Stalwart luxury SUV turns electric for its next generation – with an astonishing peak output of 1140bhp
The all-electric, fourth-generation Porsche Cayenne is now an imminent arrival on UK roads. Before the summer is out, we should have Autocar’s very own set of benchmark measurements and numbers, a full set of impressions, and a definitive UK verdict on what might be Zuffenhausen’s most important and interesting electric model yet.For now, we’ve tested the Porsche Caynne Electric on two separate occasions. As a regular SUV, and in both Turbo and base-model powertrain form, on Porsche’s first press launch in Barcelona back in March - and now subsequently in Cayenne Coupé form, as both Turbo and mid-range Cayenne S, in Munich.The new electric version becomes the fourth Cayenne model generation in a near-25-year history. Back in 2002, the car arrived on a tsunami of scepticism from enthusiasts arguing that the sports SUV ‘wasn’t even a thing’; and who would want that swollen SUV-that-swallowed-a-911 abomination anyway?Well, lots of people wanted it: more than 1.5 million people since then, in fact. The Cayenne has been one of the biggest sellers and biggest profit-makers for Porsche, and we have long passed the point where anybody questions the validity and demand for performance SUVs.And yet still, the Cayenne is a magnet for controversy. It is not only battery-bowered but it's also - in Turbo derivative form - the most powerful series-production Porsche there has ever been. It makes 1140bhp and 1106lb ft of torque. Yes, you read that right.Put it in launch control and this 2.6-tonne luxury electric family conveyance will give everything it’s got, in order to do 0-62mph in 2.5sec. Mind you, in default Normal mode it musters a mere 845bhp - so it’s a good thing that you’ve got the overtake button for 10sec of extra fizz to the tune of 1019bhp…Even if you're modest enough to go for the entry-level Cayenne Electric, you’re still getting 436bhp and 616lb ft. Remember when even those numbers would have been shocking?Here we are again, then, with Porsche’s halo SUV getting lips flapping left, right and centre. Read on to find out whether the regular body, or the Coupe, might suit you better; whether you're a Cayenne Electric type of person at all; and, assuming you are, which model would likely convince you to say 'when' (or possibly even 'enough already', or 'STOP!')