2021 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid First Test: Hefty Dancer

porsche cayenne Full Overview

The fact that Porsche, maker of all manner of go-fast sports cars and SUVs, has been offering more hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles in recent years than some mainstream automakers is sort of perplexing when you first think about it.

Then it starts to dawn on you why Porsche produces vehicles like the Cayenne E-Hybrid. Yes, it’s more efficient than other, pure gas-powered Cayennes. And yes, Porsche is continuing to get ahead of the game when it comes to further developing its plug-in hybrid tech.

But when you look at the stat sheet and then get in and get in and press the gas (and electron) pedal, you see and feel that the Cayenne E-Hybrid is also pushing 455 total system horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque. It’s the proverbial “have your cake and eat it, too” scenario. We gladly helped ourselves to a generous slice of the plug-in Cayenne at the test track in order to get a sense of what this potent and (nominally) efficient vehicle is all about.

Testing and Re-Testing With More E-Power

Actually, we asked for two slices, and here’s why. During our first go with the 2021 Cayenne E-Hybrid at the track, the power of its newly updated 17.9-kWh battery pack was basically drained to zero. That led to some not so stellar (at least for this vehicle) 0-60 (4.9 seconds) and quarter-mile (13.4 seconds at 103.7 mph) times, numbers that were off of Porsche’s internal estimates. So we asked for another crack at it, and this time, we made sure it was stuffed with electrons.

What a difference. When the team was able to launch the E-Hybrid with the battery near full power, it shaved 0.6 second off of the 0-60-mph time and it nailed the quarter mile in 12.8 seconds at 108.0 mph. Those numbers bettered Porsche’s estimates and were very close to what we recorded when we initially tested the E-Hybrid with the smaller 14.1-kWh battery back in 2019.

“The electric motor contributed to a strong and effortless initial launch and smooth out power gap between shifts,” noted road test analyst Alan Lau. “This variant shifts less brutal than Turbo S, also with a more mild engine note.”

As far as the 2021 E-Hybrid’s mild engine note goes, it comes from a carryover 3.0-liter turbo V-6 with 335 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque, with an 8-speed automatic transmission shifting the gears. It’s a combination that at full power is more than enough to make this Cayenne feel plenty quick as the straight line numbers illustrate. But at its performance limits, its heft (5,283 pounds) started to have a bit of a negative impact, according to the test team.

“This is the first Cayenne I can think of where you can really feel its weight,” said road test editor Chris Walton in his notes. “You have to brake much earlier than you think—un-Porsche-like. But when you mash the throttle it becomes a Porsche again. Putting down the power amazingly well and up shifts that feel instant and shock-free. Overall, it still feels like a Porsche Cayenne, just a little heavier and with a little more understeer.”

How Well Does the E-Hybrid Dance?

So yes it’s hefty, but the team was still able to make E-Hybrid shimmy, with an impressive 0.91-g average skidpad number and a 25.0-second time at an average of 0.75 g around our figure-eight track. Stopping power was also darn good considering all that poundage, with a best number from 60-0 mph of 113 feet. The team reported that the brakes were stable and smooth under hard deceleration, but with the caveat that they felt more road-tuned as opposed to the at-the-limit binders found on the Cayenne’s more powerful Turbo S E-Hybrid variant.

Road-tuned is a good term to keep in mind when you think of the E-Hybrid’s mission. With a claimed 17 miles of electric-only range, this Porsche is clearly geared more toward efficiency and quiet operation, although in reality it’s not all that more efficient than gas-powered Cayennes due to its weight, and as a result its 46 mpg-e number isn’t exactly stellar.

But as far as Cayennes in general go, you can still get all the good stuff, and this particular model had plenty of it on top of its $83,150 base price, which is at the bottom of the Cayenne pricing ladder. We especially dug its black and bordeaux red leather-trimmed interior setup ($4,180) which contrasted neatly with its Carrara White Metallic ($800) exterior sheen.

Out on the open roads around Los Angeles, the Cayenne performs as well as you’d expect a variant of Porsche’s flagship SUV to do, and that is to say that just like at the test track, it goes and stops with authority and handles far better than a vehicle this big and heavy ever should when charging around a hairpin off ramp, for example. Thanks to its optional adaptive air suspension with PASM ($2,170), it also dominates minor road imperfections. In essence, you get what you pay for, and at $101,650, it’s not an insignificant amount.

As with any plug-in hybrid vehicle, the Cayenne E-Hybrid offers a way for buyers to feel greener and, in this one, mostly meaner. While that comes with some compromises, it’s encouraging to know that Porsche is working to negate them as it steadily moves toward a more efficient future.

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