Hi there. What a week it's been. If I never see another Ferrari Luce hot take from someone opining based on a few photos they saw on the 'Gram, it'll be too soon. But, if nothing else, it's nice to see EVs in the mainstream conversation again, right?

Ahem, anyhow, welcome to the new home of my newsletter, now hosted on my own domain. I'll spare you the details, but for numerous reasons, I've decided to pack up shop and take you and me and the thousands of other subs to a new place. For now, at least, we're leaving Substack behind and, with any luck, the overall experience will be much the same.

For those curious, this came to your inbox via Beehiiv this time, which gives me a lot more power to both control where and how this content lives online and ultimately to maybe make a little money from its sharing along the way.

To those of you who have already generously paid to become subscribers, I very much appreciate you, and I am working to migrate those subs over to the new platform, so please stand by. To anyone else who'd like to become a benefactor, I’ll get that switch flipped soon as well. But, no pressure. Those on free subs may start to see an ad here or there in the future, which I hope you'll forgive, but shifting platforms does bring with it some rather more substantial fees that I need to recoup.

Anyhow, that's three paragraphs longer than I'd planned to prattle on about that, but I did at least want to be transparent about everything. Questions, concerns? I'd love to hear 'em. Now, on with the regular weekly update.

After driving the prototype electric Porsche Cayenne back in September of last year I've been quite keen to have a go in one where the exterior isn't wrapped in black vinyl. I got that chance a few weeks back in Germany, and now I can finally tell you about it without fear of legal repercussions. The new Cayenne, as you might expect, offers a driving feel that's not too dissimilar to Porsche's smaller battery-powered SUV, the Macan, only, you know, bigger and faster.

Very fast, as it turns out. I had a chance to really let it stretch its legs on a few de-restricted portions of the Autobahn. I was quite happy to see that the electric Cayenne, despite not having a two-speed transmission ala the Taycan, still had plenty of acceleration even as I was exceeding 200 kph.

What surprised me even more, though, was the harsh ride quality on the base model. Mine was optioned with the bigger, 22-inch wheels, which, in my book, is never a good move. I imagine smaller shoes would feel better, but the best setup was Porsche's Active Ride suspension.

I've sampled this high-voltage damping system on the Panamera and Taycan already, where its ability to dynamically raise, lower, and even incline the car impressed the hell out of me. It's just as good here, offering an ultra-plush ride when you need it, and a super-sharp feel when you want it.

That suspension comes at a $7,790 premium here, and sadly you can only get it on the top two trims, the Cayenne S and Cayenne Turbo. The Turbo starts at around $170,000, but the one I drove was optioned up over $220,000. No, dear reader, it's not just the 911 that's getting pricey.

Speaking of Porsches, my take on the 911 GT3 as compared to the 911 Cup appears on the cover of this month's Excellence magazine. Being in print is always a treat. Having the cover feature? Extra sweet.

That's all from me this week. Thanks as ever for reading. Again, if you notice anything weird on this week’s newsletter, please give me a shout. Comments are on.