Pros: gobsmacking performance, good range, incredible chassis, comfortable and refined
Cons: less practical than regular Cayenne, costs a lot
Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe Electric Design
With a ‘fly line’ – the shape of the front windscreen, roof and tailgate taken as a whole when viewed from the side of the vehicle – that is supposed to be reminiscent of the 911, the Porsche Cayenne Coupe Electric cuts a rakish dash. In relation to the existing Cayenne Electric with which it shares so much, the only dimension in which it is different is height, so the Coupe stands 24mm closer to the ground.
And, like the full-sized SUV, the Cayenne Coupe Electric uses the same active aerodynamic aids to help it cut through the air more efficiently, with a low coefficient-of-drag figure of 0.23. Details include opening and closing brake-cooling vents in the front bumper, a deployable spoiler on the lip of the boot, and – for the Turbo flagship only – vertical ‘Active Aeroblades’ which pop out from the trailing edges of the rear wings when the Porsche is travelling at speed.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe Electric Interior
The interior of the Porsche Cayenne Electric family, Coupe or otherwise, is predicated on a new interface system which brings in a huge amount of digital-display technology. The centrepiece is the attractive and pleasing-to-use OLED ‘Flow Display’, a screen with a kink in it about two-thirds of the way down its face. Flanking that are a huge 14.25-inch ‘Curved Display’ instrument cluster, which is larger than in other Porsche products (where it usually measures 12.6 inches), and an optional 14.9-inch passenger display. For the driver, a vast augmented-reality head-up display also comes into force, which has an effective field of view of 87 inches.
Although buyers who are looking at the Cayenne Coupe Electric will not be comparing it to the regular-shaped SUV, it is beholden on us to say that choosing the sleeker-looking Porsche machine does somewhat limit headroom for passengers in the rear, while the boot capacity is also trimmed from a peak of 781 litres in the SUV to 534 litres in the Coupe; and the Turbo version goes even lower, to 500 litres. However, the boot remains a practical, usable space, the rear-seat legroom is very generous, there’s another 90 litres of storage volume under the bonnet of the Cayenne Coupe Electric, and generally the material quality throughout the cabin is exceptional.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe Electric Performance & Drive
With the three powertrains from the Cayenne Electric carried over to the Coupe, Porsche buyers have a choice of strong performance across the board – but there’s a model at the top of the tree which can go down the road quicker than most supercars.
The base-spec Cayenne Coupe Electric can deliver up to 442hp and 835Nm, leading to a 0-100km/h time of just 4.8 seconds. Its slippery shape allows it to go up to 661km to a single charge of the same 108kWh battery used across the three-car line-up.
Moving up, the Cayenne S Coupe Electric increases outputs 666hp/1,080Nm, reducing the 0-100km/h time to 3.8 seconds but also improving the quoted range to 669km.
And finally, there’s the monster Cayenne Turbo Coupe Electric. This has peak outputs of 1,156hp and 1,500Nm, resulting in a 2.5-second 0-100km/h time. The peak range here is 637km.
We drove the Turbo and it is breathtaking how fast it is, but then lots of high-output dual-motor EVs can feel like that. What’s much more impressive is the deft and enjoyable way the Turbo Coupe Electric handles – it has a glut of advanced chassis hardware to help with this, although it does all work beautifully – plus the fact that it is supremely quiet and spectacularly refined if you’re just driving it like, well, an SUV. Dynamically, the Cayenne Coupe Electric excels in all departments.
It’s even almost as fast to charge as it is to barrel down the road. The 800-volt architecture allows for a 400kW DC peak rate of replenishment, which will run a 10-80 per cent top-up of the battery in less than 16 minutes. Further charging benefits include optional 22kW AC capability and even wireless charging via an 11kW unit which can sit on your garage floor.
Porsche Cayenne Turbo Coupe Electric Pricing
Having the Coupe over the equivalent Porsche Cayenne Electric model results in prices 3.1-3.6 per cent more expensive on the base car – starting at €117,795 - and the S, and 1.82 per cent dearer for the Turbo. These are not huge uplifts when you’re talking about cars which are well into six figures in all specifications, but it’s worth remembering that the Coupe asks you to sacrifice some rear-passenger headroom and quite a chunk of boot space, all for a tiny increase in range model-for-model and an additional €3,265-€4,245 of cash on top. There are no performance gains on any Coupe model, as they weigh the same as their SUV counterparts, while the handling and ride comfort are also the same too. You’re therefore choosing the Coupe purely on its aesthetic value alone.
Carzone Verdict
Broadening the appeal of the Porsche Cayenne Electric family, the new Coupe model is a storming creation that does many, many things to an incredibly high standard, and which is notably flawed in no single area. The amazing way this swoopy-roofed SUV rides and handles, the quality of its interior and the appeal of its looks, and of course the sheer speed of the thing – especially so as the Turbo – all make it stick in your memory, long after you’ve got out of the vehicle and walked away from it. It’s a quite brilliant zero-emission form of transport and yet another exceptional product from Porsche.