Porsche Peppers Cayenne with Plug-In Performance

The Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid earns a 2024 Wards 10 Best Engines & Propulsion Systems trophy for being environmentally friendly while staying true to the German automaker’s ethos of pure performance.

Porsche has been electrifying its vehicles for more than a decade, winning a 2021 Wards Best Engines & Propulsion System award for the Taycan 4S battery-electric vehicle. Now Wards judges find the automaker’s plug-in hybrid technology award worthy.
Porsche introduced the PHEV in the Cayenne a decade ago, but for 2024 the system underwent a major engineering makeover. New motor windings, magnets and inverter, along with a larger-capacity battery, boost output and add electric-only range.

Powered by a 3.0L turbocharged V-6 making 300 hp and 309 lb.-ft. (419 Nm) of torque, backed by a 174-hp, 339-lb.-ft. (460-Nm) electric motor integrated into the 8-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission, our 2024 test car’s total system output checked in at 463 hp and 479 lb.-ft. (649 Nm).

Yes, that’s enough to smack your noggin into the headrest at any speed, but the combination of the Sport mode’s added torque at zero rpm eliminates hesitation at launch, filling in smartly while the turbo boost builds to support the V-6.

On the highway, we learned to keep an eye on the speedometer – throttle response is immediate and velocity increases in a blink. If that’s not enough, there’s Sport Plus mode to add electric boost right up to top speed.

On the green side of the equation, the E-Hybrid system’s 25.9-kWh (21.8-kWh net) lithium-ion battery is good for an EPA-estimated 29 miles (47 km) of pure electric propulsion, although we exceeded that number by more than a third, despite driving in E-Power electric-only mode at speeds up to 83 mph (134 km/h) before the gas engine kicked in.

In Hybrid Auto mode, which combines gas and electric propulsion for the best efficiency, we found the handoff between the electric motor and gas engine smooth, while the stop/start function was imperceptible.

Overall, the vehicle is rated by the EPA at a very green 53 mpg-e combined, and a reasonable 22 mpg (10.7 L/100 km) combined when running on the gas engine only.

“This has incredibly impressive power and torque delivery to the wheels, especially in Sport mode,” notes judge David Zoia. “Combine that with the fuel economy possible by plugging it in and this is hard to beat. If I’m a Cayenne buyer and want to be a little environmentally responsible, I’m giving this propulsion system strong consideration.”