Shock and Awe

Kristian Harrison took the Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric out for a test drive, discovering an SUV with supercar force and luxury polish.

There are fast SUVs, there are very fast SUVs and then there is the Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric, a family-sized machine that seems to have been engineered by people who thought physics needed to be challenged.

On paper, the numbers are outrageous. Porsche quotes up to 857PS in normal running, rising to 1,156PS with Overboost and Launch Control. Torque peaks at 1,500Nm, enough to make the Cayenne’s 2.6-tonne mass feel almost irrelevant. The 0-100km/h sprint takes just 2.5 seconds, whilst 0-200km/h arrives in 7.4 seconds. Read those figures twice if you must. They still seem absurd.

Then you feel them.

A Roller Coaster Road Car
The first proper acceleration run is the moment the Cayenne Turbo Electric stops being merely impressive and becomes genuinely shocking. Press the throttle hard and the response is instantaneous, silent for a heartbeat, then accompanied by Porsche Electric Sport Sound as the car hurls itself forward.

The sensation is not the familiar surge of a powerful petrol engine building boost and revs. It is a shove to the chest, a sudden tightening of the neck and shoulders and the unmistakable feeling of G-forces pressing you deep into the seat. 
It feels more like a roller coaster launch than a road car, made stranger by the fact that you are sitting in a luxurious SUV with rear seats, air conditioning and space for a family holiday.

The Push-to-Pass function adds another layer of theatre, giving an immediate burst of power when you want it. It is the kind of performance that makes short overtakes disappear before you have finished thinking about them. Yet what makes it special is the composure around the speed. The Cayenne does not panic. It just goes.

Heavy, But Never Clumsy
That is the real Porsche trick here. The Cayenne Turbo Electric is long, wide and heavy, measuring almost five metres and carrying a 113kWh battery, but it never feels lazy. The steering has the reassuring precision you expect from the badge and the adaptive air suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management keeps the body controlled without making the ride brittle.

On Bahrain’s smoother stretches it feels calm and planted, but even when the road surface becomes less perfect, the Cayenne retains a sense of isolation and control. You feel the weight if you go looking for it, particularly under hard braking or quick direction changes, but the car manages it with remarkable discipline. Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus and four-wheel drive help it fire out of bends with ridiculous confidence.

The active aerodynamics also play their part. The Active Air Intake Flaps, adaptive roof spoiler and active Aeroblades are not there for show. They help the car cut through the air, cool itself and stay composed at speed, all while giving the Cayenne a more technical edge.

Luxury With A Pulse
Visually, the test car made an immediate impression in Mystic Green Metallic, especially with the 22-inch Cayenne SportTechno wheels, SportDesign Package in high-gloss black and Glacier Iceblue lighting details. It looks sleeker than a traditional Cayenne, but still muscular from the rear, with enough width and stance to remind you this is no ordinary EV.

Inside, it feels every inch the modern Porsche flagship. The Black and Sage Grey two-tone leather gives the cabin a fresh, premium atmosphere, while the 18-way adaptive sports seats offer the support needed when you test the acceleration again. Seat ventilation is welcome in Bahrain, as are the four-zone climate control, Air Quality System and thermally insulated glass.

The curved digital driver display, central screen and optional 14.9-inch passenger display give the cabin a high-tech feel without losing the familiar Porsche driving position. The augmented reality head-up display is particularly useful, placing information cleanly in the driver’s line of sight. Mood Modes add ambience and the BOSE Surround Sound System gives the cabin the audio quality expected at this level.
Practicality has not been forgotten either. There is a 90-litre front luggage compartment, 747 litres behind the rear seats and up to 1,554 litres with the seats folded. This is still a Cayenne, after all, and part of its appeal is that it can deliver outrageous performance without abandoning everyday usefulness.

Charging is equally serious. The battery has a gross capacity of 113kWh, the quoted combined range is up to 669km and maximum DC charging power is 390kW. Under ideal conditions, 10-80 percent charging can take as little as 16 minutes, helping make the performance feel less like a novelty and more like a usable future.

After a completely thrilling whirlwind of a test drive experience, the Cayenne Turbo Electric can only be described as extravagant, dramatic and occasionally ridiculous. Yet after driving it, the madness starts to make sense. This is a luxury SUV that can cruise quietly, cosset passengers and then, with one firm press of the accelerator, deliver acceleration fierce enough to make you laugh out loud.

For more information:
Call: 17459911
Visit: Porsche Centre Bahrain, Sitra
 

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