America has a problem. Well, actually it has a lot of problems, but the (small) one I’m talking about here is that it just doesn’t seem to “get” plug-in hybrids. Sure, they sell here, but how often do people actually plug them in? Even though there are real benefits to doing so. We also tend to think of PHEVs as being efficient, rather than as a performance vehicle but Porsche is trying to change that with the newest versions of its Cayenne E-Hybrid.
The new Cayenne is amazing in standard, ICE-only form. The 2023 Cayenne S is the best fast SUV on sale right now and second place isn’t exactly close. I drove the base Cayenne E-Hybrid which is powered by a turbocharged V6. That gas engine and the hybrid system put out a combined (and healthy) 463 horsepower but while the baseline level of sportiness of the Cayenne is there, I wouldn’t call it super exciting. Porsche is ready with a remedy to this situation with the 2024 Cayenne S E-Hybrid and, most excitingly, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid.
Full Disclosure: Porsche wanted me to drive the 2024 Cayenne S E-Hybrid and Turbo E-Hybrid so badly that it flew me to Barcelona where I tried not to eat too much ham, but definitely overindulged in cafe con leche and enjoyed speaking my very limited Spanish with a hearty lisp.
Unlike the ICE Cayenne S and its turbocharged V8, the S E-Hybrid gets the same V6 engine as the base E-Hybrid, but it gets an increased power output of 512 horsepower and 553 pound-feet of torque. That comes from tweaks to the gas engine and while I didn’t exactly have my hair set on fire by the performance (it’s still a heavy vehicle at 5,311 pounds) and while I didn’t drive it back-to-back with the non-S E-Hybrid, it’s still a pretty impressive SUV that hides its weight well, even on an ultra-twisty Spanish road near Montserrat.
While the base E-Hybrid comes on the Cayenne’s seriously good steel spring suspension, the S E-Hybrid comes with the same two-valve, two-chamber air suspension that blew me away on the Cayenne S. The ride quality on offer here is excellent, as is the speed with which the suspension reacts to changes in the road. There were (once again) times when I had the SUV in Sport Plus mode and forgot about it.
While the S E-Hybrid is likely going to be the volume seller here, the most exciting version is the Turbo E-Hybrid which effectively replaces the Turbo S E-Hybrid of the previous generation. This monster makes a combined 729 hp and 700 LB-FT of torque. Those are effectively supercar numbers, even if the 5,719 pound curb weight isn’t a supercar number. For some context, the Lucid Air Sapphire I drove recently – a 1,234 hp EV with 429 miles of range – tips the scales at just over 5,300 lbs. The Turbo E-Hybrid is kind of a porker of a Porsche.
Of course, that made Porsche’s invitation to come and drive it on a track that’s used primarily for motorcycles even more intriguing to me. Like, Porsche knows sports cars and gives a shit about how it’s perceived as a brand, so these engineers must be mighty proud of their new technological terror if they’re going to turn a bunch of journos loose.
Yeah, holy shit. This thing is amazing. Sure, it’s still a very heavy SUV, but it’s shockingly agile and thanks to big carbon ceramic brakes, hauling that weight down from stratospheric speeds for corners is possible for more than a single lap. I’m not usually a huge fan of “high-performance SUVs.” It just seems like you’re asking one vehicle to do everything and the results aren’t usually great. Just look at the Lamborghini Urus Performante for evidence of this.
The Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid (especially with the GT package that we won’t get in the US) feels planted and stable. That air suspension that gives the S and S E-Hybrid its magic ride now makes the Turbo E-Hybrid feel like it’s ready to break the laws of physics. Make no mistake, this is no 911 Turbo (though our lead drivers were in them) and nobody will realistically ever take their Cayenne to the track, but the performance is real.
Of course, my second on-track session marks the first instance of my getting carbon ceramic brakes smoking coming back into the pits. I’ve never felt so comfortable pushing something so big so hard and that’s definitely worth something.
At the beginning of this thing, I talked about how America doesn’t plug in its plug-ins. Porsche has a solution to that, too. Sure, it’ll work best if you do as you’re supposed to and juice it up nightly, but Porsche has designed the car to constantly monitor and top up its traction battery as you drive. This means that you’re generally not going to be in a position where you’re running on ICE only and that’s good for fuel economy and mother earth gaia.
Porsche has also rigged up the E-Hybrids to stay in EV mode for way longer than you’d expect. During my drive on the Spanish Autovia (aka freeway), I had to keep checking to see if the combustion engine had engaged and in most cases, it hadn’t. Porsche hasn’t given us EPA fuel economy numbers, but I suspect that they’ll be pretty impressive, especially in the wildly powerful Turbo version.
Ultimately, would I buy any of the E-Hybrid models if it was my own dollar? Hell yeah, I would. If you’re the kind of person who has a decent commute – even 30-40 miles one way – you’ll find yourself spending way less on gasoline than you expect and you’ll always be ready to boogie, even if you forgot to plug in. Given the current state of America’s EV charging network (read: piss-poor and unreliable), this middle step is seeming more and more like a solid move.
