What is it?
The Cayenne has traditionally been one of Porsche’s most popular cars
Throughout its long and varied history, Porsche has offered ‘S’ models which bring a little extra performance than the base car, but without the mad-hat lunacy of high-performance Turbo cars. Now, it’s the latest Cayenne Electric’s turn to get this treatment, with a new ‘S’ car being introduced to sandwich between the standard car and the faster Turbo S.
Usually, these cars offer a sweet spot in the line-up, but is that the case with the Cayenne Electric? We’ve been in Porsche’s native Germany to find out.
What’s new?
The car corners keenly and with little roll
The S trim serves to plug the gap between the standard Cayenne Electric and the range-topping Turbo S. As such, you’ll find that it offers a middle-ground in terms of performance, equipment and price. It still comes in at £99,900, mind you, but that’s some way off the £130,900 you’ll spend on a Turbo S.
You’ll also be able to get the S in either standard SUV or Coupe bodystyles, with the latter bringing a slight bump in range due to its more aerodynamic design, albeit at the detriment of rear-seat headroom.
What’s under the bonnet?
A compact spoiler hints at the car’s performance
As with the rest of the range, the Cayenne Electric S incorporates a dual-motor setup to provide all-wheel-drive. In this model, you’re getting a still-substantial 657bhp and 1,080Nm of torque, which equates to a 0-60mph time of just 3.5 seconds. Given the space, the Cayenne Electric S would manage a top speed of 155mph, too.
Range-wise, the Cayenne’s large battery helps it to deliver up to 403 miles from a single charge. Thanks to a top charge rating of 390kW, you should be able to get the car’s battery from 10 to 80 per cent in 16 minutes. Porsche has also developed a clever wireless charger for the Cayenne Electric, too; simply drive over an electric ‘pad’ installed in the ground and the car will charge at speeds of up to 11kW completely wirelessly. It’s quick enough for a full charge overnight and means you don’t have to worry about cables.
What’s it like to drive?
The S is available in both SUV and Coupe bodystyles
Given its power output and acceleration times, it’ll come as no surprise that the Cayenne Electric S still feels very fast out on the road, even if it is a second slower going from 0-60mph than the Turbo S. In truth, the S brings all of the performance that you could really want, and there’s never any shortage of punch when you need it.
In slower types of driving, the Cayenne S performs well. Its ride quality is more than adequate to deal with larger bumps in the road, while the standard air suspension gives the whole car a lovely ‘floating’ feeling when you’re moving along. There’s little roll through the corners despite this, which helps to build confidence when you’re going around a bend. It’s still a large car, of course, but it’s very easy to position right where you want it.
How does it look?
The battery is mounted low under the car
In SUV form, the Cayenne Electric is quite a handsome thing, in our opinion, of course. There are a few ways to tell the S apart from the rest of the Cayenne Electric range, too, including Volcano Grey-painted front and rear spoilers, alongside a body-coloured diffuser and 20-inch wheels.
Of course, being a Porsche means that there’s a near-endless number of customisation options available to buyers – you can even change the colours of the alloy wheels to match the main paint of the car, albeit for an extra cost.
What’s it like inside?
There’s a good mix of physical and screen-based controls
Porsche has managed to bring together a great blend of solid materials and more high-tech features inside the Cayenne Electric’s interior. The main screen, for instance, is curved and packed with features, but you’ve also got a handy row of physical buttons for elements such as the volume and ventilation controls. It makes things a lot more intuitive to use when you’re on the move than a screen-centric setup, and it’s a far safer one, too.
Space-wise, things are good too. Space in the rear is more than plentiful enough, though it’s odd to find a chunky transmission tunnel blocking middle-seat space. At 781 litres, the boot in the Cayenne Electric S is more than large enough for most occasions, and you can always fold down the rear seats if you need more space.
What’s the spec like?
The roof can be controlled via a switch
As mentioned, the Cayenne S starts at a shade under £100,000, which does make it an expensive proposition. However, for that amount, you are getting sportscar-rivalling performance and a whole host of innovations. Plus, the Cayenne’s build quality truly lives up to the price tag and every part that you can press or prod feels special.
Standard equipment includes 20-inch alloy wheels and high-performance Matrix LED headlights, alongside two-zone climate control with full app integration so you can warm or cool the car remotely via your smartphone. The main screen is also very intuitive to use and because of that curved shape, it feels more ergonomic to operate. A useful handrest placed just ahead of it helps, too.
Verdict
As is normally the case, it feels as though the S is now the best pick of the Cayenne range. It brings more than enough performance while still being more than usable and comfortable enough for daily driving. We like the intuitive mix of screens and physical buttons, too.
It is expensive, but this is hardly out of touch with the rest of Porsche’s range. In the S, you’re getting a rounded electric car that still has plenty of the ‘wow’ factor you’d expect from one of this brand’s cars.
Model as tested: Porsche Cayenne S ElectricPrice: £99,900Engine: Dual electric motorPower: 657bhpTorque: 1,080NmMax speed: 155mph0-60mph: 3.5 secondsMPG: NAEmissions: 0g/kmRange: 403 milesMaximum charge speed: 390kW