Nophysique Will Ever Drive a Porsche Cayenne Electric Off-Road, But It Positive Is Enjoyable

When most individuals consider driving a Porsche, the final place they think about going is off-road. That’s doubly true if the Porsche in query is a 2026 Cayenne Electric. Owners would by no means dream of scratching up their high-dollar SUV on a path, and likewise, EV off-roading is a reasonably area of interest exercise as it’s. However, simply because people gained’t do it doesn’t imply the automotive’s not succesful. Quite the opposite, as I came upon.

I lately drove the long-awaited Cayenne Electric, and you may learn that overview right here. I spent fairly some time behind the wheel of the 435-hp base mannequin and the foolish 1,139-hp Turbo, which included piloting each fashions on a tough off-road course. (There was additionally a ride-along with two-time Le Mans winner Timo Bernhard on a high-speed, high-adrenaline rallycross stage.)

Off-Road Course

Peep the photographs right here, and also you’ll see that I put the Cayenne Electric by way of its paces off-road—one thing not many individuals will ever do, however that’s by no means stopped Porsche from engineering its autos to satisfy excessive requirements. The course itself was a loop that consisted of muddy paths, steep inclines, and several other deeply rutted segments the place the steering wheel didn’t serve a lot goal.

With Off-Road mode activated, the Cayenne Electric raised its suspension and adjusted the all-wheel-drive and traction-control settings to higher cope with poor traction and doable wheel slip. It additionally activated the surround-view cameras, which got here in useful throughout climbs—whether or not I used to be pointing up or down—and sharp turns.

“Not many people are going to do this in the real world, but you still have to know what it’s capable of, in case you take a detour,” my Porsche off-road sherpa advised me from the passenger seat.

It’s true. If I purchased one in every of these—regardless of if it was a base or a Turbo—I might by no means do that on goal. They’re each six-figure SUVs, and until you get a Defender Octa or one thing, you don’t purchase a kind of to let a wheel or two hold off the bottom. Still, that’s what I did as a result of Porsche advised me to.

After spending the day driving on WRC-worthy mountain roads, it was the Cayenne Electric’s flip to softly slide down the primary of many steep, muddy hills.

I may really feel the axle apply regen braking to decelerate and maintain issues beneath management, which is nice contemplating the EV weighs practically 6,000 kilos. Each tire may additionally independently apply the mechanical brakes to make sure the descent was finished safely. Even when the terrain was so slick that the ruts typically directed the place the automotive was going relatively than the steering wheel, traction management utilized extra energy to 1 aspect over the opposite to ensure I used to be pointing in the correct route.

With 9.6 inches of floor clearance within the highest suspension mode, the Cayenne Electric can clear most obstacles discovered on gentle trails. In my expertise, and as you’ll be able to see in these photographs, this was greater than sufficient to clear rocks and ruts in my approach. In uphills, it felt extraordinarily sure-footed, though it was using on all-season avenue tires that undoubtedly leaned into efficiency driving relatively than off-road situations.

Rallycross

Who would ever think about {that a} extensive, tall, and heavy electrical SUV may blitz by way of a rallycross circuit with ease—on avenue tires? No one. But then once more, the Cayenne Turbo Electric and Timo Bernhard aren’t your typical pairing, so after they come collectively, cool stuff occurs.

Like most motion settings, the video under doesn’t do the expertise any justice. You can’t actually recognize how rapidly I used to be flung backward when he set off the road, how brutal the braking was, how violent the acceleration out of the corners felt, however most of all, how wild it felt to slip sideways by way of complete corners as Bernhard strung collectively sections of the course.

Off-roading the 2026 Porsche Cayenne Electric with Timo Bernhard

I gained’t attempt to clarify it, as a result of you’ll be able to simply watch the video. Enjoy.

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