Porsche has added a battery-electric Cayenne to its largest SUV range, and the S Coupé tested here sits between the base and Turbo models. The S produces up to 400 kW in normal driving and 490 kW with Launch Control. Porsche quotes 3.8 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and a 250 km/h top speed, against 4.8 seconds and 230 km/h for the base model and 2.5 seconds and 260 km/h for the Turbo. Even the entry version would be sufficient for everyday driving.
Platform changes and cooling
The Cayenne uses the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) that also underpins the Macan, but Porsche re-engineered two central components for the larger model: the battery is integrated more deeply into the vehicle structure, and the S uses an oil-direct-cooled rear-axle motor. The optional Porsche Active Ride adaptive suspension is used in an SUV for the first time here. Both axles have permanently excited synchronous machines. The front motor is essentially derived from the Macan, while the rear unit is exclusive to the S and Turbo; the base model uses water cooling. Porsche obtains the Turbo’s extra output through a longer version of the same motor design. The rear motor’s electrically non-conductive oil draws heat directly from the copper windings, whereas conventional water-jacket cooling must first bring heat to an outer jacket. Porsche says this helps sustain performance under high loads and cites motor efficiency of up to 98 per cent.
Battery and preconditioning
The battery has 113 kWh gross and around 108 kWh usable, with six modules and 192 pouch cells—a change from the Macan’s prismatic cells. A nickel-rich NMCA cathode with roughly 86 per cent nickel and an anode with six per cent silicon raise energy density by about seven per cent compared with the previous NMC-811 chemistry. The pack holds eight kilowatt-hours more than the Taycan’s and is around 103 litres more compact. Silicon also supports fast charging, but full power requires the correct battery temperature window. Two cooling plates per module heat or cool cells from above and below. Pre-conditioning is triggered automatically through the Charging Planner when a charging stop is set as a navigation destination. Porsche does not otherwise offer a manual start, so a driver arriving spontaneously at a fast charger cannot specifically pre-heat the battery.
Fast charging as the strongest argument
The charging curve is designed to peak early. More than 300 kW is available from around five per cent state of charge (SoC), with the theoretical maximum at around 55 per cent. In the test at an EnBW HyperCharger, 333 kW was available at 12 per cent SoC and around 360 kW from 13 per cent. Power rose slowly to a maximum of 386 kW at 44 per cent. The data-sheet figure of 390 kW was just missed, which the test attributes to the charger: Porsche provides 390 kW only above 520 amps, while the HyperCharger delivers a maximum of 500. After the first power drop, the Cayenne continued at around 290 kW. Between roughly 60 and 71 per cent it maintained around 270 kW, and at 80 per cent it still delivered 183 kW. The test timer recorded around 16 minutes from 10 to 80 per cent, matching the specification—a competitive figure in this class.
Quiet Charging and its limits
The main drawback observed was noise: the cooling fans were noticeably loud during fast charging and for a short time afterwards. A second session used Porsche’s Quiet Charging mode, which can only be activated manually via the display after charging has started. It reduces fan speed, lowers cooling performance and lets the battery heat faster, so the vehicle must reduce charging power earlier when the battery reaches its limit temperature. In the comparison, the car was noticeably quieter, but 10 to 80 per cent still took 16 minutes. Peak power was almost identical at 385 kW, although the curves differed: in Quiet mode the high plateau ended at 42 per cent, and at 44 per cent power was 325 kW versus 386 kW in Normal mode. The test cautions that this cannot be generalised from one run each.
Chassis and driving behaviour
Acceleration is only part of the story. The standard S Coupé has a kerb weight of 2,560 kilograms, so the suspension must control that mass in corners, under braking and on poor roads. Adaptive air suspension with electronic damper control is standard. The test car added Porsche Active Ride for €8,324. Its active dampers are connected to a motor-pump unit on each axle, generating targeted forces at each wheel without mechanical stabilisers. In Comfort mode, the system can overcompensate for roll and pitch to reduce the forces acting on occupants. Sport and Sport Plus keep the body flat without becoming uncomfortably hard. With precise steering and rear-axle steering, the S feels more agile than its size and weight suggest, though pushed too far it understeers out of a curve, and the 22-inch wheels transmit short, sharp edges into the cabin. Rear-axle steering costs just under €1,700 and reduces the turning circle from 12.7 to 11.6 metres.
Efficiency, range and AC charging
For the tested configuration, Porsche quotes a combined WLTP range of 616 kilometres. The S Coupé range extends up to 669 kilometres, while the S SUV reaches up to 653 kilometres. Among Coupé variants, the S Coupé figure is the highest: the base model reaches up to 661 kilometres and the Turbo up to 637 kilometres. On mixed routes, consumption varied between around 20 and 27 kWh/100 km. Gentle driving approached 20 kWh/100 km; everyday mixed driving settled around 24 kWh/100 km; higher motorway speeds were just under 27 kWh/100 km. With around 108 kWh usable, 24 kWh/100 km theoretically equates to about 450 kilometres on a full charge, or around 315 kilometres using the 80 to 10 per cent window. The optional 22 kW AC charger costs €1,666 and reduces the specified 0 to 100 per cent charging time from 11 to 5.8 hours; 11 kW is standard. Since the model-year change in September 2026, inductive charging has also been regularly available to order.
Cabin, practicality and price
The cockpit offers comfortable seating and adequate front space, with infotainment controlled through the curved Flow Display. A separate control strip gives direct access to volume and climate settings, though some functions are buried in submenus and the navigation map sometimes moves abruptly. Optional surface heating costs €934 and warms the armrests and door panels. The Coupé’s flatter roofline slightly reduces practicality compared with the SUV: luggage capacity is 534 to 1,347 litres, plus 90 litres in the front compartment. All three electric Cayenne variants can tow up to 3 tonnes when braked as standard; the optional Off-Road Package at €2,492 raises this to up to 3.5 tonnes.
Evaluation and target audience
The S Coupé starts at €130,300, but the test car’s options added €69,440, bringing the price to €199,740. The test notes that a Porsche test car climbing far above its base price is less an exception than a rule: a relatively modest entry price meets a long, high-priced options list, and expensive extras with low production costs are particularly profitable. That matters for evaluation: the driving experience with active suspension and rear-axle steering cannot be directly transferred to a standard base S. The large battery and high DC charging power, however, are already part of the basic technical offering. In competition, the S faces the BMW iX5, the Mercedes EQS SUV and the Audi SQ8 e-tron. The further-developed PPE is most convincing at the fast charger, where the Cayenne S Coupé turns data-sheet values into reliable real-world performance: 386 kW at peak and around 16 minutes from 10 to 80 per cent. On the road, the S combines sovereign propulsion with a surprisingly versatile suspension. Weight, operation and price remain noticeable counterarguments. Porsche sells to a wealthy, brand-loyal clientele that configures its vehicles consciously and lavishly, and the electric Cayenne is tailored to that audience.