FIRST DRIVES
NEW CARS TESTED AND RATED
24 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 14 AUGUST 2019
T
he Porsche Cayenne Turbo S
E-Hybrid is the most powerful
and fastest Cayenne of all time,
more powerful and torquier
than even the Lamborghini Urus.
That alone is quite a statement of just
how b ou g ht i n t o a n e le c t r i f ie d f ut u r e
Porsche is.
It has 671bhp, 664lb ft and a top
speed of 183mph. The 0-62mph
sprint takes 3.8sec. And the Top
Trumps stats don’t end there. Thanksto its plug-in hybrid system, the
Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid is also
rated as one of the cleanest SUVs
around, capable of 25 miles on
electric power alone, with official fuel
economy of up to 58.9mpg and CO 2
emissions from 110g/km on the latest
WLTP cycle.
A nd y e t ... it i s a l s o a r ou nd 3 5 0k g
heavier than the Cayenne Turbo
because it has to lug the hybrid
system and its ancillaries around.
And when the hybrid system runs
down, that’s rather a lot of extra bulk
t o b e c a r r y i n g a r ou nd.
But while that rather leaves
op e n t o que s t ion c l a i m s t h at t h i s
2.5-tonne V8-powered SUV is
both a performance and ecological
triumph, let’s be clear from the
offset: this car is a technical
marvel. The powertrain, mating
t he t u rb o c h a r ge d V8 t o a n e le c t r ic
motor via an eight-speed gearbox, is
a triumph of seamless, sometimes
intoxicating integration.
Where hybrids of old occasionally
pondered their way along, the electric
assistance jumping in occasionally
late and often disruptively, this one
delivers huge slabs of measured
performance slickly and on demand,
be it ushering you around town
smoothly and silently or kicking you
in the back and launching you up to
motorway speeds.
Range-topping electrified SUV has astonishing stats but is it any good to drive?
PORSCHE CAYENNE TURBO S E-HYBRID
Its extra weight is felt but the plug-in hybrid tech gives up to 25 electric-only miles
TESTED 25.7.19, AACHEN, GERMANY ON SALE NOW