Porsche Cayenne
Sporty hybrid SUV combines strong performance and refinement. Is it a winner?
MODEL TESTED: Porsche Cayenne E-hybrid PRICE: £68,423 ENGINE: Electric motor and V6 petrol, 456bhp
THIS is the first time we’ve featured the new Porsche Cayenne in a road test. There’s no diesel version available, so we opted for the efficient E-hybrid model to take on the Q8 and Range Rover Sport. It’s priced from £68,423, and because it costs more than £60,000 the Porsche doesn’t qualify for a Government plug-in car grant.
Design & engineering
THE MLB Evo platform means the Porsche shares its basic chassis structure with the Q8. But while the Audi is diesel-only, it’s the plug-in hybrid Cayenne that will be of most interest to cost-conscious potential Porsche buyers, because there are no diesel models any more.
The 3.0-litre V6 turbo, 14.1kwh lithium-ion battery and electric motor deliver a total of 456bhp. As with the Q8, it uses multi-link suspension all round, but here it’s tuned to deliver a more sporty driving experience. Unlike the Audi, the Cayenne doesn’t get air suspension as standard; it’s a £1,511 option fitted to our car. Still, the conventional dampers have three modes to alter the ride and handling, and are fitted as standard.
There’s also Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control available for £2,315; this adds active stabilisation to reduce body roll even further. Rear-wheel steering can also be specified for an extra £1,448. These are all useful options because the Cayenne is large, and thanks to the 300kg the hybrid powertrain adds it’s also the heaviest car here, at 2,295kg in total.
Climb inside and the enveloping cabin surrounds you more than in its rivals, which is part of what links the Cayenne to Porsche’s sports cars. The interior is similar to the Panamera’s in particular, with a large central touchscreen display sitting above the centre console that’s covered in touch-sensitive buttons.
Standard equipment isn’t as impressive as in the Q8 or even the Range Rover Sport, though. You’ll have to pay extra for a reversing camera, while lanekeep assist and blind spot warning are also options on the Porsche. The Cayenne does get 19-inch alloys, electric leather seats, sat-nav, Apple Carplay, cruise and climate control, parking sensors and LED lights.
Driving
THE Porsche is a stand-out winner in this class when it comes to ride and handling, both of which are superb for such a large, heavy SUV. It’s more fun than you’d think on a twisty road thanks to the sharp steering, great body control and plentiful grip.
This is also partly down to the powertrain: the eight-speed auto box shifts quickly when you want it to and smoothly when you don’t. On top of that, the 700Nm total torque output from the electric motor and V6 petrol unit delivers rapid acceleration.
On the track, the Cayenne beat both rivals here easily, even in soaking wet conditions: its 4.5-second 0-60mph time is brilliant for a heavy, high-riding car that also prioritises efficiency. It was faster in gear than the other cars in every test; the 2.1 seconds it took to cover 30-50mph was particularly impressive.
The petrol engine is also nicely refined, offering hushed cruising and a muted V6 note when you use the performance and therefore the revs. It runs silently in electric mode for up to 27 miles as well, so there’s no loss of refinement. However, when on a motorway the Cayenne is a little louder inside than the Q8 due to tyre roar.
For all this performance and driver appeal, you might think the Porsche sacrifices ride comfort, but it’s actually the most comfortable car of the three. While the ride isn’t perfect, it’s smoother more of the time than both of its rivals here, and the excellent driving position means it’ll be the best for a long trip, aside from the poorer economy on longer runs.
Practicality
EVEN though there’s a big battery under the floor, which typically limits load space, the Porsche’s boot isn’t actually the smallest here with the seats up: the Q8 has the least capacity in that situation. At 645 litres the Cayenne’s volume is more than enough, although once you fold the rear seats down the space isn’t as big as in either of its competitors on test, at 1,610 litres.
There’s more space inside than in the Range Rover Sport, with slightly more legroom and much more shoulder room for passengers in the back seats, but it’s not as big inside as the Q8 it shares a platform with. Porsche’s SUV also feels quite a bit darker inside than either rival, because the glass area is smaller and the cabin not as bright.
Ownership
PORSCHE didn’t appear in our Driver Power 2018 survey. It wasn’t through poor performance, but simply because the sample size wasn’t big enough for us to rank the firm.
However, unlike its rivals that did rank in the poll, the Cayenne has been tested by Euro NCAP. It scored the full five stars, performing particularly well for adult protection in part thanks to its eight standard airbags. It’s a shame you have to pay extra for lane-keep assist (£783), a reversing camera (£480) and blind spot warning (£548), but at least autonomous emergency braking is standard.
Running costs
WHILE the Q8 and Range Rover Sport both sit in the top 37 per cent Benefit-inKind (BIK) category for company car tax, neither can compete with the Cayenne here. Higher-rate taxpayers will shell out just £4,375 a year to tax the Porsche, because its low-emissions hybrid powertrain puts it in the 16 per cent bracket.
That means it’s by far the cheapest car to run for business buyers; the Audi will cost £9,434 a year to tax, while the Range Rover stands at £9,721 per year.