First Ride: 2026 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric Hauls More Than Just Ass

Porsche is attaching loud numbers to the 2026 Cayenne Turbo Electric. Car and Driver’s first ride report cited a peak output figure north of 1,000 horsepower and a curb weight that is nearly three tons.

That is the part everyone will repeat. The part that matters is whether it works like a Cayenne in real life, which means towing, commuting, and doing school runs in the same week.

The tow rating is the practical headline. The early reporting put it at 7,716 pounds. That is real utility, and it is the number that separates an electric SUV that can do weekend work from one that is basically a fast lounge chair.

Towing is also where electric reality shows up fast. A big trailer is range and aerodynamics turning into heat. You can have a 300-mile rated SUV and still spend your trip thinking in 150-mile chunks once you hook something heavy to the back.

This is where Porsche is leaning on voltage. The company has talked up an 800-volt system and very high DC fast charging power on the right charger. Car and Driver cited a 10% to 80% session in roughly the mid teens of minutes under ideal conditions. In the real world, the charger you find is often the limiting factor, not the car.

The interior pitch is pure modern Porsche. Screens are everywhere. Some buyers will love that. Some will miss the old days where you could adjust something with a knob without waking up an entire user interface.

There is one detail I keep thinking about. Porsche has mentioned heated touch points beyond the seats and steering wheel. If you live somewhere cold, warm armrests and door panels matter more on a daily basis than a headline 0 to 60 time.

Porsche also offers artificial drivetrain sound. If the point of the electric Cayenne is effortlessness, the best version of that feature is probably the off button.

The Cayenne Turbo Electric looks like Porsche trying to build an electric SUV that does not ask you to change your life. The first read suggests it might pull it off, but the answer will hinge on ordinary things, like how it charges on the chargers you actually use and how it behaves once the trailer is attached.