Although recognizably from the same Porsche family, the all-electric Cayenne is based on its own architecture and has nothing in common with the gas-powered versions.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
For most of us, there’s no such thing as an affordable Porsche. However, the new Cayenne Electric may not be quite as unaffordable as early reports indicated.
When the automaker first shared its new electric SUV with the press in March, it led with the flagship Turbo model – all 1,156 horsepower of it with overboost launch control, which catapults the $178,000, 2.7-tonne brute from standstill to 100 kilometres an hour in a gut-wrenching 2.5 seconds.
Easily overlooked amid all the hype is that the Turbo is just one model in an expanding electric lineup that starts at “only” $131,300 for the 402-horsepower (435 with overboost) base model. That’s nearly $47,000 less than the Turbo.
Now Porsche is fleshing out the lineup with a mid-tier S model that starts at $142,600, offering 536-horsepower – or 657 horsepower with overboost launch control. Buyers can also opt for the Coupe body style, which adds $2,900 to the base and S models, and $3,600 to the Turbo. And don’t be surprised if GTS models further broaden the selection before long.
Of course, as with all Porsches, a catalogue of other options – from functional to frivolous – encourages customers to bloat the bottom line. In the case of the 911, Frank Moser, vice-president of the 911 and 718 model lines, told me recently that the options menu typically extracts an additional €20,000 to €35,000 – roughly $32,000 to $57,000 – from each customer.
Common to all Cayenne Electrics is a new platform, codenamed PPE-41C. It leverages elements from the smaller Macan Electric and shares absolutely no parts – well, maybe the hood badge – with the established gas-powered Cayennes. Despite this, both gas and electric Cayennes are built on the same production line in Bratislava, Slovakia. This feat of production engineering allows Porsche to easily adjust the gas versus electric mix to match market demand.
The whole idea of an SUV Coupe is arguably still silly, but at least this one looks better than most.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
With the optional passenger-side display, front-seaters face wall-to-wall screens, but fortunately Porsche retains hard buttons for familiar functions.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
A day spent driving Cayenne S models around the Stuttgart area didn’t challenge their range, which claims up to 669 kilometres by the optimistic European WLTP test protocol. But a recharging stop was still part of the program. The reason: to sample Porsche’s expanding network of Charging Lounges.
As the name suggests, these dedicated facilities include an indoor seating area with a coffee machine, which is ironic given how little time customers will actually spend there. The chargers can deliver up to 400 kilowatts, and Porsche promises that each pedestal can deliver full juice even when all are in use.
The interior of a Porsche Lounge – comfy enough but not so much so that users might want to overstay their welcome.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
The Porsche Lounge, which we sampled with this Turbo Coupe, was close to the autobahn in a light industrial area near Stuttgart – reasonably convenient but not exactly scenic.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
That rate of electron replenishment matches the Cayenne’s own internal DC fast-charging limit – though good luck finding any chargers that potent in Canada – at which the hefty 113-kilowatt-hour battery can go from 10 to 80 per cent state of charge in less than 16 minutes.
For Level 2 AC charging, a 9.6-kilowatt onboard charger comes standard in Canada, though buyers can upgrade to a 19.2-kilowatt unit. Also in the pipeline is an 11-kilowatt wireless inductive charger. Availability and pricing of the external charging pad, which you would place on your garage floor, is yet to be determined. But if you think you’ll want it, you need to order your Cayenne with the Preparation for Porsche Wireless Charging kit, a $270 option.
Back on the autobahn, we were struck by the absence of wind noise at speeds approaching 200 kilometres an hour. Traffic conditions on the increasingly rare limit-free sections kept us from reaching the S model’s claimed 250 kilometres an hour maximum speed. Of course, it turns out the test Cayennes were equipped with thermally- and noise-insulated glass, an $1,170 option.
We were also struck by how much energy the Cayenne could recuperate – Porsche says up to 600 kilowatts – when braking from those elevated speeds. After a 220-kilometre day of mixed driving, including those autobahn bursts, our Cayenne S SUV recorded an average consumption of 22.8 kilowatt-hours per 100 kilometres. That’s more than respectable for a hard-driven vehicle of that size and performance.
It’s also sobering to consider that the S model’s 3.8-second zero-to-100-kilometres-an-hour time takes a yawning 52 per cent longer – an eternity, really – than the Turbo, yet it remains one of the quickest SUVs you can buy.
The Porsche Lounge concept is confined to Europe. Meanwhile, in North America, electric Porsches can now be charged on the Tesla Supercharger network.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
As with their extra-cost autobahn quietness, the test Cayennes’ back-road talents were amplified because they were festooned with every relevant option. These included active ride suspension, rear-axle steering, torque vectoring, ceramic brakes and, in one case, a $20,000 Lightweight Package. Thus equipped, the Cayenne Electric serves up a rare blend of a pliant ride with taut handling. However, we found these dynamic capabilities were delivered with a rather remote and robotic feel, and not at the same suspension-of-disbelief levels as gas-powered Cayennes we’ve experienced in the past.
The electric model is, of course, hundreds of kilograms heavier, as well as longer in both wheelbase and overall length than its gas sibling. The rear cabin is genuinely roomy and comfortable for adults, featuring a standard electric backrest recline. The Coupe does sacrifices the SUV’s fore-aft seat adjustment, and some headroom, but I suspect the Coupe’s sleeker look will more than compensate for most buyers. To my eyes, it looks better than the coupe versions of rival SUVs.
A bigger sacrifice, however, is in cargo room: the Coupe provides 534 litres with the seats up and 1,347 with them folded down versus the SUV’s 781 and 1,588 litres, respectively. Both body styles also have a 90-litre frunk.
From the driver’s seat, you won’t notice much difference from what we reported last March – well, except when looking through the rearview mirror. However, for all the sitting comfort and every-which-way adjustability enabled by the up-to-18-way seats, I would have liked more height adjustment. Optimal sightlines are diminished by the stout A-pillars and a high-mounted door mirror. As well, the large digital gauge cluster is likely to be at least partially obscured by the steering wheel rim.
The six new Electric models expand the Canadian Cayenne catalogue to 19 permutations across gas, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric powertrains, and four body shapes. Prices range from $96,400 for the base SUV up to $231,400 for the Turbo GT Coupe.
With the drive toward universal electrification at a pause-and-reconsider moment, Porsche customers are spoiled for choice. Now we just need the same power of choice to be available in vehicles the rest of us can afford.
The “gauge-cluster” screen can be configured multiple ways, but depending how you sit, it may be partially obscured by the wheel rim.Jeremy Sinek/The Globe and Mail
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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