When thinking of green cars, Porsche’s Cayenne SUV will spring to the minds of very few people. However, with the addition of a hybrid model, Porsche has gone a long way to changing that.
Using a 3.0 litre supercharged V6 petrol engine might not sound like the best starting point for frugal motoring but, like the rest of Porsche’s hybrid range, the Cayenne is a full plug-in hybrid. This means the Cayenne S E-Hybrid can cover short distances with zero emissions at speeds of up to 37mph.
Out on the open road and the petrol engine takes the strain, offering the sort of effortless power that you would expect from a large Porsche.
Systems monitor the driving conditions constantly and, as such, the effect of changing from electric to petrol power – or using both at the same time – is seamless.
The rest of the model shares traits of more conventional Cayenne’s. There is a good amount of space available in the practical family SUV, while performance and handling continue to lead the class.
What Porsche has done is take its least eco-friendly model and give it a green makeover using the same technology used in its racing and sports cars.