RE: New Cayenne EV takes Shelsley Walsh SUV record
RE: New Cayenne EV takes Shelsley Walsh SUV record
Monday 7th July

New Cayenne EV takes Shelsley Walsh SUV record

Fast up a hill felt like a given for the battery-powered Porsche Cayenne - towing 3.5 tonnes not so much


For 20 years, you always knew what to expect from each new Porsche Cayenne. Broadly speaking, it was more of the same: more performance, more luxury, more tech to make it one of the best SUVs available. Diesels came and went, hybrids became more useful, each Turbo was somehow even dafter than the last. But all that’s going to change for the next Cayenne; it very much won’t be the same. Because while a combustion-engined model will continue in some markets, there’s going to be a Cayenne Electric as well. If there’s a battery-powered Range Rover and a suite of BMW and Mercedes EV SUVs, there probably ought to be a Porsche equivalent as well. 

This is our first look at a prototype, and Festival of Speed-goers will be able to get up close at the weekend as well. As it happens, the Cayenne has already set a hillclimb record before its arrival at Goodwood, recording a 31.28-second run at Shelsley Walsh. That makes it the fastest SUV of any stripe to go up the thousand yards, surpassing the previous 35.53 best set in a Bentley Bentayga.

Gabriela Jílková, Porsche’s Formula E development driver, was behind the wheel: “The course is challenging and does not forgive mistakes. There are no run-off zones and little room for correction. But the active suspension gives the new Cayenne enormous stability and precision. I felt completely confident at all times.”

So new Porsche sets new fastest time somewhere - no great surprise, if we’re honest. Perhaps the biggest revelation associated with this latest prototype teaser is confirmation of the Cayenne Electric’s towing capacity. It’ll be able to take 3,500kg, as evidenced by the video with Richard Hammond taking his Lagonda on a trailer behind the Porsche. There aren’t many EV SUVs that can take 3,500kg right now, and it definitely sounds like a good attribute for the ‘U’ part of the Cayenne as an SUV. Nobody is saying quite what it’ll do for efficiency just yet…

Michael Schätzle, Vice President of the Cayenne Product Line, added: "Our customers have always appreciated the high utility value of the Cayenne. That's why we didn't want to make any compromises in the development of the all-electric model.” While the car that ran at Shelsley wasn’t quite representative of the final car in terms of tuning, the power and the equipment were production-spec; should you not want to tow your track car to Shelsley Wash, a very senior Cayenne will be capable of going up very fast on its own. 

As mentioned, the camouflaged prototype will be at Goodwood from Thursday. When Porsche confirmed the Cayenne Electric last July, it wasn’t forthcoming with a production date for the model - and still isn’t. Because who’d like to predict where the market for EV SUVs will be in 2026? But it’s making progress, it can go very fast, and it’ll be able to tow pretty much whichever old car you fancy. Maybe the Cayenne isn’t changing so much after all. 


Author
Discussion

bigmowley

Original Poster:

2,319 posts

192 months

Monday 7th July
quotequote all
All that with a roof rack as well. Under 1m/kwh is my bet.

Turbobanana

7,275 posts

217 months

Monday 7th July
quotequote all
Terrific achievement, but am I the only one feeling cheated that it wasn't towing the Lagonda up the hill?

The Pistonsdead

5,383 posts

223 months

Monday 7th July
quotequote all
Turbobanana said:
Terrific achievement, but am I the only one feeling cheated that it wasn't towing the Lagonda up the hill?
+1

steveb8189

505 posts

207 months

Monday 7th July
quotequote all
bigmowley said:
All that with a roof rack as well. Under 1m/kwh is my bet.
Range may be an issue but at a good rate of 6p/kWh you're talking the equivalent of about 100mpg in diesel equivalent in ppm

arbseven

61 posts

174 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
Who cares about the Porker, show more pictures of the Lagonda

DonkeyApple

63,108 posts

185 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
Nutter 1: China. Women. Immigrants. Llamas. Mass.

Nutter 2: Terrified of petrol stations. Low centre of gravity. Regen. Superior human. Own a driveway don't you know. List of chattels.

Can all the bellends when they spot this article just wait for the advertorial from VW that will tell you all the numbers that you'll be fighting over and being really distressed about. It won't be long. In the meantime you can hone your list of rented chattels and practice your Alf Garnet monologues. That way you can really show you've worked at being an adenoidal knob head when the main article appears.

Really go for it this time. It's an SUV being propelled by electricity with a sticker on it from everyone's favourite 'look at me, I'm specialer than you' rental operator. Don't rush in on this teaser, use your time wisely, wait for the main article and really come out of the gates being the biggest knob you've ever been. This is your time to shine you crazy little monkey people!

Peterpetrole

785 posts

13 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
arbseven said:
Who cares about the Porker, show more pictures of the Lagonda
Who cares about the Lagonda, show more pictures of Gabriela

NDNDNDND

2,438 posts

199 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
Nutter 3: DonkeyApple

NDNDNDND

2,438 posts

199 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
Having an SUV class for Shelsley Walsh feels a bit like having a special class in athletics for fat people.

To be fair, it would be quite amusing to watch a bunch of obese people having a good crack at the long jump.

NDNDNDND

2,438 posts

199 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
Peterpetrole said:
arbseven said:
Who cares about the Porker, show more pictures of the Lagonda
Who cares about the Lagonda, show more pictures of Gabriela
I want to see her doing the long jump in a fat suit.

AmyRichardson

1,750 posts

58 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
3.5t?

Lagondas are pretty porky by interwar standards but a tourer must be <1600kg, so where's the other 2t? Trailer constructed from offcuts of railway track?

Terminator X

17,904 posts

220 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
DonkeyApple said:
Nutter 1: China. Women. Immigrants. Llamas. Mass.

Nutter 2: Terrified of petrol stations. Low centre of gravity. Regen. Superior human. Own a driveway don't you know. List of chattels.

Can all the bellends when they spot this article just wait for the advertorial from VW that will tell you all the numbers that you'll be fighting over and being really distressed about. It won't be long. In the meantime you can hone your list of rented chattels and practice your Alf Garnet monologues. That way you can really show you've worked at being an adenoidal knob head when the main article appears.

Really go for it this time. It's an SUV being propelled by electricity with a sticker on it from everyone's favourite 'look at me, I'm specialer than you' rental operator. Don't rush in on this teaser, use your time wisely, wait for the main article and really come out of the gates being the biggest knob you've ever been. This is your time to shine you crazy little monkey people!
Tell us all about how efficient EV is, absolutely love those posts ears

TX.

DonkeyApple

63,108 posts

185 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
Terminator X said:
Tell us all about how efficient EV is, absolutely love those posts ears

TX.
China. Women. Immigrants. Llamas. Mass.

andy43

11,698 posts

270 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
What did the llamas ever do for us?

DonkeyApple

63,108 posts

185 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
andy43 said:
What did the llamas ever do for us?
Stuck their neck out?

Fetchez la vache

5,791 posts

230 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
andy43 said:
What did the llamas ever do for us?
I think DA is in a drug enduced haze. He doesn't sound well and I've no idea what the llamas is all about...

dunnoreally

1,304 posts

124 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
andy43 said:
What did the llamas ever do for us?
They're good pack animals and can work well as livestock guardians, to be fair. The lynx reintroduction people tried to make a case that all sheep farmers should just get a llama at one point.

As for what anyvof that has to do with an electric Porsche hillclimb record, answer's on a postcard.

cidered77

1,769 posts

213 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
That time is absolutely astonishingly fast - in any car with an MOT, let alone something of that size.

Was watching the stream live when it did it - some very very serious cars with equally serious drivers put away by this thing.

Have sub -zero desire for anything like this - really, i'd rather walk. But can appreciate the achievement nonetheless...

DonkeyApple

63,108 posts

185 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
cidered77 said:
That time is absolutely astonishingly fast - in any car with an MOT, let alone something of that size.

Was watching the stream live when it did it - some very very serious cars with equally serious drivers put away by this thing.

Have sub -zero desire for anything like this - really, i'd rather walk. But can appreciate the achievement nonetheless...
It's also interesting that it was that much quicker than the Bentayga.

RB Will

10,361 posts

256 months

Tuesday 8th July
quotequote all
The biggest issue with electric and towing is if you have to top up away from home you have to unhitch the trailer, put it somewhere and go charge. 99% of electric charge points are single spaces designed for a single normal size car to pull / reverse into.