Porsche Cayenne Electric: the first 1,156 hp electric Cayenne goes all-in

A rolling, four-wheeled high-tech lounge driven by frankly outrageous muscle: the first Porsche Cayenne Electric does nothing by halves.

At Porsche, there are a few constants: naturally aspirated flat-six engines that scream, SUVs that can embarrass coupés, timeless styling (the Porsche 911 above all), and chassis tuning that copes with anything you throw at it. The brand-new Porsche Cayenne Electric carries that heritage forward-minus the smell of petrol.

Think of it as a 100% electric luxury Panzer that has become… the most powerful production Porsche ever built. Yes, ahead of every 911 Turbo S, GT2 RS and even various Weissach prototypes. With up to 1,156 hp at peak output, it dispatches 0–100 km/h in 2.5 s and reaches 260 km/h: a supercar dressed up as an SUV.

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An electric SUV that really brings the fireworks

Even in the standard driving mode, the Cayenne Turbo Electric (the flagship version) still delivers 857 hp, putting it right at the top of the most powerful electric SUVs on the market.

Launch Control and Push-to-Pass: how the Cayenne Turbo Electric unleashes 1,156 hp

Switch to Launch Control and the full 1,156 hp turns up, alongside 1,500 Nm of torque.

There is also a racing-inspired “Push-to-Pass” button: one press and it adds 176 hp under your right foot for 10 seconds. Ideal for overtaking a line of cars on the motorway… or waving goodbye to your driving licence.

And while those headline figures apply to the premium model, even the so-called “entry-level” version outguns some twin-turbo V8s from a decade ago. The base Cayenne Electric produces 408 hp (or 442 hp with Launch Control), enough to go toe-to-toe with the Tesla Model Y or Model X in their respective segments.

Porsche Cayenne Electric battery, charging and range

To back up that flood of power, Porsche needed a serious battery-and it hasn’t cut corners. The Cayenne features a 113 kWh battery, supports 800 V charging architecture, and can accept up to 400 kW, enabling a jump from 10 to 80% in under 16 minutes.

In ten minutes it can recover roughly 325 km of range: time for a coffee, and you can be back on the road for a Lyon–Marseille run.

Chassis technology built for road and off-road

Add a WLTP range of up to 642 km, Porsche Active Ride suspension that nearly cancels body movement, rear-axle steering, and an ePTM (electronic torque management) system to keep it pinned to its line-and you have something capable of attacking hard, on-road and off-road.

Even if it’s hard to picture a SUV like this scraping its sills along an off-road track, it should still shrug off any speed bump and carve through corners as if it didn’t weigh what it does-well over 2.5 tonnes.

A futuristic cabin

Inside, it’s technology everywhere: a dashboard led by a curved central display (Flow Display), a 14.25-inch OLED instrument panel, a passenger screen, and a Voice Pilot which, Porsche says, can understand “complex, interdependent requests, recognises context and responds like a real conversational partner” thanks to AI.

With seats that adjust every which way-heated, ventilated and with massage-the cabin feels like a spa on wheels. Mood Modes let you switch the lighting and sound ambience to match how you feel. A bit of a gimmick, perhaps, but in a cockpit this high-tech, it would almost be disappointing not to find that sort of extravagance.

Naturally, that level of luxury costs money-the Cayenne Electric isn’t for every budget. After all, this is Porsche. The base model starts at €107,600 in France, while the Turbo version climbs to €167,200… before options. Start ticking boxes in the catalogue and the bill can easily clear €200,000, especially if you go for the signature wheels, special paint, interior packs and a couple of digital treats you don’t need but Porsche makes hard to resist. An electric monster that costs a kidney-yet some will be tempted to find a second one to afford it.