Porsche Cayenne e-Hybrid: Steve Teale test drives the Porsche you can use every day

The best car shape ever? Well, I don’t want to offend E-Type enthusiasts but I think it probably is.

So, how did I get on with the Cayenne? My, it’s an interesting car which is exceptionally well equipped and both sporty and practical. It’s a Porsche you could live with every day, if you had nearly £80,000 to play with.

It feels light and balanced in a way no car of this size ever should and it makes sense in lots of ways from low emissions to incredibly good economy, if you keep it plugged in regularly.

It’s an imposing car. I first realised how big it was when I tried to reach the passenger door from the driver’s seat. That’s not a problem in most but in this, it’s not possible unless you have the arms of Pat Jennings.

It’s incredibly wide, which makes the cabin huge. OK, so parking is difficult but you can’t have everything.

So, what is Cayenne? It’s an SUV which is very important to Porsche. While people like me love the 911, the company wouldn’t be viable just making expensive sports cars.

The importance of Cayenne to Porsche should never be underestimated. It was its first SUV in the early 2000s and is often earmarked as helping to save the German company.

More than two decades later, it continues to be a key contender in the large premium SUV segment, aided by the addition of a more stylish ‘Coupe’ variant and a broad choice of engines, including several plug-in hybrids.

A refresh was needed. Visually, not all that much appears to have changed, as is often the Porsche way, but it’s everywhere else where you’ll find differences. There’s the firm’s latest touchscreen and digital dial displays, while the front-seat passenger can even have their own screen in the dashboard.

The plug-in hybrid, which accounts for the bulk of sales, also gets more power and a much larger battery that extends the claimed electric range to 48 miles – significantly more than before.

It has a fabulous 3.0-litre V6 unit supported by an electric motor which means it offers sensible costs but as ever with a Porsche it won’t be left standing at the lights.

Of course, this car doesn’t have the sparkle of a 911 and you won’t draw attention the way Porsches should but it is still a fabulous car to drive.

Cayenne has always been a driver’s car, which can’t be said for many SUVs. At just under five metres long, it is a big car but the way it behaves behind the wheel is astonishing. There’s a level of agility you just don’t get from large SUVs, and you can throw it into a corner at speeds that would ruffle the feathers of many of its rivals.

Combined with its quick-shifting gearbox, you’ll struggle to find a more enjoyable and rewarding SUV to drive.

You might expect the payoff to be a harsh ride, but it’s the exact opposite, as even in harder driving the Cayenne’s ride remains composed and never brittle.

Though Porsche calls this one of the ‘most extensive product upgrades’ in its history, you’d never know looking at it. There are changes, predominantly at the rear where the number plate has been moved from the boot lid to the rear bumper and there’s a new 3D-effect light bar, but it’s mainly business as usual from a design perspective.

We’d say that’s a pretty good thing with the Cayenne, as – like most Porsches – it’s ages brilliantly.

There are some pretty big changes on the Cayenne’s interior, with a new widescreen touchscreen, digital dial display and redesigned centre console being the main ones. It makes for a dashingly elegant cabin.

The displays offer superb clarity and ease of use, and there’s even the option of having a touchscreen in the dashboard for the passenger.

But the quality of the Cayenne can’t be faulted, as it feels every inch a premium product with top-grade materials used throughout. There is masses of interior space as well, with loads of room for adults in the rear and a huge 698-litre boot.

Meanwhile, Cayenne E-Hybrid has been named Towcar of Year 2024, beating a wide range of competitors including the Ford Puma and Bentley’s Bentayga.

The plug-in hybrid Porsche was one of 28 models tested by the Caravan and Motorhome Club for this year’s awards. The SUV scored top marks ‘in virtually every category to bag the overall title’, and it also won the caravan weight over 1,700kg class.

Nick Lomas, director general of the Caravan and Motorhome Club said: “The Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar of the Year 2024 competition saw nine of the 28 vehicles tested purely powered by electricity and three were hybrids. It demonstrates just how seriously car makers are taking the world of towing with an electrified vehicle.

“As well as seeing the advances in EV technology this year, there was also a good representation from traditionally fuelled vehicles plus a great mix of big-engined SUVs and pick-ups.”

Aside from the Cayenne winning the overall gong and its weight category, the electric Volkswagen ID.Buzz won the lightest category, caravan weight under 1,100kg, and Skoda took home two awards – the 1,100kg to 1,300kg class went to the sporty electric Skoda Enyaq iV VRS Coupe, while the Octavia Estate 2.0-litre TDI 150PS DSG bagged the 1,300kg to 1,500kg category.

Porsche Cayenne e-Hybrid

Price: £79,800. Cayenne starts at £70,400

Engine: a 3.0 V6 petrol engine emitting 304ps and an electric motor emitting 176ps

Performance: Top speed 158mpg and 0 to 60mph in 4.9 seconds

Costs: 156.9mpg

Emissions: 33g/km to 42g/km

Warranty: Three years plus eight years/100,000 miles for the battery.