There was a time when 700-plus horsepower was unheard of in a series-production sport utility vehicle. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles broke this barrier with the 2018 model year Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, a Hellcat-powered brute with 707 ponies and 645 pound-feet (875 Nm) from a 6.2-liter blown V8.
The Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat followed suit with 710 horsepower. New for 2024, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid entices prospective customers with a plug-in hybrid twin-turbo V8 powertrain rated at 729 horsepower. That's more than Ferrari offers in the 715-hp Purosangue, yet it's not the most powerful series-production sport utility vehicle on sale right now.
Porsche is ranked in second place, for the aesthetically challenged BMW XM Label Red is rocking 738 horsepower at full chatter. Based on looks, however, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid is the clear winner by most accounts. That's not all, though. At $148,550 with destination (make that $153,050 for the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe), the Porker is a better deal as well. The XM Label Red stickers at $185,995.
Scheduled to arrive in North American showrooms in spring 2024, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid belts out 591 horsepower from a twin-turbo V8 shared with Audi, Bentley, and Lamborghini. The 4.0-liter mill could have been tuned more aggressively, though. Porsche quotes 650 horsepower in the internal combustion-only Cayenne Turbo GT Coupe, whereas the Lamborghini Urus S and Performante crank out 657 horsepower.
Some might say that Porsche restricted the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid's engine for the sake of the ZF-supplied automatic transmission, although the aforementioned examples prove this hypothesis wrong. As you might have guessed by now, the Volkswagen Group couldn't allow a Cayenne to be more powerful than an Urus.
The 591-hp eighter is assisted by a 174-hp electric motor. Combined, they develop 700 pound-feet (950 Nm) of tire-shredding torque. A lot more than Ferrari's V12-powered Purosangue, yet not as much as the 738 pound-feet (1,000 Nm) of the BMW XM Label Red.
Photo: Porsche
Over in Europe, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid promises 3.7 seconds to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour). That's 3.5 seconds to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in the United States. The Urus Performante and Ferrari Purosangue are quicker, with both promising to clock 100 kph in just 3.3 seconds. Porsche claims the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid tops 295 kilometers per hour (183 miles per hour).
Being a plug-in hybrid, you're likely curious to find out how much electric range this fellow sports. The answer is 82 kilometers (51 miles) in the WLTP's urban test cycle and no more than 73 kilometers (45 miles) in the WLTP's combined test cycle. Porsche didn't share the Environmental Protection Agency's estimate for the newcomer. For future reference, the pre-facelift variant is good for up to 11 miles (18 kilometers).
Truth be told, Porsche did work its magic. The lithium-ion battery offers 25.9 kWh, up from 14.1 kWh. Charging times have also shortened thanks to an 11-kW onboard charger, namely 2.5 hours to full.
Porsche didn't forget Porsches are great-handling vehicles either, gifting the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid with trick adaptive air suspension that incorporates two-chamber and two-valve technology. Standard Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus also needs to be highlighted, along with optional go-faster goodies such as a rear-axle steering system and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control.
Supremely comfortable and luxurious inside, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid stands out with the help of its Race-Tex headliner, a quad exhaust for the standard body style, two outlets for the coupe, and large brake calipers painted in red (or yellow for the carbon-ceramic brakes). More information on the 2024 Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid is available in the release below.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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