At 2,350kg, it's easily the weightiest variant of the newly facelifted range. Somehow, though, the PHEV Cayenne is Porsche's most officially fuel efficient SUV yet.
This additional version for what the company calls its 'new generation' (facelifted) model replaces the S Hybrid, just as the former Panamera S Hybrid was replaced by the S-E Hybrid. Offering petrol-electric and plug-in petrol-electric powertrains would likely cause confusion, you suspect the thinking went in Zuffenhausen.
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To make sure there's no doubting the new PHEV's green credentials, the Cayenne S E-Hybrid has some rather sudden verdant badging as can be seen in the accompanying images. Too unsubtle for the target buyer? Not at all – this is like an exciting cypher to the intended audience. Such people will also be considering the future Tesla Model X as well as the existing Model S, you would expect. The other main rival will be an e-tron version of the new Audi Q7.
Why is there no direct challenger to the new plug-in hybrid Porsche from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lexus, Infiniti or Range Rover? You can have a hybrid Range Rover or Sport but it's a diesel, as is the Mercedes-Benz ML 300 BlueTEC Hybrid. The future BMW X5 xDrive40e has been seen twice now as a concept and like the Benz, will have a four-cylinder engine versus the Cayenne's supercharged V6. Toyota has really dropped the ball by not offering a PHEV Lexus and Nissan too seems to be holding back to see if there is indeed much demand for such vehicles.
The lack of direct competition means that Porsche gets to show off its eco credentials and stand out somewhat. The Volkswagen-controlled firm now offers three PHEVs, if you count the limited production 918 Spyder hypercar. The plug-in Cayenne uses the same supercharged 3.0-litre petrol V6 as the Panamera S E-Hybrid, but there are some differences with the battery pack. In the SUV, its output is 10.8kWh, compared to 9.4kWh in the big hatchback. Combined power for both is 306kW (416hp) and torque is 590Nm.
The range in EV mode is anywhere between 11 and 22 miles, depending on how much of a lead-foot you are, and/or if the outside temperature means maximum cabin cooling or heating is needed. Just as in the best PHEVs and hybrids, the transition from electric car to petrol one and back again is hard to notice. Acceleration is brisk too, zero to 62mph taking just 5.9 seconds. Top speed is 243km/h (151mph) and in EV mode, that drops to 125km/h (78mph).
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By GlobalDataAccording to the EC’s official Combined cycle, the new Cayenne uses just 3.4 litres/100km, with a CO2 average of 78g/km.
The e motor produces 70kW (95hp) between 2,200 and 2,600rpm, with maximum torque of 310Nm delivered from 0-1,700rpm. The high-voltage system/traction battery has an output of 282V. The car can be recharged from the mains via the standard Porsche Universal Charger (AC) and on-board charger (3.6kW or optional 7.2kW). This takes around three hours/90 minutes respectively.
The media launch venue was Porsche’s Experience Centre at Silverstone so there wasn’t an opportunity to properly test the car’s fuel consumption. Having said that, the S E-Hybrid could be taken out onto public roads as well as tested on the Centre’s wet, dry and off-road tracks. I drove most of the latest range, including the other new variant, which has the biturbo 3.6-litre petrol V6. This is the Cayenne S, formerly powered by a naturally aspirated 4.8-litre V8. Output is up (by 20hp, to 420hp), as is torque (by 50Nm to 550Nm) but average consumption drops by 0.9 litre to under 10l/100km.
You can feel the extra weight of the S E-Hybrid compared to other Cayennes but still, it’s beautifully balanced and having that big battery under the boot floor doesn’t seem to affect the handling. I tried emergency lane changes with braking to a standstill from high speeds and the car just took that in its stride.
Other tests on the track included standing starts with launch control and the car just charged off the line with no wheel spin. You can select this function from a switch between the seats. The method is simply to hold your left foot on the brakes while pushing the throttle flat to the floor and then release the brakes. Its official name is ‘Performance Start’ and this comes as part of the Sport Chrono package.
Until the Turbo S arrives later this year, the top variant is the Turbo, and this has standard air suspension. The pneumatic set up is an option on other Cayennes and this offers six vehicle heights. There’s also a nifty feature – open the boot and press a button to drop the car’s height by 52mm. This lowers the sill to 69cm making bulky and heavy objects easier to load.
Having mentioned weight right at the start of this review, it’s worth pointing out how that compares to others in the range. Each has permanent four-wheel drive and an eight-speed Tiptonic torque converter automatic gearbox. The S comes in at 2,085kg (DIN, unladen), the Diesel (V6) weighs 2,110kg, the S Diesel (V8) 2,215kg and the Turbo 2,185kg. So at 2,350kg, the S E-Hybrid shows how battery manufacturers are still battling weight.
As much as I am fascinated by the engineering and electronics of the new PHEV Cayenne, my favourite of the range is still the S Diesel. It’s not as nose heavy as you’d think, so understeer isn’t too much of a factor, but the noise it makes is one of its greatest assets. That, and the 850Nm of torque, which not even the newly announced Turbo S (800Nm) can match.
The new Cayenne range is on sale in the UK now, with prices ranging from GBP49,576 to GBP118,455.
