Sunday Drive by Hormazd Sorabjee: Meet Turbo S E-Hybrid…Porsche’s latest and most powerful SUV
The portly SUV might look like an overindulgence but can be exceptionally clean, thanks to its plug-in hybrid system
It accelerates from a standstill to 100kph in a scarcely believable three seconds, or about the same time it takes to say ‘Porsche Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid’, the rather convoluted name for Porsche’s latest and most powerful SUV.
The Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid’s headline figure of 680hp dislodges the Lamborghini Urus as the most powerful SUV (if you don’t count the Jeep Compass Trackhawk, made for the US market only). It can hit a top speed of 295kph, weighs 2.5 tons and will cost around ~2.5 crore when it comes to India sometime in 2020. These stats may make this portly SUV look like an overindulgence in something that destroys the ozone layer, changes climate and guzzles fossil fuel, but the truth is that the Turbo S E-Hybrid can be exceptionally clean, thanks to its plug-in hybrid system. This German monster can run on electric power alone for short distances, which makes it as non-polluting as any electric car. And the timing of my drive in Porsche’s latest hybrid car couldn’t have been more appropriate.
Good ’n’ Green
I landed in Düsseldorf smack in the middle of Europe’s worst heatwave in years and felt good about doing my bit for global warming by cruising down the autobahn in full electric mode, which can be used at speeds up to 130kph. Running on just battery power (there’s a 14.1 KwH battery pack stuffed under the rear seat), the Cayenne is super silent and all I can hear is a bit of road noise and the gentle whir of the aircon, which is doing a good job of keeping the cabin at an even and pleasant 22 degrees. The large tacho with its needle resting at zero is all but redundant with the engine shut off in electric mode, but it’s still the biggest and most important dial in the signature five-dial instrument cluster. It’s Porsche’s way of saying that the engine is still the heart and soul of their cars. And what an engine it is.
Red hot momma
Mash the throttle pedal into the thick carpet and the 4.0 litre twin-turbo petrol V8 instantly comes alive with an angry roar like a tiger woken from its sleep. Switch from Electric to Sport Plus mode, the most extreme of the drive settings, and the Cayenne goes from clean and green to red hot in an instant.
The combination of the 136hp electric motor’s instant response and the brute force of the 550hp V8 delivers staggering acceleration that pins you hard into the contoured sports bucket seats. In fact, the rush of acceleration is so addictive that I can’t resist flexing my right foot to close every gap in traffic. The German autobahn is the playground for cars like this blisteringly quick SUV where certain derestricted sections are an invitation to go as fast as you possibly can, which is exactly what I did.
Speed machine
Traffic was light was just before the Belgian border and the left most or the fast lane was empty. This was my chance. Floor pinned to the carpet, the tachometer needle was dancing up and down to the tune of the smooth and quick shifting 8-speed gearbox, which seamlessly integrates the electric motor and engine. I hit 270kph with utter ease and could have gone faster, but had to back off because of a slow moving sedan that strayed into my lane. More astonishing is how utterly stable and planted the high riding Cayenne feels at speeds an Airbus would take off at. This is a seriously fast car for devouring the European continent.
Keep it clean
But just how practical is this plug-in hybrid Cayenne as a daily driver? Topping up the battery from a home charging point can take up to six hours and is good for a range in pure electric mode of around 40km, perfect for driving in town where you want to be as emission free as possible.
On long drives however, when the battery which weighs around 350kg, runs out of charge, it’s just dead weight. The fact is that price and weight shoot up with a hybrid, which essentially has to carry two powertrains. So though the E-Hybrid is heavier and far more expensive than the regular Cayenne Turbo S, it’s crucially far cleaner too and that, in a strange way, makes speeding less of a sin!
Hormazd Sorabjee is one of the most senior and much loved auto journalists in India, and is editor of Autocar India
Sunday Drive appears every fortnight
From HT Brunch, August 25, 2019
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