{"id":65892,"date":"2025-07-10T18:18:07","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T22:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/porsche-cayenne-ev-blends-electrifying-speed-with-suv-power-on-goodwoods-iconic-hillclimb\/"},"modified":"2025-07-10T18:18:07","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T22:18:07","slug":"porsche-cayenne-ev-blends-electrifying-speed-with-suv-power-on-goodwoods-iconic-hillclimb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/porsche-cayenne-ev-blends-electrifying-speed-with-suv-power-on-goodwoods-iconic-hillclimb\/","title":{"rendered":"Porsche Cayenne EV Blends Electrifying Speed with SUV Power on Goodwood\u2019s Iconic Hillclimb"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>How Does the Porsche Cayenne EV Feel on the Goodwood Hillclimb?<\/p>\n<p>Climbing into the new Porsche Cayenne EV, you immediately sense its presence. It\u2019s tall, commanding, and, while not quite as massive as a Range Rover, it certainly fills the lane. Sitting high above the tarmac, you might expect a bit of body roll\u2014especially when you\u2019re about to tackle the legendary Goodwood Festival of Speed\u2019s hillclimb. But this isn\u2019t your average SUV. With Porsche\u2019s latest generation of active dampers and those fat 22-inch Pirelli P Zeros, the Cayenne EV feels more like a sports car on stilts than a lumbering family hauler.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s Under the Hood (and Floor) of the Cayenne EV?<\/p>\n<p>Let\u2019s talk numbers, because they matter here. The Cayenne EV packs a battery north of 100kWh, tucked neatly beneath the cabin. That means a low center of gravity, even with the higher ride height needed for off-road chops. And the power? Porsche\u2019s not giving away all the secrets yet, but insiders peg it at over 1,000 horsepower from its dual-motor setup. That\u2019s supercar territory\u2014delivered in near silence, unless you opt for the synthesised V8 soundtrack, which feels oddly appropriate as you line up for a run.<\/p>\n<p>How Does the Acceleration Compare to Other Performance EVs?<\/p>\n<p>The moment the starter gives the thumbs-up, the Cayenne EV launches with a force that\u2019s hard to describe. Forget the gentle surge you might expect from a luxury SUV; this is a full-on explosion. Your head snaps back, your insides do a quick shuffle, and the world outside blurs in a way that only four figures of torque can deliver. Even with all that power, the electronics keep wheelspin to a whisper\u2014no drama, just relentless forward motion. For context, the Taycan\u2014Porsche\u2019s other electric rocket\u2014sets a high bar, but the Cayenne EV feels every bit as quick off the line, despite its size.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s It Like Inside During a High-Speed Run?<\/p>\n<p>Riding shotgun with Gabriela Jilkov\u00e1, a seasoned GT racer and Porsche development driver, you get a front-row seat to what this machine can do. Gabi\u2019s calm focus is contagious; she\u2019s unfazed by the speed, making micro-adjustments to the wheel as we carve through Goodwood\u2019s infamous corners. The first double-apex right-hander comes up fast, but the Cayenne stays flat and composed, thanks in part to its sophisticated suspension and regenerative braking. There\u2019s barely a hint of body roll\u2014just grip and more grip.<\/p>\n<p>How Does the Cayenne EV Handle Classic Goodwood Challenges?<\/p>\n<p>Goodwood\u2019s Molecomb corner has humbled many, but not today. The Cayenne EV flicks through the reverse-camber left-hander with the poise of a much smaller car. Even the tricky Flint Wall chicane, notorious for unsettling taller vehicles, is dispatched with ease. It\u2019s here that the Cayenne\u2019s dual personality shines: high-riding enough for off-road adventures, yet agile and planted enough to embarrass some sports cars on the track.<\/p>\n<p>Does the Cayenne EV Deliver the Porsche Sports Car Experience?<\/p>\n<p>Absolutely. Despite its size and electric powertrain, the Cayenne EV feels every inch a Porsche. The steering is precise, the brakes are strong (with a healthy assist from regen), and the acceleration is addictive. There\u2019s a sense of occasion, too\u2014especially as you rocket past the grandstands and under the bridge, crowds blurring into a sea of faces. It\u2019s not just fast for an SUV; it\u2019s fast, period.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the Real-World Impact of This Electric SUV?<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the numbers and the spectacle, the Cayenne EV signals a major shift for Porsche. Here\u2019s a vehicle that combines genuine off-road ability, family-friendly practicality, and supercar-level performance\u2014all without burning a drop of petrol. According to a 2023 report from the International Energy Agency, global EV sales are projected to top 14 million units this year, up 35% from 2022. Porsche\u2019s commitment to electrification isn\u2019t just about keeping up; it\u2019s about setting the pace for what a luxury performance EV can be.<\/p>\n<p>What\u2019s the Takeaway After Experiencing the Cayenne EV?<\/p>\n<p>After the adrenaline fades and the speed bleeds away, there\u2019s a moment to reflect at the top of the hill. Gabi\u2019s contented smile says it all: this is a car that delivers on its promise. For drivers and passengers alike, the Cayenne EV isn\u2019t just a technical achievement\u2014it\u2019s a genuine thrill ride. The big takeaway? Porsche\u2019s Cayenne EV isn\u2019t about perfection\u2014it\u2019s about smarter adjustments. Start with one change this week, and you\u2019ll likely spot the difference by month\u2019s end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"\/car-news\/new-cars\/porsches-cayenne-ev-nearly-here-%E2%80%93-and-weve-been-ride\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/porsche-cayenne-ev-blends-electrifying-speed-with-suv-power-on-goodwoods-iconic-hillclimb.jpg\" width=\"190\" height=\"125\" alt=\"Porsche Cayenne EV front\" title=\"Porsche Cayenne EV front\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>We go up Goodwood&#8217;s famous hillclimb in one of the most important cars out of Weissach in modern times<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>It\u2019s fairly tall. And quite large. Not quite <a href=\"\/car-review\/land-rover\/range-rover\">Range Rover<\/a> large, maybe, but on the way. The new <a href=\"\/car-reviews\/porsche\">Porsche<\/a> Cayenne EV \u2013 in which I\u2019m about to take to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.autocar.co.uk\/car-news\/goodwood-festival-speed\">Goodwood Festival of Speed<\/a>&#8216;s hillclimb at full speed \u2013 is the biggest Porsche they make.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re sitting high. You might imagine that cars with three-second 0-60mph potential ought to be squeezed right down onto the road, but not this one. From my vantage point I look forward along the track, down the tree-lined avenue to the first double-apex right-hander, wondering what this <a href=\"\/car-review\/porsche\/cayenne\">Cayenne<\/a>\u2019s body roll will feel like when we get there at full noise.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Actually, I guess I\u2019ve already got an idea. This is a Porsche, and a fat-tyred Porsche with latest-gen active dampers at that. I\u2019ll back it to stay planted in a 1g corner.<\/p>\n<p>There are other good reasons for this Cayenne\u2019s height. For one, we\u2019re sitting on top of a 100kWh-plus traction battery. And despite what I understand to be\u00a0an output of more than 1000 horses from its two-motor set-up, this machine is also claimed to be a competent off-roader, which means it needs ground clearance.<\/p>\n<p>My driver is Gabriela Jilkov\u00e1, a successful GT racer from the Czech Republic who does a lot of development driving for Porsche, especially in fast stuff. She\u2019s keen to move up the ranks from GT4 racing if the chance comes. Which it\u2019s bound to do.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"image-body-image\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/porsche-cayenne-ev-blends-electrifying-speed-with-suv-power-on-goodwoods-iconic-hillclimb-1.jpg\" width=\"900\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Quick Gabi&#8217;, as she\u2019s known, looks small yet very much at home in the Cayenne EV\u2019s big, bolstered seat, but as we ease quietly up to the line, she\u2019s already wearing that expression of calm concentration you see on the faces of serious racing drivers accustomed to the tension of a full-on start.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly we\u2019re at the head of the queue. The Taycan ahead disappears around the track\u2019s double right-hander and now it\u2019s our turn. This may be an EV but we\u2019re hearing the Cayenne\u2019s optional synthesised V8 burble at proper volume. And here, it seems entirely appropriate.<\/p>\n<p>The Goodwood starter gives us the thumbs-up. I expect extremely hard acceleration but what I get is an explosion. My head hits the restraint behind, I\u2019m depressed several inches into upholstery that previously felt firm and my innards are rapidly rearranged. The loads are all instant, yet it\u2019s surprisingly quiet in here.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nobody will yet tell me how much torque this thing has, but it\u2019s got to be four figures of foot-pounds. Even though it\u2019s all deployed at once via four fat\u00a022in Pirelli P Zeros, there\u2019s barely a squeak of wheelspin. That\u2019s what electronics can do.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The trees either side are a blur, and we\u2019ve got to be doing 90mph when we turn in to that first double-apex. Gabi dabs the brakes \u2013 I think \u2013 though retardation probably comes as much from this EV\u2019s powerful regenerative braking. We clip the grass apexes twice and then the awesome acceleration begins again.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"image-body-image\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/porsche-cayenne-ev-blends-electrifying-speed-with-suv-power-on-goodwoods-iconic-hillclimb-2.jpg\" width=\"900\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Out of the trees, the track straightens and widens. I glimpse thousands of blurred faces either side as our Cayenne bolts past the big house on the left and under the bridge at a speed that in other hands might seem deeply crazy.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s time for a lightning glance at Gabi \u2013 still ice cool, making tiny, timed steering movements \u2013 and then we\u2019re approaching Molecomb, the reverse camber left-hander hidden beyond a little brow that has been the ruin of many a worthy Goodwood entrant over the years.<\/p>\n<p>Not this time. We storm through it as if on rails, my body pinned into the seat. As we burst into sunlight, I\u2019m aware again of crowds in stands on either side. Then we see the famed Flint Wall straight ahead.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It looks like a serious obstacle at first sight, but when you get there, it\u2019s a fast, precise, right-then-left jink, easy for Gabi and the Cayenne. Transitions like that can upset high-riding cars, but the Porsche is planted like a sports car. This <em>is<\/em> a sports car.<\/p>\n<p>The rest of the run is easy, a big left and right, and then we\u2019re back under the shade of the trees. Up a shaded tunnel we go, flashing across the finish line. This may well be the quickest electric minute of my life.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve made an agreement with myself to glance at the speedo as we finish, but of course I forget. It&#8217;s hard to remember stuff in an environment like this but our speed has got to be 100mph-plus. Gabi says 115mph. I see the blurred face of the finish-line marshal and then it\u2019s over.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"image-body-image\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/porsche-cayenne-ev-blends-electrifying-speed-with-suv-power-on-goodwoods-iconic-hillclimb-3.jpg\" width=\"900\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Speed bleeding away, we ease up to the marshalling loop at the top of the hillclimb, where you wait for other runners in your batch to congregate for the dog-slow return to the pits. \u201cGood,\u201d says Gabi with a contented smile. \u201cFantastic,\u201d say I.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":65893,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,137],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-65892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globalvillagespace.com\/tech\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}