- The Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid replaces the non-plug-in Turbo
- As much as 42 miles of vary, based on this gauge
- It’s $148,550 for the SUV, $153,050 for the Coupe
If you would like a luxurious automobile, you’ve earned it—however let’s be adults right here. It’s time to make some concessions to effectivity.
The brand new wave of plug-in hybrids within the offing have larger batteries and extra electrical vary, backed up by fuel energy. They’ll allow a day by day drive on electrical energy with fuel backup when completely obligatory. How’s that for compromise?
We nonetheless maintain house for the late, lamented Chevy Volt. Immediately’s Toyota plug-in RAV4 and Prius and a number of others fill most of that invoice, too. However for the well-heeled, the plug-in hybrid of selection may look rather a lot like—hear me out—the Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid.
Why? It has the knack to behave like three totally different automobiles. For lengthy stretches of interstate and the ramps that lead onto them, it’s a corner-wringing V-8 howler. It’s a intelligent utility car that runs in hybrid mode to tug house flat-pack furnishings and big-box luxuries. And tucked discreetly into the identical unibody wrapper, it’s additionally a plug-in automobile, one with up anyplace from 24 to 42 miles of electrical vary on faucet, based on the EPA and to the gauge on the mannequin I drove over the vacations.
2025 Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid take a look at drive assessment
Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Turbo: a corner-wringing V-8 howler
It’s as frugal as you’ll let or not it’s, however make no mistake. This Cayenne wears its V-8 coronary heart on its sleeve a lot of the time, clipping alongside interstates like a hydrofoil powered by pure fury.
It sports activities one muscular powertrain beneath the hood. The Turbo E-Hybrid, which Porsche sells in each the SUV and “Coupe” shapes, connects a 25.9-kwh lithium-ion battery to a 174-hp electrical motor that integrates with a 591-hp 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 for a road-rattling 729 hp and 700 lb-ft of torque. It’s so brutally fast, Porsche’s dropped the plain Turbo version. It drops 0-60 mph occasions of three.5 seconds and may claw to a 183-mph high velocity—and it does the previous with such ease that it is simple to appear to be an entire jackass whenever you’re simply attempting to merge with transferring visitors.
Whipped round an exit ramp or 4—it’s the one supply of driving leisure right here on the rim of the Gulf of Mexico—the Cayenne faucets its two-chamber, two-valve air suspension and steady damping to bounce as if it wasn’t toting round greater than 5,000 kilos of self. Fitted with that setup in addition to a torque-vectoring system and rear-axle steering, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid by no means betrayed its wonderful damping even on its huge 22-inch sport tires. Porsche doesn’t dial in an excessive amount of lateral stiffness like another German SUVs, and that leaves this expensive Cayenne relaxed when it must be—and never high-strung when its suspension’s twirled into Sport mode.
2025 Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid take a look at drive assessment
Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Turbo: A intelligent hybrid hauler, too
The Cayenne lives as much as its SUV future with out a lot bother, too. It strains on the reins because it performs its checklist of duties and chores—nevertheless it’ll do it, and do it nicely.
The sleeker Coupe fashion cuts into among the inherent utility baked into its physique, however each Cayennes can flip, fold, and finesse their method house with folks and cargo intact. A raft of upgrades contact up the Cayenne’s inside consolation, ranging on my take a look at car from 18-way white leather-based sport seats to wi-fi smartphone charging and a tremendous teal paint job tinted like a gulf storm in winter.
The experience’s a serene one, and getting snug’s a cinch for front-seat passengers. A cinch, in that the usual sport seats could be too constrained for some wider frames, by which case Porsche sells 14-way seats with flatter cushions. Within the burrito-snug sport seat, surrounded by digital shows and a touchscreen that wirelessly accessed deep disco cuts and beamed them all through the cabin, I couldn’t discern a purpose I’d select a traditional sedan over the taller however equally refined Cayenne.
Second-row seats help two huge passengers with loads of house, whereas a 3rd must be trim and in good spirits. However once they’re not invited, and when inside house’s wanted for stuff as an alternative, the Cayenne meets the duty. The Cayenne SUV has 27.5 cubic ft of cargo house behind the rear seatbacks, which might increase to 60.3 cubic ft with them folded down. That’s massive sufficient to haul house a brand new home-office setup, drop-shipped to a close-by warehouse, no sweat damaged, whereas a cheery artificial voice pointed us out of the parking zone and onward to brunch.
2025 Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid take a look at drive assessment
Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Turbo: The EV skinflint
Not everybody wants this a lot energy, so the Cayenne E-Hybrid or Cayenne S E-Hybrid could be sufficient for many drivers that need higher economic system on a regular basis. Nevertheless, in my particular use case, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid acts similar to these lesser fashions.
That’s as a result of my day by day routine hardly ever takes me past 20 miles in any route—and since the price of charging is zero. I dwell in a posh the place lower-power Stage 2 EV charging of about 6 kw stays free to all residents—so, OK, perhaps not free, however socialized amongst all us neighbors.
So due to these components, and a greater 11-kw onboard charger, I pushed the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid as much as an indicated 42 miles of vary earlier than I left on the day’s errands. I needed to drive so far as I may with out tipping into the fuel engine’s energy, which I took to imply a visit to seek out Borgonzola cheese and Mamitas corn chips and different scrumptious snacks on the nearest Aldi, 16 miles away by Apple Maps’ reckoning.
At first, it proved a false begin. I plugged the J1772 connector into the E-Hybrid’s cost port and nothing occurred. I attempted a second time, and the port glowed pink with inexperienced blinks. Was it working? It was, however one thing about that interface selection doesn’t register appropriately, not when most EVs glow inexperienced or blue whereas charging.
From the 42 miles on the sprint after I unplugged and hit the street, the Cayenne dipped instantly to 39 miles as I turned out of the complicated. Its fixed recalculations of vary smoothed out as I drove the seashore street, and at close to zero elevation and fixed 60-degree temperatures, the route eked out absolutely the most vary from the powertrain. It moved alongside quietly at a mean velocity of about 42 mph, with just a few tire roar and synthetic automobile sounds dubbing in some background vocals. Prior plug-in Cayennes may solely muster about 15 miles of electrical vary from a smaller 17.9-kwh battery, however I cruised all the way in which to the grocery retailer with greater than half of the anticipated vary nonetheless on the clock after I parked.
The EPA pegs the E-Hybrid at simply 24 miles of electrical vary, however I used to be capable of drive to Aldi and again, a complete of 32 miles, and emerge with a recommended 15 electrical miles left.
I may drive the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid totally free, then, if I simply used it on my common driving cycle—and if I plugged it in daily. Not each driver can afford such a luxurious, or desires to take up the logistics of charging as soon as they’ve spent about $160,000 for the privilege of driving one thing so outrageously highly effective and so richly rewarding.
However I’m that sort of driver. I’d cost it day by day, and drive it in a miserly method.
Need proof? Avocados have been three for $2, however I solely received two. As a result of that’s all we would have liked.
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2025 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Turbo
Base worth: $158,995, together with a $1,995 vacation spot price
Value as examined: $192,910 (together with carbon-ceramic brakes, Burmester audio, and extra)
Drivetrain: 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 plug-in hybrid, 729 hp/700 lb-ft of torque
EPA gas economic system: 19 mpg mixed, 24 miles of vary
The hits: Triple-threat powertrain, whippet dealing with, bedazzled with tech
The misses: So costly; house owners who get pouty when requested to preserve even just a bit
