MUNICH, GERMANY—Think of every fast Porsche you’ve seen on the road—the one with big fenders, bold colors and wide tires. Now get ready for a disturbing fact: None of them had more horsepower than the SUV you see here. This new Cayenne Turbo Coupe is a fast, twin-motor, upgraded version of Porsche’s electric SUV.
It delivers a whopping 1,139 horsepower (850 kW) and 1,106 lb-ft (1,500 Nm) of torque, enough to propel this 5,637 lb (2,557 kg) machine and its 113 kilowatt-hour battery pack from zero to 60 mph (97 km/h). This makes it not only the most powerful production car Porsche has ever produced, but also the fastest, ahead of only Taycan Turbo GT.
But unlike Porsche’s low-key, performance-oriented take on the elegant electric sedan, the Cayenne Coupe is designed to be an everyday cargo hauler for friends, family and whatever else you can fit under its hatch. Does it succeed? I went to Munich to find out.
It’s not exactly the prettiest car, but there are reasons to like the Cayenne Coupe beyond its looks.
Credit: Tim Stevens
It’s not exactly the prettiest car, but there are reasons to like the Cayenne Coupe beyond its looks.
Credit: Tim Stevens
Inspired by Formula E
Manufacturers love to play any track technology that hits the street. Such comparisons to SUVs are generally strained at best, but in its fastest Turbo form, the Cayenne Electric has a legitimate connection to Porsche’s efforts in the field. Formula E.
Porsche has been competing on the world’s biggest stage for zero-emission motorsport since 2019. won many championships. Much of Formula E has historically been spec-based, meaning manufacturers can’t change things like the chassis or bodywork. However, they can develop their own motor.
For the Formula E racer, Porsche found a way to fit a cooling system between the stator and rotor, allowing for greater and more consistent power output without driving temperatures into the red. The same design is now used in the rear engine of the top-of-the-line Turbo model of the electric Cayenne.
