Technology: First drive in the Porsche Cayenne Power Hybrid
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Porsche Cayenne Power Hybrid 2024
© press-inform – the press office
The 640 hp Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is already history after less than two years in most markets. But the fans of the dynamic SUV propulsion need not be sad, because the new top model has it even thicker behind the wheel arches – for the first time as a power hybrid.
After the first few hundred meters, it becomes clear that the new top model, which is due to premiere in the fall, is set up tightly. This is ensured not only by the additional weight of the battery pack, but also by the variably adjustable air suspension and the 22-inch wheels from Pirelli, which happily interlock with the asphalt in the first corner combinations. When you leave the built-up areas, the 130 kW / 176 hp electric motor jumps to the side with the four-liter V8 twin turbo. Thanks to the 25.9 kWh battery pack, the power hybrid should be able to drive purely electrically for more than 70 kilometers and therefore be locally emission-free. The charging capacity is eleven kilowatts.
If the electric motor and V8 turbo actively pull together, significantly more than 700 hp and 900 Nm of maximum torque should be available. Last but not least, Porsche wants to counter the attack of the extremely potent BMW XM, which is available in two versions between 653 and 748 hp, with the additional performance provided by the electric motor. Porsche promises that you don’t have to hide behind the driving performance of the impressive BMW XM Label Red, which, despite its 2.5 tons, accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and is locked at 290 km/h. The new Cayenne top model – available as an SUV and SUV coupé – promises similar performance, but it should try to break the 300 km/h mark for image reasons alone.
The test car is equipped with the GT package, which breathes even more dynamism into the sporty colossus. However, it is only offered where the 640 hp Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is no longer available due to legal conditions, which applies to most EU countries, but also to Asian regions such as Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan or Singapore. One thing is clear – the sportiest Cayenne of all time is a driving machine that also pleases over long distances and at high speeds. But the hybrid all-wheel drive vehicle is in its element on country roads in particular. Despite its impressive weight of probably up to 2.5 tons, it shines here with fast alternating curves, braking or sporty acceleration, even if the titanium exhaust system of the V8 becomes a melodious orchestra pit. Here, the athlete offers not only a decent lowering by one centimeter, but also a slightly increased camber on the front axle and the ceramic brake system as standard. The lightweight carbon roof and the Matrix LED main headlights complete the GT package. One of the biggest advantages of the new top-of-the-line Porsche Cayenne model, however, is not the significant increase in performance, but rather the adaptive air suspension, which with its two-chamber technology and independently controllable rebound and compression levels offers extra comfort, especially on poor road surfaces, while maintaining the well-known high level of sportiness remains.