The Cayenne EV Is ‘Much Better’ Off-Road Than The Gas Version: Porsche

• Porsche’s new Cayenne Electric is poised to be a real weapon off the beaten track.
• The automaker’s most powerful road car is “unbelievable” in the dunes, according to the model line’s boss.
• With over 1,000 lb-ft of torque on tap on the Turbo version, the Cayenne EV should be immensely capable off the beaten track.

The Porsche Cayenne is not exactly the car you expect to see on a trail in Moab, and the newly revealed electric version of the popular SUV is no different. That said, Porsche is adamant that the battery-powered flagship can tackle off-road trips with ease and that it’s “much better” at it than its gas-powered counterpart.

Speaking with Drive.com.au, Michael Schaetzle, Vice President Product Line Cayenne, said the electric Cayenne exceeded the company’s expectations when it comes to off-road performance. This goes for both simulations in Germany and real-world desert testing in the United Arab Emirates.

Gallery: Porsche Cayenne Electric (2026) and Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric (2026)

“It’s so easy because you’ve got so much power, you’re going up the dune and you can modify the power perfectly. It’s much better than the ICE [internal-combustion engine],” Schaetzle said.

The company rep added that a lot of development work was done at Porsche’s center in Weissach, but the dunes of Dubai proved to be the perfect playground for the electric Cayenne. “We’re doing a lot of simulation, and then we are doing the verification. We did our work in Weissach, and then we came to Dubai, and it was better than we believed,” Schaetzle added.

This is great news for anybody who has at least $120,000 to spend on an electric SUV and access to a desert. With up to 1,140 horsepower and 1,106 pound-feet of torque on the top-spec Turbo version, the electric Cayenne can surely skedaddle when the driver pushes hard on the accelerator, with the official figures quoting a zero-to-62 miles per hour sprint in just 2.5 seconds.

That amount of power and torque can come in handy when playing in the sand, but a clever traction control system is also critical to keep things moving. The Cayenne Turbo Electric has a limited-slip rear differential, but it also relies on software trickery to get unstuck when the going gets tough.

There’s no doubt that Porsche gave it all when developing the Cayenne EV, but the reality is that few, if any, will ever leave the asphalt. Yes, older Cayennes, some of which have a low-range gearbox and a rear differential lock, have been known to perform very well on off-road trails. But those cars now cost less than $30,000 and it doesn’t hurt that much when you dent a body panel. The new Cayenne EV can easily reach $200,000 if the person buying it goes on an options-ticking spree, so it’s hard to imagine seeing one on the trails anytime soon.