Porsche Cayenne Turbo EV first drive: Most Powerful Porsche ever … is an SUV
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- Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric produces 844 hp in everyday driving and up to 1,139 hp / 1,106 lb-ft in brief Launch Control bursts, with a 176-hp Push-to-Pass overboost for 10 seconds — numbers that beat current supercars including the Lamborghini Revuelto and the 1,064-hp Corvette ZR1.
- Car and Driver instrumented testing recorded 0-60 mph in 2.1 seconds, a quarter-mile in 9.5 seconds, 70-0 braking in 140 feet (matching the ZR1), and a 1.05g skidpad result — the best SUV roadholding figure in the magazine's history.
- The Cayenne Turbo EV's 800V architecture charges at over 400 kW with Porsche claiming 10-80% state of charge in under 16 minutes, supports Plug and Charge at Tesla Superchargers and EA stations, includes dual NACS and J-1772 ports, a 19.2 kW onboard AC inverter, and an optional 11 kW inductive charging pad.
- Starting at $163,000 and climbing past $250,000 loaded, the review notes the Lucid Gravity delivers more range for less money and the Rivian R1S beats it on value by a wide margin.
- The reviewer criticized the design as 'too Clark Kent, not enough Superman' for the price, found the instrument cluster overwhelming, and noted that overboost-gated acceleration requires drivers to brief passengers before launches to avoid whiplash.
Why it matters: The Cayenne Turbo EV proves Porsche can match its combustion legacy on EV performance and 400 kW charging, but the $163,000 starting price — well past $250K loaded — means buyers pay for chassis feel and badge, not efficiency. The Lucid Gravity and Rivian R1S deliver more range or value per dollar, framing this as a hypercar with a back seat rather than an EV that wins on EV terms.
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