Cayenne EV: Impressions Of Our 1st Encounter (X2)

[Fun TC Driving]

My wife and I had never seen one in person before, but thank all of you who has posted on this forum to give us earlier great intro. {Very envious about those if you already enjoying your own!}

Today we had an appointment to see our first one, a literally no-option Turbo. But to double the pleasure, double the fun, they also had a surprise Slate Grey Neo Turbo also there wearing its Sage Grey/Black interior and its 22” SportTechno shoes (and lots more options). A stunning looker!

IMPRESSIONS:

* So many of you who had seen a Cayenne EV before has posted that “it looks better in person than in pictures and videos!” You were so right. Before today we had been a little concerned about the front appearing disjointed, too angular, and too large (both its width and its fascia height to the break line where the top of the front fascia does a massive angle turn-back toward the windshield). Needless pre-worry on our part. We were pleasantly surprised! It is cohesive; and for an SUV has a very nice front appearance. Powerful and yet curvy! The EV before our current Macan was an iX. It’s front was not just a visual disaster (to us, and to 95% of the video and auto-media reviewers), even “not good” to many of its owners (noted by their posts on BMW EV forums.) It was not just not pretty but appeared way too wide — both when standing in front of it and when inside looking out its windshiled. So today we were very pleasantly surprised that while the Cayenne is actually wider than the iX, from both perspectives it appears smaller than the iX , in fact smaller by more than many inches when looking out through the Cayenne’ s front windshield. True the Cayenne from inside looking out the windshield is and appears bigger than the Macan, but yet it felt in “right proportion and proper size” to us.

*Most have posted that they love the flow screen, not just the way it looks but how it functions. DITTO for us. It is the interior highlight, capturing and re-capturing our attention over and over.

*One nice feature (thanks to a forum member earlier posting about this in response to my question about this about a week ago), is that much more like the Taycan and the 911 (compared to our Macan EV), the Cayenne’s curved front fender “tops” stick out tall, proud, and pretty.

*The rest of the interior is much roomier than our Macan. It feels like it is wider, taller, and has much more interior room — which of course it does, but factually it is only 2.2” wider and about 2” taller — yet sitting in the interior, including in the back after I had earlier set my driver’s seat (I am 6’), felt so much bigger. The electric reclining and moving back-and-forward rear seats (on the SUV version), are a very nice touch. It was/is, as also earlier posted on this forum, a far more luxurious cabin.

*Compared to many videos I have watched, the frunk in person is bigger than those videos showed. I am not sure but guessing a 21” suitcase could fit in there vertically. The trunk area is “adequate +” (though clearly far from indstry leading and lagging behind more than a few). But more than enough room for our use case.

OVERALL: We were VERY impressed. Next before we order our 2027 is a test drive of their unfotunately-not-until September arriving road test model, an “S” model without PAR. For us it will be worth that long wait, for that tester will lead to answering our two major remaining 2027 ordering decisions, e.g., the “S” vs Turbo, and, secondly, PAR or not.

Today was a BIG FUN day; more BIG FUN ahead for sure.
Porsche your pricing is ridiculously insane but we were smitten today by its looks and even its limited visually observable capabilities, e.g., such as the flow screen’s functionality and “speed.” Can’t wait for our road test!

Meanwhile we are excited that some of our members have been invited to tomorrow’s southern CA special Porsche customer driving Cayenna EVs event. Cannot wait for their posting here about their track driving experiences and more.

P.S.: We ran into three dealership folks (an SA and two salespersons) who had just come back from Porsche’s dealership personal Cayenne EV’s Colorado training and driving event. All three, including two who are normally calm, unflappable folks, were ga-ga about their time behind the wheel there. They each drove the base and the turbo, with no surprise every one raving about the Turbo many multiple times. Two of the three own a 911.

 

[Clod Reed]

No pictures?

 

[Fun TC Driving]

Sorry, we had pre-planned our visit for two days with our being told we would be seeing just one, e.g., a white, no-option one. But it was not there when we came around the corner, instead just the complete surprise Slate Grey Neo one with its +20 options. So more than half the list of twelve questions I had printed in hand directed to white one were initially not applicable, e.g., different wheels, different colors inside and out, completely different interior visually, etc — for the white one had its interior “black with turbonite stitching.” Instead we were sitting in a delicious Sage Grey/Black leather interior. That and other differences threw us off the methodical pre-plan as we first adjusted to the 20+ option Slate Grey Neo one. After our outside walk around, we literally got immersed into the flow screen, e.g., it taking us both to a fun, “adventure place.” It was literally 30 minutes into our visit before the white one got brought out and placed a couple of few feet away from the Slate Grey. The flow screen was not hard to learn coming from our Macan, but so much fun. Could have enjoyed even more time experiencing it.

We are very glad for all that even the entry Cayenne EV $109K version with no options has the identical, full functioning flow screen. As advertised, having the Ferry pad there is additionally, very nicely functional.

The Slate Grey was not far from $200K. We went there excitded to see the Cayenne but we had still had another Porsche EV gathering a hell of a lot of our attention, for we really like our Macan and at about $50K less (we love options), we still could get a Macan EV GTS with every option and save that massive amount. We then spent 10 minutes inside their configurator room. Yet, the flow screen itself literally drew us back to the two Cayenne EV Turbos. Single-handedly for us, the flow screen killed the economically-much-smarter, Macan EV GTS alternative.

My bad for no pictures. Our minds and fingers on the flow screen were spinning in a great way. Left there so excited about the Cayenne (though it would be the coupe version for us). We NEED and are already on their test drive list for their September incoming Cayenne EV “S” without PAR but with RAS - but “yeah” it will be a coupe, and then as already agreed with our salesperson, my driving usspiritedly down our favorite seven miles of perfect Porsche curves, country road — for that Cayenne test drive version would “save” us about $20K compared to the Cayenne Turbo with PAR.

Standing back and still experiencing that Cayenne EV visit viscerally, the flow screen was and remains a love affair…

 

[Fun TC Driving]

Actually but just one picture of the turbonite no-cost interior —- though available only on a Turbo model. Our thoughts…

Yes, it would save us about $5K; yes the stitching is more pronounced visually than in the configurator; but living in the Pacific Northwest where winters can literally be months of cloudy and rainy — and compounded by our CPO Macan being completely black on the interior (which was not fun during the winter), for us the turbonite option would not be bold enough color-wise. But for some, especially for those lliving in a near year round in a sunny, brighter place, or wanting a calmer interior, it could be a good option.

Note please: Standing outside looking in, the “black” leather looks darker than it does in this picture, e.g., showroom lighting and/or cell phone misrepresentation?

 

[Clod Reed]

No pics no problem …you explained it so vividly …I was there
p.s that one post used up my entire days screen time allowance

 

[Nipper]

Hi Fun, thank you so much for the insightful reviews! Though I love my Macan MY24 Turbo, I man planning to upgrade to the Cayenne MY27. Am curious what colour exterior/interior you are thinking about. That seems to be the biggest dilemma for me. Slate Grey looks ‘muddy’ in MHO. Was thinking of Pale Blue Metallic, but have heard that it is pretty blah in reality. Leaning towards Algarve Blue or Vanadiam Grey with Bramble interior, but would love to hear your thoughts. Maybe MY27 will offer additional colour options.