Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid 2015 Review

We all know Porsche is no longer a sports car company – it’s now an SUV manufacturer that also makes 911s and the like for a bit of extra cash and image boosting.

The latest proof is on sale now – the Cayenne S E-Hybrid. It’s a plug-in petrol-electric version of Porsche’s wildly successful full-size four-wheel drive wagon.

And while it’s not the first plug-in Porsche, it is the first premium SUV to offer that ability.

Priced at $140,800, its actually $800 cheaper than the twin-turbo petrol V6-powered Cayenne S, $4000 cheaper than the Diesel S and around $10,000 cheaper than the orthodox (non plug-in) petrol-electric hybrid it replaces.

So that means by Porsche SUV standards it’s pretty affordable.

The safety gear it comes with includes a reversing camera and Park Assist front/rear sensors, brake pad wear meter, front and full-length side curtain airbags, stability control, anti-lock brakes, multi-collision brake, tyre pressure monitoring and an electric park brake.

There’s also an auto tailgate, bi-xenon headlights (with cornering function), dual-zone climate-control, 14-way powered front seats with memory and heating, cruise control, PASM multi-mode suspension adjustment, a powered sunroof and speed-sensitive power steering plus.

What you get in terms of driveline is pretty sophisticated, combining the 245kW/440Nm 3.0-litre Audi S5-sourced supercharged V6 with a 70kW electric motor, an eight speed torque converter auto and a 10.8kW/h lithium-ion battery pack, driving all four wheels via the Porsche Traction Management permanent all-wheel drive system.

The combined claims are impressive at 306kW of power at 5500rpm, 590Nm of torque from 1240 to 4000rpm and a 0-100km/h acceleration figure of 5.9 seconds. There’s also the theoretical ability to travel as an electric vehicle for up to 36km and at speeds of 125km/h. After that, the petrol engine chimes in.

The S E-Hybrid offers a number of ways to run. There’s e-power, in which it tries to be an EV whenever sensible; hybrid, in which it operates as a, er, hybrid alternating seamlessly between petrol and electric motivation or combining them; e-charge, where the petrol engine runs all the time and actually restocks the lithium-ion battery; and sport, where the petrol and electric engines combine for max attack.

The e-charge mode is a neat trick. What it means is if you haven’t recharged overnight – a process that takes roughly between two and four hours depending on the power you have access to – you can engage e-charge. The most appropriate time is when cruising down the freeway in overdrive and consuming the lowest amount of fuel (using e-charge adds between one and two litres per 100km to consumption).

Then when you reach urban gridlock, when fuel consumption would instantly spiral, swap to e-power and run as an EV. It is economical driving, just in a different way.

Speaking of economy, Porsche makes one pretty incredible claim for the Cayenne S E-Hybrid and that is its 3.4L/100km fuel consumption average. If it could hit that figure consistently, then you’d be looking at a refuelling range well beyond 2000km.

But it can’t achieve that number in the real world – we averaged 10.2L/100km. And that’s because of another incredible number, it weighs 2425kg.

That’s a lot – even for an SUV! And that means the battery gets depleted pretty quickly and the engine kicks in early and often to beef up performance.

Just to put that kerb weight in perspective; a standard Diesel S weighs 2215kg, a 911 Carrera 1425kg. This thing is lardy.

So you end up questioning whether all that extra weight is actually killing the environmental and economic benefit of the hybrid system. Countering that, it does feel cool when you are in e-power mode whistling silently around the ’burbs having your cake and eating it too … Yes I know, even then I’m kidding myself because of coal-based electricity generation and all that.

There’s another aspect of the plug-in experience that we got to experience and didn’t enjoy on this test… the S E-Hybrid stopped working. Yep, just walked out to it one morning and the battery was completely flat – the normal 12-volt one, not the lithium-ion one.

The car just would not start – not even the blokes sent by Porsche to rescue it could make it go. So on the truck it went for the ignominious trip back home. Oh dear. To this day all Porsche can only tell us is the battery inexplicably went absolutely dead flat and therefore, because it’s a hybrid, the whole show shut down and couldn’t be jump-started. No fun that.

Speaking of fun, the S E-Hybrid is not a great Porsche drive either – not even in its modern definition as an SUV company. Because of its huge weight it feels cumbersome and rides harshly. That latter aspect was definitely exacerbated on test by optional 21-inch rubber (mind you, 20s are standard) that seemed to transmit the road’s imperfections even when the air suspension was set to comfort mode. Those big tyres also transmit plenty of noise too…

So while you normally marvel at a Porsche’s deft, communicative steering, incisive handling, huge grip and brilliant brakes, this Cayenne leaves you more impressed with its ability to corral all that weight and move down the road at a good speed.

It’s not a car that inspires a desire to drive it for the sake of it. Some Cayennes, especially the GTS, can get you thinking that way. But not this one.

It does impress from behind the wheel for its well-tailored seat, excellent relationship with steering wheel and pedals and that variety and clearness of information delivered by the traditional five-dial instrument panel. Less clear are the plethora of buttons on the sloping centre console.

Beyond the driver there’s no doubt every outboard passenger gets well looked after. It is a high quality, spacious and – as we’ve already relayed – well equipped place to be. Behind the passengers the cargo area absorbs 580 litres of luggage. You can expand that to 1690 litres if you fold down the rear seat.

But if good space and high quality finishes are what attract you then the S E-Hybrid is just one of many, many luxury choices on the market.

If you are a after a plug-in hybrid then it should be higher on your consideration list. If you are after a plug-in luxury SUV then it should at the top of your list.

If you like driving Porsches though, wait for a plug-in 911.

What we liked:
>> Recharging ability of plug-in hybrid system
>> Has good performance despite weight
>> Interior quality