lollapalooza style festivals to worship the old days of air-cooled engines, you have to give the Turbo Coupe Electric credit. The new Cayenne has official credentials as the most powerful Porsche of all time, boasting 1,139 horsepower and 1,106 pound-feet of torque. Not a 911, or a seven-door sedan like the 918 Spyder: instead, a country-oriented, well-equipped SUV.

This electric Cayenne behaves like a celestial joke, accelerating faster than most supercars, and sending curves like, well, a Porsche. That includes a slight acceleration to its 261-kph top speed – 162 mph for us Yanks – on the endless stretches of the German Autobahn.

The Turbo Coupe rests on an easy 110 mph top speed, floating on conventional air springs, rear-wheel steering, and an Active Ride suspension. The wizardly system combines sensors, electric motors, and hydraulic dampers to control the movement of the body. Each damper can generate up to 2,250 pounds of force on a single wheel, regardless of input from road bumps. In its Comfort mode, the operating system allows the Cayenne to “helicopter,” seeming to hover (surprisingly) on the road without tilting at all.

The ridiculous description extends to charging. Cayennes electric can be very expensive at 400 kilowatts, comparable to Lucid Gravity SUV. They can have a large enough torque to recharge a 108 kilowatt-hour battery from 10 to 80 percent in less than 16 minutes.

This Cayenne is wearing a Cape

Porsche says the Coupe Turbo can blast to 60 mph in 2.4 seconds. I’d say it’s closer to 2.2 seconds, based on my cerebellum squeeze starting in the Bavarian countryside, a time that puts several supercars past and present to shame. Weighing in at around 5,900 pounds, the Coupe Turbo accelerates from 0-124 mph (200 kph) in a ridiculous 7.4 seconds. It does the quarter mile in 9.9 seconds, almost a full second faster than the Ferrari 12Cilindri. This is accompanied by a wonderfully designed sound that recalls the German V-8 via Trent Reznor. Drivers can dial in or shut off the ersatz engine when they need the whisper of an EV.

The Turbo version makes 845 horsepower for maximum performance, while keeping a decent 1,139 horsepower to boot. But the F1-style “Push-to-pass” mode summons 173-horsepower shots of supercharged electric power at the push of a button on the steering wheel. Nitrous-like puffs last only 10 minutes, versus 20 seconds in the 911 GTS hybrid, so you don’t overheat.

One squeeze of the GT’s slim, sleek steering wheel is a reminder that it’s still a Porsche. As with Porsche’s Taycan sedan, the steering feels light and natural, with a connection to the road that is lacking in most EVs.

Automakers often focus on the dubious connection between their race cars and street cars. Here, the rear electric car seeks a direct, official transfer from the Porsche team that won the Formula E championship. The engine’s internal stator and live copper windings are bathed in Mobil-made oil that does not conduct electricity, a cool advantage compared to the external water jackets that usually surround the car. The clever design allows Porsche to develop a 600-kilowatt electric motor, matching its Formula E cars, without overcooking the internal components.

Porsche stubbornly refuses to include a single-pedal EV drive system, preferring to coast along like a familiar ICE engine when you take off. Yet give the pedal a lift, and Porsche says 97-percent of the world’s stationary vehicles will be powered by electric motors. Press the pedal hard, and the Cayenne will have powerful brakes, including ceramic-composite units – and so smoothly that I couldn’t see the braking effect on the bet.

Control Type, Stamina

Compared to the Cayenne, the square-backed Cayenne, these Coupes are characterized by sloping roof lines, a “flyline” silhouette inspired by the 911. It’s a family-free body shape that 40 percent of American buyers chose in 2025, even with a small penalty in the cargo area.

Offered in any body type, the electric Cayennes first jump ahead of the combustion versions of Porsche, whose previous generation comes from 2019. They are built on a dedicated electric platform, sharing close to zero components with fuel models. A wheelbase of about five inches gives you more rear reception. The 3.2 cubic-foot trunk will fit bags, but not much more.

The sleek nose incorporates cool front fenders, with the gym’s signature rear shoulders and rear spoiler. On the Turbo, the engine’s “aeroblades” protrude near the rear bumper. The running version of the Coupe offers a 0.23 coefficient of drag, versus 0.25 for the standard version. So Coupes have to squeeze out 10 or 11 more miles.

Porsche says the Coupes, offered in three powertrains, should have between 356 and 416 miles. These comparisons are based on WLPT’s global testing practices. Our EPA doesn’t have to be heavy. But based on my drives and math, these Coupes should get upwards of 340 miles in their sleep. Porsche’s top-of-the-line Taycan is already known to exceed EPA limits.

New Porsche, New Customers

It’s surprising that the super-powerful Porsche was designed to test newbies who would care more about the bells and whistles of a high-end EV than the Germans. Porsche’s big leap in technology and infotainment could be among its biggest selling points as it tries to attract first-time buyers.

The top notch is the display, a 14.25-inch OLED “flow screen” that folds into the console like a giant phone. (Drivers are greeted with a large greeting that shows the Cayenne in the true form of the body of their car that they can turn around with their fingers. Beautiful.) The leather hand rest is the secret of the technology, it makes it easy to control the screen while driving. Fortunately, old-school analog switches handle the most frequently needed controls, like the volume knob and temperature controls.

The optional onboard display that echoes previous equipment from Ferrari and others, with functions and video displays that are digitally protected for the driver. There’s a lot going on here. But somehow it all works, from a Porsche that, decades ago, used to slap on an AM/FM Blaupunkt radio and call it a day. And unlike, say, the “Hyperscreen” of the Mercedes circle, this system does not absorb the fresh air of the cabin, or increase the occupants.

One mistake is the AR heads-up display that takes a lot of real space in the driver’s mind; The floating arrows are tiny objects in your eye. On-screen navigation is another option that Porsche may have skipped, although it’s much easier to use than the Rivian or Lucid.

Electricity, at a price

The Turbo Coupe starts at $170,350, and that’s $233,000 for my fully loaded test model. The regular Coupe Electric will ask $116,150 when these Porsches arrive in late summer. The “Starter” version offers a total of 402 horsepower, 435 from launch, and a 4.5-second 0-60 mph time. The Cayenne S Electric I drive feels like a sweet spot like a strudel on the line, with 536 horses, 657 horses of max overboost, and a wicked 3.7-second sprint to 60 mph. It’s as fast as the BMW X6M Competition SUV with its 617-horsepower V-8.

The Model S starts at $133,550. Loaded with options, it comes to $201,150. It seems we were used to Porsches being $100,000 cars, and now they are $200,000 cars.

EV fans planning to splurge might consider Porsche’s wireless inductive charging system. At a lunch stop, I roll the Cayenne onto a magnetic stand that owners can place in the garage, or driveway. The screen display guides me to a higher level, connecting green circles, one representing a moving vehicle, the other below. The Cayenne starts charging like a three-ton mobile phone, which takes 11 kilowatts of AC power – no complicated cable or plug required. Don’t worry about stray cats or children: the Porsche stops charging if it senses traffic.

The power transfer is enough to charge the heavy Cayenne’s battery from 10 to 80 percent in less than nine hours. Skip a few superficial options in favor of a pioneering home system, and you’ll never touch a grubby plug. In other charging news, these Cayennes are the first Porsche to feature Tesla’s NACS system.

Warm Reception or Cold Shoulder?

Compared to the old, SUVs-off-my-lawn debates, these electric Cayennes have a real challenge on their broad shoulders: a tariff regime that heavily taxes expensive European-made engines. Low EV adoption, and the Chinese market currently favoring their EVs. Ironically, the war in Iran is providing an unexpected opportunity for energy-efficient models, even as the Trump administration tries to hang EVs in their crib. And as with the controversial Ferrari Luce, the jury is still out on whether Porsche can convince enough people to convert to an electric car.

That’s a lot of baggage for these Porsches to carry when they arrive, right off the boat from the factory in Bratislava, Slovakia. One thing’s for sure: American Cayenne buyers have cast a progressive vote, with fat wallets, for the continued advancement of EVs.