Let’s get this out of the way: nowadays a 4.7 second 0 to 60 time is not mind-bogglingly quick. No, there are plenty of cars that can do the 60 mph jaunt in less time. But let’s not forget how fast a sub-five second 0-60 time is — for perspective, that’s on par with a ’90s Ferrari 355 (incidentally my editor’s dream car). So in an SUV, more specifically, one that doesn’t even purport to be a performance car, that’s one hell of a sprint.
See, the New Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid is ostensibly a green car. It’s a plug-in hybrid with a claimed range of 27 miles running only on electric power. The electric motor is coupled to a single-turbo V6, putting out a combined 455 horsepower 516 lb-ft of torque. More impressively, you get the full 516 lb-ft of twist at just 1,000 rpm, way down low in the rev range, so from the very onset of stepping on the pedal you’ll be pinned back in your seat, grinning and fully convinced of the performance accolades of modern hybrids.
But that’s only if you’re feeling like a loon and driving in one of the two sport modes. The Cayenne E-Hybrid also operates in a few, more sensible modes. The aforementioned all-electric mode is one, but the electric motor and gas engine can work in conjunction to return better MPGs. There’s also an “E-Hold” mode which will run on just gasoline power, conserving electric energy, as well as “E-Charge” which boosts the power output of the V6 to charge up the electric motor.
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