Porsche just pulled off the automotive equivalent of showing up to a poker game with cards nobody knew existed. The German manufacturer secretly entered a prototype 2027 Cayenne EV at Britain’s Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb and destroyed every SUV record.
The numbers tell a brutal story for gas-powered rivals. Where the Bentley Bentayga W12 needed 35.53 seconds to conquer the 1,000-yard course, Porsche‘s electric SUV scorched the hillside in just 31.28 seconds.
Electric torque doesn’t lie, and this hill climb proves it. Formula E test driver Gabriela Jilkova launched the prototype from standstill with the kind of acceleration that makes your neck hurt in the best possible way. The instant 0-60 sprint took just 1.94 seconds—numbers that would embarrass most sports cars.
This performance makes Tesla’s Model X Plaid look pedestrian and leaves BMW‘s upcoming iX M60 fighting for second place before it even launches. The Cayenne EV didn’t just beat electric SUV competition—it redefined what’s possible in the segment.
But raw power means nothing without chassis control. Porsche‘s adaptive air suspension uses predictive damping that reads the road surface milliseconds ahead, adjusting compression and rebound faster than you can say “main character energy.” Combined with active anti-roll bars that eliminate body lean, the system transforms a 5,000-pound SUV into something that corners like it forgot its weight.
The performance did not outclass the purpose-built Jaguar Formula E car (30.46 seconds), but it eclipsed Porsche‘s own Taycan Turbo, which previously held the production electric record at 31.43 seconds. This moment doesn’t just raise the bar for electric SUVs, but subtly suggests that even with the end of the gas-powered 718 Porsche, a new era of EVs carries the brand’s performance legacy forward.
This wasn’t a publicity stunt—it was a declaration. Porsche could have waited for controlled track testing or press events. Instead, they threw their electric SUV into public competition against established benchmarks and let the stopwatch do the talking.
The 2027 Cayenne EV‘s hill climb domination signals more than just impressive straight-line speed. It proves electric SUVs can deliver genuine driving thrills without compromise, combining family practicality with track-worthy performance that would make most sports cars nervous. With results like these, the 911 Turbo going electric feels like a logical step.
