Photo: Porsche
One way for carmakers to electrify their offering without completely going down the electron path (yet) is to hybridize the lineup as much as possible. It's an approach many are taking in the time left until a complete switch to EVs as it both gives them time to prepare for the future, and also satisfies the needs and demands of customers and regulators.
Porsche is the latest company to announce an expansion of its hybrid offering, as it pulled the wraps off the third plug-in version of the mighty Cayenne, based on the most recent generation of the model.
The newcomer is officially called Cayenne S E-Hybrid, and it's meant to slot right in between the E-Hybrid and the Turbo E-Hybrid. It will be offered both as a standard SUV and a SUV Coupe, promising to bring to the table a decent driving range in electric mode and reduced charging times.
At the core of the vehicle you'll still find an ICE heart, in our case a 3.0-liter beast in a V6 configuration. The unit is turbocharged, and it is capable of developing on its own 349 horsepower.
That's more than enough for most cars out there, but not for the Cayenne. So an extra 174 hp are sent into the fight by the electric motor that's part of the hybrid system.
Putting the two in the same place results in a total vehicle output of 512 horses, and a combined torque rated at 750 Nm. Those numbers translate into an acceleration time from a standstill to 62 mph of 4.7 seconds, something very impressive for a car this size, but not at all uncommon when it comes to the Cayenne. The SUV's top speed is estimated at 263 kph (163 mph).
As for its electric mode capabilities, the 25.9 kWh battery the S E-Hybrid is fitted with gives it an electric range of up to 78 km (48 miles) combined. That's not something we haven't come across before, so nothing spectacular here. And the same can be said about charging times, which are estimated at two and a half hours when plugged into an 11 kW power source with the on-board AC charger.
The SUV tries to distinguish itself from its siblings, visually speaking, but it only does so in a mild way. Propped on 20-inch wheels, it packs the Silver exterior package in standard guise and the Black exterior package as a coupe.
Inside we get the standard Porsche stuff, if it can be called that, including eight-way seats, pedal pads in stainless steel, and the Sport Chrono package.
The vehicle can already be found and configured using the carmaker's web-based tools. In the U.S., the standard-body Cayenne S E-Hybrid has a starting price of $99,100, while its coupe sibling retails from $104,000. Deliveries for those ordering one are expected to begin in the spring of next year.
The newcomer is officially called Cayenne S E-Hybrid, and it's meant to slot right in between the E-Hybrid and the Turbo E-Hybrid. It will be offered both as a standard SUV and a SUV Coupe, promising to bring to the table a decent driving range in electric mode and reduced charging times.
At the core of the vehicle you'll still find an ICE heart, in our case a 3.0-liter beast in a V6 configuration. The unit is turbocharged, and it is capable of developing on its own 349 horsepower.
That's more than enough for most cars out there, but not for the Cayenne. So an extra 174 hp are sent into the fight by the electric motor that's part of the hybrid system.
Putting the two in the same place results in a total vehicle output of 512 horses, and a combined torque rated at 750 Nm. Those numbers translate into an acceleration time from a standstill to 62 mph of 4.7 seconds, something very impressive for a car this size, but not at all uncommon when it comes to the Cayenne. The SUV's top speed is estimated at 263 kph (163 mph).
As for its electric mode capabilities, the 25.9 kWh battery the S E-Hybrid is fitted with gives it an electric range of up to 78 km (48 miles) combined. That's not something we haven't come across before, so nothing spectacular here. And the same can be said about charging times, which are estimated at two and a half hours when plugged into an 11 kW power source with the on-board AC charger.
The SUV tries to distinguish itself from its siblings, visually speaking, but it only does so in a mild way. Propped on 20-inch wheels, it packs the Silver exterior package in standard guise and the Black exterior package as a coupe.
Inside we get the standard Porsche stuff, if it can be called that, including eight-way seats, pedal pads in stainless steel, and the Sport Chrono package.
The vehicle can already be found and configured using the carmaker's web-based tools. In the U.S., the standard-body Cayenne S E-Hybrid has a starting price of $99,100, while its coupe sibling retails from $104,000. Deliveries for those ordering one are expected to begin in the spring of next year.
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