Porsche has taken the covers off the most powerful Cayenne ever with the introduction of the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid.
Available in either SUV or Coupé body styles, the Turbo E-Hybrid packs a whopping 729 hp (544 kW) and 950 Nm (700 lb-ft) of torque. This is a combination of an “extensively reworked” twin-turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 pushing out 591 hp as well as a 174 hp electric motor. The result is Porsche’s current most powerful ICE car and a 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) sprint time of 3.7 seconds.
In many European markets with strict emissions regulations, it will serve as Porsche’s indirect replacement for the high-performance Cayenne Turbo GT which will remain available in South Africa.
The SUV features a larger 25.9-kWh battery pack, which the automaker mounts under the cargo area. Porsche says a new 11-kW on-board charger with a suitable power source can reduce the battery’s charging time to under 2.5 hours.
Additional upgrades under the bodywork include a two-chamber, two-valve adaptive air suspension system as well as an enhanced Torque Vectoring Plus system.
On the outside, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid is equipped with ‘high-definition’ Matrix LED headlights, while it can also be distinguished from other Turbo models by its brushed stainless steel exhaust pipes and red brake calipers.
Hop inside and you will be greeted with aluminium dashboard inlays and door panel trims, a heated GT sports steering wheel and 18-way power-adjustable leather sports seats.
Certain markets will also be offered the ‘GT Package’, which adds certain styling and mechanical upgrades from the Turbo GT.
At the time of writing the local pricing was not yet available but we are expecting it to be about R600k below the pricing of the Turbo GT which retails from R4,1m.
UPDATE (our guesstimate was spot on):
Local pricing is as follows:
Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid – R3,412,000
Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Coupé – R3,490,000