2011 Porsche Cayenne Hybrid Review
The 2011 Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid uses a direct-injected, supercharged Audi 3.0-liter V6 engine rated at 333 horsepower, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The system’s unique feature is a hydraulic clutch between the engine and motor that disengages the engine so it can shut down under light loads. The electric motor then takes up the load until the engine restarts. Porsche engineers call the result “sailing”—for the quiet sensation of speed using only electric power.
As in most hybrids, the electric motor also restarts the engine, and recharges the battery pack (believed to contain 1.2 kilowatt-hours of energy). Fitted into the former spare-tire well, the pack uses Sanyo nickel-metal-hydride cells (as do the Ford Escape Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrid). Porsche’s hybrid system is tuned to give lots of electric assist at highway speeds.
Porsche says the Cayenne S Hybrid runs up to 1.2 miles in all-electric mode.
Most Cayenne Hybrids are likely to be sold in North America, where hybrids take a greater share of sales than any other market.
Now Porsche tries to soothe both groups of critics, while—and this is most important—keeping the Cayenne's existing customer base happy.
Bigger but Lighter, and Easier on the Eyes
The styling department deserves kudos for fooling most observers into thinking the second-generation 2011 Cayenne, debuting at the Geneva auto show, is smaller than its predecessor. The Porsche’s wheelbase has grown by 1.6 inches, but it remains a five-seater.
While it has grown in size, mainly to enhance rear-seat space, the Cayenne’s weight has come down by as much as 400 pounds, Porsche claims. Like the latest Touareg, the Cayenne has vastly improved in the looks department. With a full-hybrid powertrain, the Cayenne S hybrid—which we sampled in prototype form early last year—marks a Porsche first. (The Cayenne hybrid’s natural competitor is, of course, the BMW X6 ActiveHybrid, but the Bimmer scoffs at greenies by focusing on ultimate performance, offering a combined 480 hp and 575 lb-ft of torque.) The 4.8-liter V-8 (now 400 hp, up from 385) will continue to power the Cayenne S, and the Cayenne Turbo—which remains at a smoking 500 hp—is the top model, at least until another Turbo S appears. Porsche now offers an eight-speed automatic and engine stop/start capability to shut the engine down when the vehicle is at a stop.
Market differentiation from the Touareg will be easier now that the Cayenne is keeping the V-8 options, which the VW model is dropping.
Now entering its third generation, Porsche’s hugely successful money-printing machine, the Cayenne, has been given a top to bottom makeover for 2011. A faster angle to the rear window and the complex shape of the taillight housings are the most notable visual differences, while an increase in rear legroom is courtesy of a 1.6-inch longer wheelbase and seats that slide over 6 inches fore and aft.
Up front the Cayenne gets a version of the Top Gun-inspired interior from the company’s other piece of four-wheel blasphemy, the Panamera sedan. On models equipped with the optional navigation system, a 7-inch touch-screen monitor in the center stack is complemented by a circular display, hidden within the five-ring instrument cluster, that can show three dimensional maps and, in one model, an interesting little animation that depicts an engine, a wheel and a battery.
The $68,675 Cayenne S Hybrid is Porsche’s entrée into the world of battery-powered propulsion. A 47 hp electric motor/generator is fitted between the engine and an 8-speed automatic transmission, while a big, old-school nickel-metal-hydride battery pack sits under the cargo bay floor. A rear-biased all-wheel-drive system is standard. Even though it’s environmentally friendlier, the Cayenne S Hybrid is still a Porsche.
On the former point, the Hybrid is 21 percent more fuel efficient than the lighter, 300 hp V6 Cayenne, and beats the 400 hp V8 model by 28 percent. Impressive, right? Technically, the Cayenne S Hybrid can reach 40 mph with just the electric motor, but with over 4,900 pounds to move around it takes a very light touch to get there, and I rarely broke 10 mph before the V6 kicked in. When it does, it’s noticeable, even by hybrid standards. Porsche calls this sailing, and the Cayenne can do it up to 97 mph.
