- The Porsche Cayenne Turbo EV is the quickest SUV that Car and Driver has ever tested.
- Even among super-powered EVs, it’s unbelievably fast.
- It only takes 10.1 seconds to hit 150 mph, despite a curb weight of nearly 6,000 pounds.
Porsche just sent engineers to Sir Isaac Newton’s grave to point and laugh. OK, so that’s obviously not true but they did just spit on the laws of physics.
We all knew that the new Porsche Cayenne Turbo EV would be fast, as all Porsche Turbo models are fast. But it’s hard to believe that it’s as fast as Car and Driver’s instrumented testing says it is. In its recent tests, the Cayenne Turbo EV hit 60 mph in an absurd 2.1 seconds. That makes it the fastest SUV C&D ever tested and quicker than almost every supercar on sale. And that’s only the beginning of its dominance. Every other performance vehicle on the planet, regardless of size, shape, or powertrain, should fear the Cayenne Turbo EV.
Its stat sheet reads more like a mid-engine hypercar than an electric SUV. Its dual motors combine for 1,139 horsepower and 1,106 lb-ft of torque. (Both of which are significantly more than the Bugatti Veyron, by the way.) It managed that frankly ridiculous 0-60 mph time despite a hefty curb weight of 5,960 pounds, too. It only took 4.5 seconds to reach 100 mph, and 10.1 seconds to reach 150 mph. The quarter-mile happened in a mind-boggling 9.5 seconds.
I remember when sub-10-second quarter-mile times were unheard of in supercars, never mind luxury SUVs. I know there are faster EVs through the quarter-mile, like the Lucid Air Sapphire or Tesla Model S Plaid. But those are low-slung, streamlined sedans. This is an SUV.
Photo by: Porsche
Here’s where things get especially nutty, though—braking. Even though it weighs almost as much as a Chevy Suburban, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo EV (with its optional carbon ceramic brake package) took just 140 feet to stop from 70-0 mph. According to C&D’s tests, that’s 12 fewer feet than the Lamborghini Urus Performante. Even wilder still is that it’s the same distance as the Corvette ZR1, and the electric Cayenne weighs almost a whole Miata more. Compared to other go-fast electric SUVs, like the Lucid Gravity Dream Edition and Rivian tri-motor R1S, the Porsche dominates.
At the skidpad, the Cayenne Turbo EV record 1.05 lateral gs worth of grip, a C&D SUV record. That’s only a bit better than the Urus Performante’s 1.04 but it’s miles ahead of the Lucid (0.90) and Rivian (0.80).
So the Porsche Cayenne Turbo EV is a comfy, practical, and spacious electric SUV, one that’s capable of shuttling a family of five around on school runs and road trips alike. And yet, performance-wise it’ll wipe the floor with just about any other vehicle that comes anywhere near it. It doesn’t seem to matter if you have an EV, supercar, or SUV, the Cayenne Turbo EV is likely faster, grippier, and probably even stops faster.
It’s not surprising that it’s fast, as that much power will make anything fast. But that it’s consistently fast, handles so well, and stops so quickly is a remarkable achievement for Porsche. What a machine.