The executive who leads Porsche's Cayenne model line assures electric power has benefited – not compromised – the SUV's off-road ability.
Electric Cars
The 2026 Porsche Cayenne Electric is "much better" off-road than its petrol-powered equivalent, according to the executive who leads the model line.
Michael Schaetzle, the vice president of the Porsche Cayenne model line, told Drive the new electric model exceeded the brand's expectations for its off-road performance during simulations in Germany and real-world desert tests in the Middle East.
"We are working on the car so that the off-road capabilities are as good as the combustion-engine [Cayenne]," Schaetzle said.
"We're doing a lot of simulation, and then we are doing the verification. We did our work in Weissach [Porsche R&D centre in Germany], and then we came to Dubai, and it was better than we believed."
"It's unbelievable. You have to switch on the sound mode because it's very important you hear the slip. You need a certain slip on the wheels and the sand – I think you know it very good in Australia.
"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)."
The Cayenne Electric, due in Australia in mid-2026 from $167,800 before on-road costs, can be optioned with the Offroad Package for an increased 25-degree approach angle, along with a 245-millimetre ride height, when its air suspension is set to 'off-road'.
It also unlocks a 3.5-tonne braked towing capacity equivalent to the current petrol- and hybrid-engined Cayenne, which will live on alongside the new-generation, separate electric model.
Dirk Britzen, the sales and marketing director of Porsche's SUV product line, acknowledged that towing would impact the EV's achievable driving range – rated for up to 642 kilometres WLTP unladen – but that this would also occur with the internal-combustion model.
"It depends on how heavy the trailer in fact is, how fast you go, or if you go upwards or downwards. For sure, but it has an impact, as of today, when you have a 3.5-tonne trailer load by ICE, the range declines," Britzen said.
Schaetzle added his team tested the Cayenne Electric's towing performance by carrying Porsche's speedboat from Salzburg, Austria, and Stuttgart, Germany, a road distance of around 380 kilometres between each city centre.
"We did a test. The Porsche boat, we towed it from near Salzburg, where it is built, to Stuttgart, and it was possible to go 250 kilometres on the motorway."
With an 800-volt electrical architecture and a maximum direct-current (DC) charging speed of up to 400 kilowatts, Porsche claims a 10 to 80 per cent top-up was achieved in "less than 16 minutes", with a primary focus on "robust charging performance" during the Cayenne Electric's development.
The Cayenne Turbo Electric is the most powerful Porsche, with "up to" 850kW and 1500Nm when launch control is activated – but it is also the heaviest Porsche ever, at 2645 kilograms.
A 2.6-tonne kerb weight is similar to full-size off-road models such as the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and GMC Yukon, however, Schaetzle claims the EV's low centre of gravity ensures it "feels lighter".
"The weight of the battery is very low. It's under the centre of gravity of the car," he said.
"To be honest, the heavy battery helps the car to perform well and to handle well. We've got new tyres, new axles, the Active Ride System. The car feels lighter than the ICE model."
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Jordan is a motoring journalist based in Melbourne with a lifelong passion for cars. He has been surrounded by classic Fords and Holdens, brand-new cars, and everything in between from birth, with his parents’ owning an automotive workshop in regional Victoria. Jordan started writing about cars in 2021, and joined the Drive team in 2024.
