Hits:
- Be the first on your block
- Incredible torque
- Lavish interior
Misses:
- Some drivetrain tremors
- Pricey
It’s been nearly 8 years since I first drove the Cayenne, back when it was introduced in 2003. At that time, the Cayenne Turbo, which I toured in a long loop around Lake Berryessa, seemed like the answer to a question no one had asked: can a Porsche SUV be a sports car too? The introductory version of the Cayenne Turbo impressed me as a vehicle at war with itself. It was immensely fast in a straight line, with such a wallop on tap at full boost that it seemed reluctant to deviate from straight ahead. Turning and braking proved difficult due to the SUV’s top heavy weight and tremendous momentum. That first generation Cayenne Turbo wanted to be a sports car but just didn’t have the chops for the job.
Fast forward nearly a decade to the newly introduced Cayenne S Hybrid, which knows its place in the scheme of things far better than its predecessor did. Unlike the gasoholic Cayenne Turbo, the Hybrid Cayenne is the flower child of a new, greener generation of engineers at Weissach, Porsche’s brilliant development center near Stuttgart. In a straight line, the new Hybrid, at 6.1 seconds from zero to 60, is not quite as quick as that original Turbo, but instead of the Turbo’s poor mileage figures, the Hybrid returns 20 MPG around town and 24 MPG on the highway. How does a 4,400 pound off-roader with a 7,700 pound tow capacity manage mileage figures you’d expect from a sports sedan?
It’s all in the ingenious layout of the drivetrain. As you would expect from a Hybrid, there are two separate sources of propulsion. A supercharged, direct fuel injection V6, displacing only 3.0 liters, produces 333hp. A parallel electric drive system consists of a 47hp electric motor which augments the gas engine to produce 380hp. The Hybrid carries a 288 Volt NiMH battery which stores electrical power produced by heat from regenerative braking. The most noticeable feature of the Hybrid is its stunning torque output: 428 lb.-ft. at only 1,000 rpm. In other words the Cayenne Hybrid steps off the line with a surge akin to an Atlas Booster Rocket.
Thanks to that torque, the Hybrid would make an ideal tow vehicle. The 8-speed Tiptronic transmission offers a ratio for every situation, with immediate selection on tap via buttons affixed to the leather trimmed 3-spoke steering wheel. The Cayenne S interior is an ideal place to spend long hours behind the wheel. Once you’re ensconced in the sumptuous bucket seats of the optional ($3,655) leather interior, you’ll never want to leave. The Cayenne’s command position is daunting, with excellent line of sight in all directions. Optional air suspension ($3,655) allows you to tailor your ride height to specific loads, or off-road work, with just the twist of a dial on the transmission tunnel. Interior appointments are elegant in Porsche’s typically understated way, with electric moonroof and power liftgate standard at the vehicle’s $67,700 base price.
There are some small prices to pay for becoming an early adaptor to Hybrid propulsion. For example, you can chose to rely only on electric power under 37mph by pressing the E-Power button on the dash, but when the gas motor kicks in above that speed you’ll feel the transition. Likewise, the tremor produced by the auto stop/start feature which saves gas at stoplights is a bit disconcerting, and the regenerative brakes sometimes yield a mushy pedal. But these are small prices to pay in view of the Hybrid’s many other benefits.
- ENGINE: Supercharged DOHC V6 plus 34kW electric motor
- HORSEPOWER: 333 hp from 5500 – 6500 rpm (V6), 47 hp from 1150 rpm (electric motor), 380hp (combined)
- TORQUE: 324 lb-ft from 3000 – 5250 rpm (V6), 295 lb-ft up to 1150 rpm (electric motor), 428 lb-ft @ 1,000rpm (combined)
- TRANSMISSION: 8-speed Tiptronic S
- FUEL CONSUMPTION: 20 City MPG/24 Highway MPG
- 0-60 TIME: 6.1 seconds
- TOP SPEED: 150 mph
- PRICE AS TESTED: $86,110
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David Colman has been writing vehicle tests for 25 years. His work has been featured in AutoWeek, the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, and Marin Independent Journal. In 1987, he helped start Excellence, The Magazine About Porsche, which he edited for many years. He has been an active participant in racing and Solo events since 1961.