2024 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid review

Porsche refreshed its Cayenne SUV last year, including the plug-in hybrid variants. Herein, we drive the base E-Hybrid PHEV.

Porsche has just launched its first fully electric high-rise vehicle, Porsche Macan Electric, while locally we have just driven the plug-in variant of the facelifted Cayenne.

Evidently this refreshed Cayenne will sell alongside an electric version that’s due for release in 2026. So Porsche is expecting big things of its BEVs.

Not that it is abandoning ICE power, as evidenced by this vehicle, the Cayenne E-Hybrid. In its latest iteration Porsche has once again upped electric range, and also engine/motor power.

Battery size rises substantially too, up from 17 to 26kWh, but with all this comes a weight rise, now out to almost 2.5 tonnes. So it’s a case of give and take on the efficiency front.

Porsche claims 66km of WLTP range while overall fuel consumption is a stated 1.4-2.0L/100km if you rezip the battery after each use. Following a run into the country we saw mean fuel use in the 11L/100km range.

Overall fuel use for the ‘life’ of the vehicle (thus far 2000km) was 7.5L/100km, still a way short of what’s possible but probably quite typical of PHEV figures.

Despite the engine only ticking over at 100km/h (1400rpm in top), you’re still going to use a bit of fuel. However, you should get 700km of range with this, way more than with a BEV.

While back in town you can resort to e-power all week. That’s the theory, but only if owners get on board with the plug and play aspect.

You can evidently recharge the battery in around two and a half hours using a home wall box thanks to a new onboard 11kW charger. Then it’s ready for another 60-odd kays of emissions-free running.

Dramatic interior update

As to the latest Cayenne E-Hybrid and changes to the vehicle, they’re relatively comprehensive, more so inside. The headlights are new, so too the bumpers and front wings and there’s now a bonnet power bulge.

A new motor pumps out 130kW, a boost of 30 units while 50 extra newts takes the tally to 450Nm. It is integrated within the rejigged eight-speed automatic transmission.

This motor can evidently convert almost one-third more braking power into potential energy for the battery.

The engine has also been tweaked, the 3.0L V6 turbopetrol good for 260kW, rising 10kW, and 500Nm, up from 450Nm. So figure on a combined power output of 346kW.

Step inside and this is almost unrecognisable, in a good way. The new configurable instruments and central touchscreen both look high res while a separate HVAC control panel with haptic-like buttons makes running the show that much easier.

We like the new miniaturised shift lever too, up by the wheel. It all helps create a convincingly luxurious and expensive look and feel inside, in part justifying the $186,600 ask. That’s $12k more than when we last drove it in 2018.

Extras fitted to the newbie include a full panoramic roof ($3800), adaptive 18-way sports seats ($750), soft-close doors ($1380) and a Bose surround sound system ($2650).

The base Cayenne costs $165,200 while at the top of the heap is the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT Coupe for a cool $370k.

Our particular vehicle ended up costing $213,580 because of exterior options like the gloss black 21-inch wheels and PZero rubber ($7830), tinted HD Matrix LED lights ($5340) and adaptive air suspension ($4430), amongst others.

Standard fare includes an inductive charging tray, head-up display, and just about any driver assistance system you can imagine with the exception of active lane keeping including intersection assist and an emergency stop function, which adds $1460 to the bottom line.

Many of these can be disabled if you don’t want all that interference, especially with the steering.

Planted but plump

What’s it like to drive then? The Cayenne E-Hybrid kicks off in electric mode which propels it well around town and up to illegal motorway speeds.

It makes a vibrant noise doing so too. However, the 32kWh/100km average over the previous 1000km explains why electric range is limited to around 66km WLTP.

There are also Hold and Charge modes in the electric drive area. With the latter the engine contributes to battery charging but only up to the 80 per cent mark.

Other modes include Sport and Sport Plus, along with some Off Road drive programmes.

Despite weighing in at a beefy 2425kg, this can hustle with both power sources chiming in and it is just so quiet in operation. Fact is, you don’t really need to go for the Cayenne S unless you just pine for that V8 soundtrack.

For the acceleration of the E-Hybrid is much the same, requiring 4.95sec for the sprint test (claim 4.9sec) and 3.2sec or 95m for an 80-120 overtake. It can genuinely hike for such a big vehicle.

Only it’s no faster than its predecessor we drove in 2018 so we guess the extra power and greater weight cancel each other out.

The brakes are odd, though somewhat typical of electrified machinery. Press the pedal down and you get the regen form of retardation, which doesn’t issue forth with much pedal feel or bite.

Push harder, through to the friction brakes, and this slows with proper urgency, taking just under 34m to pull to a halt from 100km/h. In general use, the regenerative aspect which takes precedence makes braking less satisfying than in more analogue Porsches.

And it’s much the same on the handling front, the 2.5 tonnes of mass riding high always evident. That said, this has enough smart systems and inherent weight balance to make it corner with confidence providing you don’t get too cute.

Even then gentle understeer and brake nipping are the result of pushing beyond the pale. Optional rear axle steering would likely dial that out. Active antiroll bars are also available.

Best to button off and enjoy the ride then, which is rather nice, though the air suspenders can occasionally be noisy over sharper bumps. We’d expect it would ride a little easier with standard rubber.

All the while the adaptive dampers do a good job of helping to keep the ship on an even keel. For outright Cayenne dynamics then this probably isn’t the best choice; the 375kg lighter base Cayenne would likely get the nod.

That said, this is still extremely secure on the go, reflecting the excellent rubber, good body control and AWD status.

Plus there’s great range, around 700km with a full tank, almost twice what most big electric SUVs will manage in a real world scenario. And with assiduous battery charging in an urban setting fuel use should be modest.

Porsche has sold over 1.25million Cayennes in its two decades on sale. There are now 11 variants to choose from here, three PHEVs in each of SUV and Coupe body styles.

If it’s more of everything you’re after in your PHEV there should be a model to suit, right up to the rabidly quick $316,300 Turbo E-Hybrid Coupe.

This story first appeared in the April 2024 issue of NZ Autocar magazine.