WHISTLER, B.C. — The debut of the 2015 Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid marks a couple of firsts for the German automaker.
It’s the world’s first plug-in electric hybrid in the luxury SUV category, and along with stablemates the Panamera S E-Hybrid and the 918 Spyder, it makes Porsche the only automaker with three plug-in hybrid models.
Unlike the super expensive, ultra-rare Spyder and the rear-wheel drive Panamera sedan, this Cayenne PHEV is poised to gain some traction in the Canadian marketplace.
At the Canadian launch of the 2015 Cayenne — a day-long event held Friday in this four-season resort 90-minutes up the Sea-to-Sky Highway from Vancouver — journalists had the opportunity to try out three of the four new SUVs that are available in Canada — the S, Turbo and S E-Hybrid. The Diesel model was not part of the event. The 2015 model year represents a significant update of the second-generation Cayenne that landed in 2010.
The introduction of the Cayenne in 2003 marked a significant milestone in the history of SUVs as it was the first real sport-ute to offer the performance, and to some extent the resemblance, of a sports car.
To date, nearly 600,000 Cayennes have been sold worldwide, and in most global markets it represents half of all Porsche models sold. To say it is an important vehicle in the company’s portfolio is, clearly, an understatement.
And when it comes to the all-new, all-wheel drive S E-Hybrid, that’s where understatement end.
Outfitted with a 333-horsepower supercharged 3.0-litre V6 working in concert with 95-hp of electric power, its 400-plus net output isn’t exactly in keeping with what many expectations are when discussing plug-in vehicles. Torque is rated at 435 lbs.-ft, available from as low as 1,250 rpm.
That electric power output represents a full doubling of the previous Porsche plug-in hybrid system, thanks to a 10.9 lithium-ion traction battery replacing the outgoing 1.7 kWh, nickel-metal-hydride battery.
The new battery pack, according to Porsche, allows for an all-electric driving range fluctuating between 18 and 36 kilometres.
Porsche claims a charge time from empty to full on a 240V system at 1.3 hours; between 10 and 11 hours on a 110V charge.
Canadian fuel economy ratings have yet to be established, but judging from the number from the New European Driving Cycle, the combined fuel consumption should be in the 3.4 l/100 km ballpark.
For comparison’s sake, the 2015 Cayenne S (420 hp) is rated at 11.6 l/100km.
As to performance, Porsche Canada provides a 5.9 second zero to 100 km/h time and a posted top speed of 243 km/h. Running just on electric power, the top speed is 125 km/h.
The sole gearbox is the tried and true Tiptronic S, the eight-speed manumatic with steering wheel paddle-shifters, and is unchanged from the 2014 models.
Like all its 2015 Cayenne stablemates, the S E-Hybrid has a number of updates over 2014 models, the majority of those on the exterior. The front and rear sections have been completely revised, with a cleaned up rear end featuring a new dual exhaust pipe configuration, an updated taillight, a four-point design brake light and a new roof spoiler to account for changed aerodynamics due to increased horsepower.
Up front, that cleaned-up philosophy comes in the form of a new hood design, along with larger air intakes to provide increased air flow to the larger engines and intercoolers. The most notable front-end change is the four-point LED daytime running lights, a very distinctive look that will be migrating all Porsche models in the coming years.
What sets the S E-Hybrid apart on the exterior are splashes of acid green – on the brake calipers, and on side and rear badging.
Inside is pretty much unchanged from the previous model, designers taking a cue from the sales team’s direction that “the vehicle is selling well, don’t change too much.”
Driving Impressions
Certainly not one of the longer press launch drive routes, what our hour or so of seat time in the S E-Hybrid lacked in duration was made up for in scenic mountain driving.
That said, navigating the twisting Sea-to-Sky Highway from Whistler to Squamish and back did provide feedback on the electric power characteristics of the SUV and gave us time to play with the so-called ‘hybrid manager.’ That would be via two buttons on the centre console – an E-Power mode and an E-Charge mode.
With the E-Power button depressed, the vehicle will run solely on electric power until the battery range is depleted, or you push it over 125 km/h.
Press the E-Charge button and the onus is on the gasoline engine to power the wheels and also to recharge the batteries to full. This would be used when travelling on the highway in anticipation of entering an area of city speed limit driving where EV power is preferable.
Leaving the Fairmont Chateau, with the temperature hovering around zero, our test unit showed an EV range of 18 kilometres and with the E-Power on, we silently zipped out of Whistler and down Highway 99.
The gas engine eventually kicked in, but not when the battery ran out; rather, when I blipped the downshift paddle from 4th to 3rd gear on a downslope. I surmise this was the engine kicking in to assist in braking. An upshift turned the gas engine off and we managed about 16 kilometres of distance before the gas engine took over duties full-time.
With 400-plus horsepower, it was little surprise that the unit never felt underpowered, and pulling out to pass was effortless.
Handling and steering feel improved over the 2014 Cayenne, itself no slouch in that department.
As with all current Porsche models, the performance makes you feel like an accomplished driver even if you lack some confidence in more demanding road conditions.
On the trip back to Whistler, we took a side trip up the paved road running into the Callaghan Valley that was built for the ski jumping and cross-country venues at the 2010 Winter Olympics. A few kilometres in we steered onto a dirt road to take the all-wheel drive Cayennes off-road.
Unfortunately, the two S E-Hybrids in our fleet were pulled off the program for the off-road section, Porsche Canada officials saying that since they were two of just four S E-Hybrids in the country at present, they felt it prudent to keep them out of the muck. Just in case.
They did say the off-road capability of the S E-Hybrid, outfitted as the other models are with air suspension and all manner of computer-controlled off-road settings, is the same as the S and Turbo we hit the trails with.
If that’s the case, this must be the best off-road PHEV in existence.
While we didn’t tackle the kind of off-the-beaten path stunts and challenges we typically experience on Land Rover press launches, we did encounter big ruts, icy conditions, some high angle ascents and descents, and water crossings.
Though admittedly filed under ‘how-many-Cayenne-owners-are-ever-going-to-do-this,’ the 45-minute excursion proved without a doubt these units are off-road capable and the on-board, high-tech systems as good as most SUVs which appeal to an adventurer spirit.
The MSRP of the 2015 Cayenne S E-Hybrid is $86,600 and is available in Canada now.
