The Porsche Cayenne Turbo EV's Performance Makes No Sense for a 6,000-LB SUV
It's difficult to believe that something so heavy can accelerate faster than some of the most extreme performance cars in the world.
The Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric made some splashy headlines last week with instrument-tested performance figures that would embarrass most supercars. And not just its straight-line speed, either. Its braking and lateral g-forces were astonishing, too, beating out cars like the Corvette ZR1. To read about the figures is one thing, but to actually see the Cayenne do it is another. And in this video from Out of Spec Studios, you get to witness Porsche's dominance with your own eyes.
I'll admit that watching electric performance cars is far less exciting than actually being in them, because their lack of noise removes much of what makes cars thrilling to watch. Even with that emotional disadvantage, the electric Cayenne Turbo manages to impress. On an empty test track, host Kyle Conner does several straight-line acceleration runs to test both 0-60 and quarter-mile times. Both of which are mind-boggling. Then he tests braking distances and those figures melt the mind even further.
Modern performance cars are so fast that seeing sub-three-second 0-60 mph times is pretty common. However, to see a 6,150-pound electric SUV fire off a 2.279-second 0-60 time is just ridiculous. With a one-foot rollout, that time drops to 2.142 seconds. That's Ferrari 296 GTB territory in an electric SUV that seats five. What's even more impressive is its consistency. Its quarter-mile times were all in the 9.6-second range, and it crossed the line in the 143 mph range every since time.
What about when it comes time to haul that 6,150 pounds down from speed? Even without carbon ceramics, Conner's test car stopped from 75-0 mph in just 147 feet. The next closest car Out of Spec tested the same way was the Tesla Model X AWD, which did it in 182 feet. That about 2.5 car lengths shorter. To put this even further in perspective, Car and Driver saw the Cayenne match the Corvette ZR1's braking distance. Sheesh.
While it's never surprising to see any Porsche model with "Turbo" in its name lay down some impressive performance numbers, the Cayenne Turbo's dominance is wild to see. SUVs as big and as heavy as the Cayenne Turbo should not be able to embarrass supercars in every single metric. I can understand the acceleration thing, as the Cayenne Turbo has 1,139 instant electric horsepower. But to brake as well as a lightweight mid-engine supercar is just not normal.
So regardless of what you drive, if you see a Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric on the road, do not pick a fight with it. You'll lose.
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