I’ve fallen down stairs slower than the time it takes for the all-new Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric to launch to illegal speeds. Catapulting from 0-100km/h in just 2.5 seconds, its hypercar-levels of acceleration are brutal for all those poor souls on board and that proper free fall-like experience is never but a flex of a big toe away.
In the past, this level of performance was the preserve of million-dollar hypercars but today it’s the reality of equipping the German brand’s all-new battery-powered large SUV with an almighty 850kW of power and 1500Nm.Although, those peak figures are only ever really unleashed during its launch control, or if you stab the Turbo’s “push-to-pass” steering wheel-mounted button.
In regular daily driving you’ll only have 630kW at your disposal, which will still be enough to shrug off most Ferrari supercars.
Incredibly, fixating on the Porsche’s latest large SUV’s straight-line speed would be missing the point because it’s the way it corners and covers ground cross-country that, if anything, is more remarkable.
MORE: Australia’s new Tesla hides a big secret
In Australia the battery-powered Cayenne Electric will be offered in three flavours: The base Electric that pumps out 325kW, the mid-spec S that musters a more impressive 490kW and the monstrous 850kW Turbo.
We drove the entry model and came away impressed by its well-judged ride-handling balance and appreciated its precise steering but were completely enthralled by the flagship Turbo. Annoyingly, the best bits of the Turbo are its advanced chassis tech that on a $260k SUV should really be standard – but aren’t, and we couldn’t imagine life without either Active Ride ($17,480) or the rear-wheel steering ($3570).
The beauty of the Cayenne Turbo Electric is engineers have finetuned it to allow some body movement, removing that feeling of disconnection.
The result is a confidence-inspiring physics-defying drive and one that maximises grip.
MORE: $5 million car coming to Australia
Off-road, the same tech allows for greater wheel articulation while enhanced ground clearance, thanks to its air suspension, plus a virtual all-wheel drive means the Cayenne can now go further off-road than you might expect.
Inside, the good news continues as many carmakers could learn from how well physical buttons for the likes of the climate control rub shoulders with a smooth, intuitive, easy-to-use infotainment.
Soon after launch, Porsche has even promised to introduce an 11kW wireless charging pad.
As you would expect, it won’t be cheap, with an estimated $10,000 price tag but for the well-heeled, will remove all the faff involved with plugging in your car.
With a range of up to 624km for the fastest version and around 643km for the lesser Cayenne Electric, the only thing missing from the new Porsche SUV is a proper twin-turbo V8 soundtrack.
If you can live without that, we think the Cayenne Turbo Electric is an EV performance car you’ll actually prefer over conventional petrol rivals.
