Alongside that exceptional power, something else Porsche has done pretty well ever since the Taycan arrived is augmented noise. Yes, if you’re used to the unmistakable sound of a flat-six, the synthesised bass of Porsche’s EVs might disappoint, but we think it suits the Cayenne Electric’s nature.
Those straight-line figures are all the more impressive when you factor in the Cayenne Electric Coupé’s weight. There is a Lightweight Sports package bespoke to the Coupé which replaces the vast panoramic sunroof with a carbon roof, and features 22-inch wheels with performance tyres, a sports steering wheel and various bits of carbon trim, removing 17.6kg in the process. It’s a mere drop in the ocean when you consider the Cayenne’s 2,650kg total, though, and at £13,190 can’t be recommended.
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Porsche insists the Cayenne Coupé Electric is still a “true Cayenne” when it comes to comfort and dynamics and “one of the most emotional SUVs” you can buy. To deliver on this, it has slathered the Cayenne Electric’s chassis in technology. For a start, there’s a new version of Porsche’s hydraulic Active Ride system. A £6,799 option on the S and Turbo, Active Ride looks to offset lateral force on wheels in place of a traditional anti-roll bar.
On our car it works in tandem with the rear-wheel steer (another option at £1,389) to provide stability, although in Comfort driving mode in particular we found the big Porsche occasionally feeling fidgety, such as when going over creases on long, curving slip roads or even just changing lanes on high-speed stretches of the Autobahn. It’s worth pointing out that our car was fitted with ultra-wide Pirelli P Zero R high-performance tyres and most of the nervousness occurred in the wet.
