Porsche has just invited us out to Barcelona, Spain where we got some seat time in the new Cayenne E-Performance models. This includes the Cayenne S E-Hybrid, S E-Hybrid Coupe, the Turbo E-Hybrid, and the Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe.

We first arrived at the Parcmotor Castelloli race track and I immediately got to jump into the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe for some hot laps. This track was rather technical with a lot of elevation change so we got to see what the V-8 with the electric motor could really do. Pumping out a combined 729 hp and 700 lb-ft of torque, this 5,719 lb SUV felt anything but heavy. Eating up the straight aways with the V-8 hitting all the right notes. Some of the best sounds came from the down shifts as we worked the brakes hard in steep downhill sections going into hairpin corners. Porsche offers rear wheel steering in all the Cayenne E-Performance models as well and this really helped the maneuverability here on the track. Skirting the rear end around you just a little, added a huge sense of confidence and eliminated any understeer while I was driving.

While on the street the Turbo model works well as a daily cruiser. Comfortable seating, luxury all around, and multiple drive modes to suit whatever kind or driving experience you want on that particular day. Running solely on battery power there this PHEV has enough juice to get you around town to do all of your daily errands. For a daily driver however, my pick would be the Cayenne S E-Hybrid Model. I got to spend the majority of my time driving the S around the mountain roads and through small hilltop villages about an hour outside of Barcelona.

“So there are five drive modes in this vehicle: Off-Road, E-Power, Hybrid, Sport, & Sport Plus. And I spent some time in downtown Barcelona just under the E-Power. Plenty of torque to get you up to speed quickly with the let’s just say ‘aggressive’ drivers that are in Barcelona. If you need to just pop out for some groceries or do a quick errand, E-Power mode has got you.

You don’t have to use any of your fuel and there’s plenty of miles on the charge to do a nice round of errands wherever it is that you happen to live. And if you live 10 miles away from town, I think you’re going to be just fine. You’re not going to run into any issues, there shouldn’t be any range anxiety because Porsche has designed this to have enough miles on it that you are not going to have to worry about that while under the E-Power mode.”

The S E-Hybrid model boasts a combined 512 horsepower and 553 lb-ft of torque with their re-tuned V6 turbo, which is plenty of power to still be very quick with a curb weight of 5,311 lbs.

Time to touch on the newest addition to the various Cayenne models, the new battery and electric motor. The electric motor has seen an increase in output by 30kW to 130kW, or 174hp of the total combined HP mentioned for all models. The new electric motor also gives a max combined torque output of 339 lb-ft. All this power is held in the larger 25.9 KwH battery with level 2 charging. Depending on city driving vs highway or combined, This battery will give you an all-electric driving range of up to 55 miles.

All in all Porsche has found a fantastic pairing with their new battery and electric motor and these new Cayenne Models. You have the choice of a more brutish and heavy hitting Turbo and Turbo Coupe models, or the more subdued, but still performance inspired S and S Coupe. These models will be arriving in the US in the Spring of 2024! The S E-Hybrid model will start at $99,100 for the standard body and $104,000 for the Coupe, and the Turbo E-Hybrid will start at $146,900 or $151,400 for the Coupe.

We will have a more in depth look at the Porsche Cayenne E-Performance models in the future. but until then, keep it right here, on MotorWeek!