The 2019 Cayenne E-Hybrid is not only faster and more powerful than the outgoing model, but will also travel farther in pure EV mode, up to 27 miles at speeds of up to 83 mph. The key enabling technology here is a liquid cooled 14.1-kW-hr battery pack that has 30 percent more capacity than the previous generation pack yet weighs the same. A 3.6-kW onboard charger is standard, and a 7.2-kW charger is available as an option for those who want faster charge times. Of course, the beauty of a plug-in hybrid is that you don't need to plan your trip around charge points. And the beauty of Porsche's plug-in hybrid system is that it doesn't just save the e-motor's smooth power and instant-on torque for delivering silent, planet-saving EV motoring around town. Thanks to powertrain control strategies developed for the 918 Hybrid, the e-motor can also be used to boost the Cayenne's performance on a fun-to-drive back road.
The choice is yours. Left to its own devices, the Cayenne E-Hybrid starts in E-Power mode, propelled solely by the electric motor. On a full charge, that gives you all the range you need for most local trips, and if the journey includes a freeway section, it'll waft along silently on battery power with the rest of traffic. Simply push the accelerator pedal past an artificially induced pressure point, and the internal combustion engine will fire up to lend a hand. It's just like the kickdown function in an old-school automatic. Being a Porsche, the Cayenne E-Hybrid has an E-Launch function for maximum acceleration away from the lights in pure EV mode: Simply keep the brake depressed and move the accelerator pedal to the pressure point. Sidestep the brake pedal, and you're away. Don't expect a Tesla Model X P100D Ludicrous launch, however: With the e-motor doing all the work, we're talking Kia Rio power in a 5,060-pound SUV. Porsche claims a 0-35 mph acceleration time of just over 6 seconds.
That's not going to pin you to the seat, but it's enough to startle the snoozers at traffic lights. When the battery charge depletes, the Cayenne E-Hybrid automatically switches to Hybrid Auto mode. Alternatively, drivers can select Hybrid Auto mode from the get-go via the steering-wheel-mounted controller. This is the best all-round mode for trips longer than 27 miles, as it allows battery charge to be husbanded for optimal use of the e-motor. The powertrain's brain takes into account how you've been driving, your battery charge status, the topology of your route, and speed information, and seamlessly blends power and torque flows from the internal combustion engine and the e-motor accordingly. Program a destination into the sat-nav, and the system also factors the distance remaining into its calculations. The Hybrid Auto mode can be manually adjusted via a submenu on the Cayenne's touchscreen to prioritize the battery charge protocol. E-Hold mode ensures the current battery charge level is maintained鈥攗seful if you know you're driving into a city where pure EV running is required.
E-Charge mode asks the internal combustion engine to produce slightly more power than is needed to propel the vehicle and directs the excess to recharging the battery. It works: 35 miles of 80 mph cruising in E-Charge mode on a French autoroute during our test drive pumped 15 miles of range back into our Cayenne E-Hybrid's depleted battery. Sport and Sport Plus are the fun modes. In Sport mode the Porsche not only stiffens its sinews and sharpens its responses, the battery's charge is also kept to the minimum level needed to provide a power and torque boost on demand. Sport Plus takes everything up a notch and increases the rate at which the battery is charged to allow longer periods of e-motor boost, more often. In both modes, the internal combustion engine remains in continuous operation. Hybrid haters might dismiss the Cayenne E-Hybrid as the least sporty Porsche you can buy. It's not鈥攖he entry-level Cayenne, powered by the 335 hp V-6 engine, is slower to 60 mph and has a lower top speed. In Sport Plus mode the E-Hybrid can confidently hustle down the road at a pace that will leave most regular SUVs in a welter of thrashing engines, squealing tires, and smelly brakes. Left to its own devices, the 2019 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid delivers a strong combination of performance and efficiency. But it also allows drivers to switch the emphasis between the two, and not just in a purely binary fashion; there are subtle layers of functionality and capability to explore. It might be a hybrid SUV with a V-6 engine, but it's an engaging one to drive.