Buzz Awards: Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric Named Best Luxury Vehicle For 2027
In the modern world we are used to getting all we desire at the flick of a switch. Whether it is using an air fryer for everything from roast chicken to baked cookies, or asking our smart toilets to heat the seat, play some music, and, well, you get the idea. The same seems to apply to the automotive world these days, with customers expecting even small cars to go above and beyond the process of simply getting you somewhere, with levels of kit that was once the preserve of luxury vehicles. So what’s happening at the top of the multipurpose luxury vehicle food chain? This is where we found the Buzz Awards Best Luxury Vehicle 2027 winner, unsurprisingly.
When SUVs kicked off in the ’90s, they were little more than glorified off-roaders with a few creature comforts thrown in. How times have changed. Porsche’s latest SUV monster, the Cayenne Turbo Electric, is a vehicle that can not only storm down gravel roads, scorch round the Nürburgring, and almost regurgitate your matcha oat milk latte with its acceleration, it also makes mincemeat of all comers in the luxury car segment. So, how does it manage to do all these things, and be top-of-the-tree when it comes to serene, wafty comfort?
Why We Picked The 2026 Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric
It’s fitting that the Cayenne Turbo Electric would be a complete game changer for the Stuttgart brand. After all, it was the world premiere of the original gas-powered Cayenne that shocked the world in September 2002, taking Porsche in a new (and very profitable) direction. Now this once very un-Porsche-like model has also done something very un-Porsche-like: get a newly created electric drive system.
It’s a surprise to no one that the Cayenne drives like a proper Porsche. The two electric motors – one on each axle — provide up to 850 kW (1,139 hp) and up to 1,106 lb-ft of torque when Launch Control is activated. This means that this electron-powered truck will hit 60 mph in 2.4 seconds, cover the quarter mile dash in an incredible 9.9 seconds, and reach 162 mph. So, hypercar speed. Check. But where does this fit into the luxury category?
Here’s the thing about expecting our gadgets to do everything, everywhere, all at once. Luxury carmakers have tried for years to get an eerily silent and smooth powertrain from internal combustion engines, but the top-end EVs do this without thinking. And with the right settings, the Cayenne Turbo Electric turns into a cushy limo.
The Porsche Cayenne Turbo Electric sets a new benchmark for luxury performance SUVs, blending 1,139 horsepower, sports-car agility, limousine comfort, and ultra-fast charging into one spectacular package.
What you need to do is set the holistically orchestrated Mood Mode to relaxation (you can also pick Dynamic, Travel, Entertainment, Urban and Focus), which configures vehicle functions such as ambient lighting, animations of the displays, climate control, and even the seat position, to make the car more comfortable. And, overkill alert, Porsche has even curated a special Spotify playlist for each Mood Mode, too. Then, in combination with the optional massage function, the wellness modes Summer Dream, River Journey, and Thermal Spring are also available. The front seats are eight-way adjustable and Porsche has added the motoring equivalent of underfloor heating, with surface heating warming the door panels and the center armrest for draught-free warming of the interior.
You don’t get all this ridiculous cosseting and then a ride that knocks your fillings out. Self-leveling adaptive air suspension and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) electronic damper control are standard on the Turbo, and Porsche’s active ride control and rear wheel steering is an option. There are three submenus of the off-road driving programs – Gravel/Mud, Sand and Rock — and stiff-as hell Sport Plus, with snappy steering response, but for straight chillin’, go for Comfort. As Carbuzz’s review pointed out: ‘Comfort mode dramatically filters any chop coming from the road surface, and even helps to iron out gravel roads at speeds that, well, you shouldn’t hit on gravel roads.’
The engine room of the Cayenne Turbo Electric is a newly developed 113 kWh high-voltage battery, which is aided by double-sided cooling for optimum thermal management. Thanks to its 800-volt technology, the Cayenne charges with up to 400 kW DC charging power, allowing for a boost from 10 to 80 percent in less than 16 minutes (under ideal conditions). The fact that the Cayenne still manages this, while being a leading luxury car and a hypercar killer (and everything in between) is taking things to another level.
What Almost Made The Cut?
2027 BMW iX3
The iX3 may on the surface look like a very modern SUV, but it represents much more than that. The fully electric BMW iX3 is the first Neue Klasse model, representing a complete redefinition of the BMW brand, everywhere from production, to factory planning, to the electric drivetrain. No pressure then. Thankfully, the iX3 delivers as a thoroughly contemporary luxury vehicle. The BMW iX3 M60 xDrive was introduced as the line-up’s most performance-focused variant, with a Gen6 BMW M eDrive system that pairs front- and rear-axle electric motors for 603 hp and 645 lb-ft of torque. The car features a newly developed stator and a more powerful inverter, rated at 420 A instead of 300 A.
The sprint to 60 mph takes just 3.9 seconds. Luxury touches are everywhere, from the Sport seats with ten-way power adjustment to optional (exclusive) Merino leather, making this compact SUV feel very high-end. Adaptive M Suspension continuously calculates the optimum damping force for each driving situation, adjusting the individual dampers in milliseconds to bring a silky ride comfort and lower noise levels. The iX3 is expected to start around $62,850.
2027 Volvo EX60
The Volvo EX60 is a new, all-electric mid-size SUV that is focused on sensible motoring — just as Volvo owners like it. It’s handsome without being showy, and the headline figure is the fact that it can go a shade over 500 miles on a single charge in an all-wheel-drive configuration. A P12 AWD (which is the top of the EX60 range) has 670 horsepower and a sprint to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds. But customers will have to wait for that version, with the 503-hp P10 AWD starting at $62,145 and the 369-hp P6 costing from $59,795. This Volvo SUV gets niceties such as weathered grey ash wood on the interior of the Plus trim, with things like Ventilated nappa leather an option.
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