News / 29 August 2023 / Albert du Toit

R3.4-million Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid revealed – The most powerful Cayenne ever

Porsche has ripped the covers off the new Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid which is the most powerful version of its kind ever created pushing out a total of 544kW courtesy of its electrified and turbocharged foundation.

The SUV is available in standard and coupe body styles, with price stating at R3,412,000 and R3,490,000, respectively, which includes a 5-year/100,000km Driveplan, Porsche South Africa confirmed to TopAuto.

Local order books for the new Cayennes are opening next week, with deliveries expected to commence later this year.

Twin-turbo hybrid

The Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid family is equipped with a 4.0-litre, V8, twin-turbocharged petrol engine that by itself is capable of producing a tremendous 441kW, but this wasn’t good enough to produce the “most powerful Cayenne of all time.”

To achieve this, Porsche went and added another electric motor with 130kW on tap, resulting in a combined power ceiling of 544kW and 950Nm for the Turbo E-Hybrid models.

The setup affords rather impressive statistics for any car, never mind such a sizeable SUV, including a 0-100km/h sprint of 3.7 seconds and a top speed of 295km/h.

Thanks to a larger 25.9kWh battery when compared to its predecessor, the new E-Hybrid also boasts an all-electric driving range of 82km, with the 11kW onboard charger pinning charging time at two and a half hours.

Befitting their flagship status, these Cayennes are equipped with two-chamber adaptive air suspension as standard, which makes it possible to adjust the rebound and compression stages of the suspension’s operation separately.

“This technology enhances comfort and safety in equal measure while offering an even wider spectrum between the Comfort and Sport Plus suspension settings,” said Porsche.

“The suspension combines confident handling in dynamic cornering with comfort-focused characteristics in slow driving situations and maximum suppression of pitch and roll.”

At no cost to the buyer, the Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus programme is also included, and optional extras take the form of the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control system and rear-axle steering.

Styling-wise, the range-topping Cayennes get model-exclusive front fascias incorporating enlarged air intakes highlighted by shiny black airblades, body-coloured rear bumpers and wheel arch trims, two twin tailpipes in brushed stainless steel, and red brake callipers.

Inside, aluminium inlays in the dashboard and the door panels, a Race-Tex roofliner, and a heated GT Sports steering wheel with a red drive mode selector continue the athletic look.

Standard equipment includes 18-way adjustable leather sports seats, HD-Matrix LED headlights, the new cockpit layout with a curved all-digital instrument cluster, and a redesigned centre console with an optional passenger display.

The ultimate Cayenne

For those who want the ultimate Cayenne on the market, Porsche has made available a GT Package for the first time, which brings an even more dynamic look as well as choice performance enhancements.

On the outside, the GT Package stands out with a specific front section with black accents, black wheel arch extensions, carbon sideplates on the roof spoiler, a lightweight carbon fibre roof, a carbon rear diffuser, a titanium exhaust with centrally-positioned tailpipes, 22-inch GT Design alloy wheels, and the high-performance Porsche Ceramic Composite brakes.

In addition, all chassis and control systems, including the air suspension, are specifically tuned for this model resulting in a 10mm-lower ride height, as well as more dynamic steering performance due to wider front wheels and GT-specific pivot bearings that increase the camber on the front axle by -0.58 degrees.

With this package, the Cayenne sprints to 100km/h in a quicker 3.6 seconds and charges ahead to a maximum of 305km/h.

The GT add-on is unlikely to be offered to local customers, however, as it’s limited to countries in which the normal Cayenne Turbo GT is no longer available due to local regulations.

“This applies to the majority of EU markets, as well as Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore,” said Porsche.

Fortunately, South Africa isn’t one of those markets as the fully-fledged Turbo GT is still on sale here for around R4.1 million.