Porsche, the venerable German maker of sports cars, just rolled out the hybrid version of the current Cayenne. This is the third Cayenne SUV with a hybrid powertrain; while the first-generation model had no such variant, the second Cayenne had two hybrid versions (one a regular hybrid, one a plug-in). That means there are as many generations of Cayenne hybrid as there are of the Honda Insight, which was the first hybrid of any sort offered on our shores. According to Friedemann Heller, powertrain product line manager for SUVs at Porsche, engineering the single motor to handle the difficult duty of a cold-engine start was a worthwhile effort for the weight savings. The only downside is that if there ever is a fault in the high-voltage battery, the Cayenne will drive like a normal car鈥攂ut only for as long as the 12-volt battery鈥檚 charge endures. Wherever the SUV is shut off, assuming the fault isn鈥檛 self-correcting, is where it will sit until a tow truck arrives, because there is no way to start the car without a functional high-voltage battery. 3590) is selected, it also brings a 48-volt subsystem to power the active front and rear anti-roll bars.
The conversion to hybrid propulsion adds about 680 pounds to a base Cayenne, according to Porsche. That makes the plug-in around 260 pounds heavier than the 550-hp V-8-powered Cayenne Turbo, but you鈥檇 be hard pressed to feel the added mass from behind the steering wheel. 1620), the Cayenne E-Hybrid does an amazing impression of a sporty wagon by nullifying body roll without making the ride harsh. The E-Hybrid also is a nice place to spend extended periods of time as road noise is well hushed, even on the optional 21-inch wheels (19s are standard; 20s and 22s also are offered). A dial inside the rim of the steering wheel at the 4:30 position selects from four main driving modes that vary the suspension, engine, electric motor, and transmission behavior. E-Power is the default mode and relies solely on the motor to drive the wheels. Hybrid Auto mode leaves the blending of electron and gasoline power up to the car鈥檚 computers, which will drive the wheels in the most efficient way. In Sport mode, the V-6 is always running, gears are held longer, and the various suspension elements get firmer. Sport Plus ratchets up the chassis even further.
Two sub-modes of Hybrid Auto allow the car to charge the battery itself or hold the battery鈥檚 state of charge for later use. These are activated via the infotainment interface. Both the engine and the motor turn at the same rpm. Swaps from electric drive, to hybrid, and back are utterly seamless. Initial tip-in from a start is damped by the torque converter and bolstered by the motor鈥檚 295 lb-ft of torque, which is available from 100 rpm to 2400 rpm. By that point, the engine鈥檚 peak torque of 332 lb-ft is available. Working in concert, the engine and motor serve up 516 lb-ft between 1000 and 3750 rpm but, more important, 455 horses at 6400 rpm. Sport and Sport Plus also ready the temporary boost mode, which, when activated by pressing the button in the middle of the mode-selector dial, delivers a 918-like boost to the electric half of the powertrain for maximum acceleration. Sprints to 60 mph should take about 4.4 seconds, a massive improvement of 0.8 second over what we extracted from the outgoing Cayenne S E-Hybrid.
840), a fully drained battery will recharge in about 2.5 hours on a Level 2 connection (32 amps). With the standard charger (3.6 kW) that time grows to four hours. But most wagons, let alone hybrids, can鈥檛 tow 7716 pounds. And it is for this reason that the Cayenne has its own powertrain, distinct from that used in the Panamera鈥檚 hybrid variants, complete with a torque converter and planetary automatic instead of a dual-clutch transmission. Sure, it could have been done with PDK, but Porsche鈥檚 standards for initial tip-in couldn鈥檛 have been met. Pulling away with a loaded trailer on a hill, for example, wouldn鈥檛 be buttery smooth. The powertrain arrangement, from tip to tail, is as follows: engine, clutch, electric motor, torque converter, eight-speed gearbox, hang-on all-wheel-drive coupler (an electronically controlled clutch), driveshaft, rear differential. This arrangement means that if the car is moving, the motor is spinning. Lift off the gas and there is some regenerative braking, but not anywhere near one-pedal-driving levels. As the brake pedal is pressed, regen-indicator lights illuminate as more and more deceleration is asked of the system.