671bhp Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid Wades Into The SUV Power Battle

If it wasn’t for that pesky Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk, you’d be looking at the world’s most mightiest SUV. The new Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid is comfortably more powerful than the Bentley Bentayga Speed, a smidge pokier than the Lamborghini Urus, and torquier than pretty much anything out there that isn’t a high-end supercar.

Using the combination of a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 and an electric motor - which sits between the engine and the eight-speed PDK gearbox - the Turbo S is good for a total system power of 671bhp and 664lb ft. That’s 129bhp and almost 100lb ft more than a Cayenne Turbo.

The performance stats are equally impressive: 0-62mph takes just 3.8 seconds, and the top speed is 183mph. That makes the E-Hybrid quicker to 62 than a 911 GT3 with a manual gearbox. However, that also makes a tenth brisker than the Cayenne Turbo, which doesn’t sound much considering the extra thrust.

The reason is simple: it’s a heavy so-and-so. As is the case with the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid - which uses the same powertrain - All those hybrid gubbins add over 300kg. This means the angriest Cayenne is as heavy as the aforementioned Jeep Trackhawk.

It’s a hell of a lot more efficient, of course. The Turbo S can go up to 25 miles on electric power alone and has a top speed of 84mph sans engine. It’ll hit an average of 58.9mpg and emit 110g/km of CO2.

Achieving these figures will require you to put some thought into when and where you charge it. Speaking of, the 14.1kWh battery back will take you six hours to fully juice from a conventional domestic plug, or just under two and a half from a 7.4kW wall box.

To keep all that extra weight in check, the E-Hybrid has electronic roll stabilisation, three-chamber air suspension and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control fitted as standard. The Cayenne range-topper also has a limited-slip differential at the rear with Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus, and huge carbon-ceramic brakes. If you want to make the car even more agile, rear-axle steering is on the options menu.

You will need to part with a great deal of money for all this. The Turbo S - which is also available as a ‘Coupe’ - starts at £123,349, about £23k more than a standard Turbo.