BMW iX5 vs Porsche Cayenne Electric: two very different takes on the electric super-SUV
Two of the best electric SUVs going, chasing the same goal from opposite ends
Here is a proper heavyweight electric clash. The new BMW iX5 60 xDrive and the Porsche Cayenne S Electric are two of the most complete electric SUVs money can buy, yet they go about it in wonderfully different ways: one leans on range, value and charging tech, the other on outright performance and driver appeal. The good news is that both are genuinely brilliant.
Range and charging: advantage BMW
This is where the iX5 flexes hardest. Its huge 141 kWh battery delivers up to 845 km of WLTP range, well clear of the Cayenne's 108 kWh usable pack and up-to-653 km figure. The BMW also charges faster, at up to 460 kW DC and a full 22 kW AC as standard, versus around 390-400 kW DC and 11 kW AC for the Porsche. In real terms the BMW does 10-80 percent in roughly 23 minutes; the Porsche is quicker in that window at around 16 minutes thanks to its smaller battery, but the BMW's bigger pack means fewer stops in the first place.
Performance: advantage Porsche
Flip to outright pace and the Cayenne S Electric turns the tables. It packs 666 hp to the BMW's 578 hp, sprints from 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds against 4.6, and runs on to 250 km/h where the iX5 is capped at 210. It is also the lighter of the two heavyweights at 2,630 kg versus a hefty 2,890 kg for the BMW, which matters a lot for how a car this size actually drives.
Practicality and price
The two are near-identical in footprint, at just under five metres long. The Porsche has the bigger boot with the seats up (781 litres versus 650), while the BMW offers more maximum space folded (1,850 versus 1,588 litres), and the Cayenne can tow a little more at 3,000 kg. The decisive practical number, though, is price: in Belgium the iX5 60 xDrive starts at 102,500 euro, undercutting the Cayenne S Electric's 129,702 euro by more than 27,000 euro. That is a serious gap.
What we make of them so far
We should be honest about what we have and have not driven. We have had a brief go in the Cayenne S Electric, and came away seriously impressed: the chassis is genuinely outstanding, it shrinks around you and feels like a sports car despite its size. It feels, unmistakably, like a Porsche. The BMW iX5 we have not driven yet, so we are reserving judgement on how it actually feels on the road until we do. On paper, though, it looks like a formidable all-rounder.
AutoNext Take
This is not a fight with a loser, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. The iX5 is the smarter head-buy: more range, faster charging and a much lower price make it the one that makes rational sense. The Cayenne is the heart-buy, and on our first taste it drives like nothing else this big has any right to, with a chassis that feels every bit a Porsche. Both cars are hugely impressive and both deserve real credit. Pick the iX5 if range, tech and value top your list; pick the Cayenne if driving thrills come first. We will give you the full verdict once we have driven both back to back.
Read more on the fully revealed BMW X5 and iX5, our deep dive on the iX5's 141 kWh battery, and how Porsche is navigating tough times with its cost-cutting package.
