{"id":25645,"date":"2020-07-07T12:09:39","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T16:09:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=25645"},"modified":"2020-07-07T12:09:39","modified_gmt":"2020-07-07T16:09:39","slug":"payne-porsche-cayenne-e-hybrid-tesla-fighter-is-different-shade-of-green","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2020\/07\/payne-porsche-cayenne-e-hybrid-tesla-fighter-is-different-shade-of-green","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid Tesla-fighter is different shade of green"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/93636669-e6e4-4007-a255-728354df7eac-porsche_fr3-4.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid offers a dual personality of green, all-electric driving \u2014 and massive AWD, 455-horsepower when the driver has a need for speed.\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><p>The 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid offers a dual personality of green, all-electric driving \u2014 and massive AWD, 455-horsepower when the driver has a need for speed.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">Tesla Inc. has set the luxury world on fire, challenging establishment automakers with compelling, all-electric products with Apple-like design simplicity. No one has been able to match them\u00a0\u2014\u00a0not the Jaguar i-PACE, not the Audi e-Tron, not the Cadillac ELR.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">But maybe the solution isn\u2019t beating Tesla at its game. Maybe it&#8217;s providing different answers for a different customer. The 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid SUV is the antithesis of Tesla.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Playing in the same price ballpark as the $86,190 Tesla Model X SUV, the $81,150 Cayenne plug-in boasts similar performance and range but in a more practical, more conservatively styled package.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-S1C8U_02AXE\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/a4c7e952-b38b-406b-a790-bca902a43012-porsche_engine.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid pairs a V-6 gas engine with an electric motor for a combined 455 horsepower.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/a4c7e952-b38b-406b-a790-bca902a43012-porsche_engine.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/a4c7e952-b38b-406b-a790-bca902a43012-porsche_engine.JPG\" \/>The 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid pairs a V-6 gas engine with an electric motor for a combined 455 horsepower.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">This vehicle that doesn\u2019t wow with gull-wing doors \u2014 but with high IQ scores in industry dependability rankings. Tesla is a brash newcomer that wants to throw out the rule book, while Porsche has built respect over decades of racing success. Their games are as different as Federer and Nadal. Old school vs. new age.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">I spent some time with Cayenne to see what it\u2019s got.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The E-Hybrid is Porsche\u2019s third generation hybrid \u2014 a commitment on par with Honda\u2019s Insight (the first hybrid on our shores in 1999), and nearly equal to the fourth-gen Toyota Prius. These guys know hybrids, and, like the Japanese, Porsche has priced the E-Hybrid competitively with its regular Cayenne lineup (unlike the premium hybrid pricing of some other brands).<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Cayenne E-Hybrid comes with old school,\u00a0<em>de rigueur<\/em>\u00a0virtue signaling \u2014 phosphorescent Acid Green \u201cE-Hybrid\u201d badging on the its flanks and tukus, as well as radiant green brake calipers. Less flashy customers can choose white or yellow calipers as part of Porsche\u2019s typically dizzying array of options to personalize your car. But I like the Acid Green as a way to bring flavor to Cayenne\u2019s vanilla design.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-S1C8U_1O-bA\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/1a1a78a6-5aa6-41d6-98ea-b966259e29e2-porsche_brakes.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"To emphasize its green purpose, the 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid options green brake calipers. But white or yellow calipers are also available.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/1a1a78a6-5aa6-41d6-98ea-b966259e29e2-porsche_brakes.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/1a1a78a6-5aa6-41d6-98ea-b966259e29e2-porsche_brakes.JPG\" \/>To emphasize its green purpose, the 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid options green brake calipers. But white or yellow calipers are also available.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Cayenne has come a long way since its first ungainly attempt to translate Porsche 911-like, sports-car styling to a five-door ute. The new gen exudes masculinity even as it\u2019s still one of the most conservatively styled SUVs out there.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">That\u2019s in stark relief with the Tesla Model X with its unmistakable egg shape, big hips\u00a0and signature gull-wing doors. Interestingly, E-Hybrid comes at a time when the sleek, all-electric Porsche Taycan sedan has debuted as a direct competitor to the Tesla Model S sedan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Cayenne\u2019s conservative approach is in keeping with its appeal to luxury shoppers who want a quick green machine, but without the sacrifices of the full-electric lifestyle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Own a Tesla and you\u2019ll only visit service stations to buy newspapers. So, too, the Cayenne E-Hybrid. Plug it in overnight and Porsche claims 20 miles of electric juice for local commutes. Make that, plug\u00a0into a\u00a0<em>240-volt, Level 2 outlet<\/em>\u00a0and you\u2019ll get 20 miles. Invest $2,000 for Level 2 installation, because a 110 volt-wall is terribly inconsistent.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-S1C8U_084CU\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/b3be65bc-b6fe-49fa-bf6b-2b5ee5e290b7-porsche_terrain.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Not content to offer battery-power and raw speed, the 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid also will raise to go off-road.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/b3be65bc-b6fe-49fa-bf6b-2b5ee5e290b7-porsche_terrain.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/b3be65bc-b6fe-49fa-bf6b-2b5ee5e290b7-porsche_terrain.JPG\" \/>Not content to offer battery-power and raw speed, the 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid also will raise to go off-road.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">On my 110-volt garage outlet I got seven\u00a0miles in nine\u00a0hours of charging. Ugh. Welcome to the uncertainties of the electric frontier. Fortunately, the gas engine will recharge the battery while driving for more, pure EV opportunities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Turn the Porsche\u2019s old-school dash key \u2014 on the left just like Porsche race cars of old \u2014 and the E-Hybrid defaulted to E-Power\u00a0mode, allowing fully electric driving around town. Porsche achieves this with a bifurcated throttle. Let me explain.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Maintaining moderate throttle, I could drive on an electric charge over 70 mph on local interstates. A digital instrument gauge flanked the Porsche\u2019s center tac, allowing me to monitor the range on E-Power. Bury the throttle for a quick maneuver and you\u2019ll feel a noticeable detent in the throttle as it grabs the gas engine for help.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Stay on the shy side of the detent and the V-6 never engages. EPA says that 20-mile charge actually only translates to real-world 13 miles traveled. I can vouch for that. Such eggshell driving, of course, denied me the instant torque thrill of electric cars. Mash the throttle in a Model X and you\u2019re suddenly Han Solo in a Millennium-Falcon, light-speed blur to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-S1C8U_1k0ow\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/9c5a2425-b3cb-46df-9b8e-c34e2e186b6b-porsche_side.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"You'll know the 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid by its green badge and brake calipers.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/9c5a2425-b3cb-46df-9b8e-c34e2e186b6b-porsche_side.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/9c5a2425-b3cb-46df-9b8e-c34e2e186b6b-porsche_side.JPG\" \/>You&#8217;ll know the 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid by its green badge and brake calipers.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The downside of that thrill is massive range suck. Drive Up North and Tesla drivers will get their own eggshell time as the charging network thins out. Model X promises 353 miles of electric range at perfect, 55 mph driving \u2014 but access your inner Han Solo (or travel at over 70 mph) and range plummets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">That\u2019s where plug-in hybrids like Porsche shine. Combined gas-electric range is an impressive 430 miles. And with gas stations everywhere, there\u2019s no range anxiety even when you want to have fun \u2014 which is often in this rhino in tennis shoes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The E-Hybrid is built for speed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The 5,000-pound beast (400 shy of the Model X) matches the Tesla from 0-60. Thank the standard Sports Chrono package and its cool, steering-wheel-mounted Sport Response button (just like a 911), which allowed me to instantly switch from egg-shell E-Power\u00a0mode to face-flattening Sport\u00a0Plus\u00a0mode.\u00a0<em>Hold on, honey!<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Sport\u00a0Plus\u00a0accesses the full, combined gas engine\/electric motor output of 455 horsepower, 516 pound feet of torque, which ignores the throttle detent and launches you straight to the moon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">With its instant torque, the electric motor effectively acts like a supercharger on top of the turbocharged 3.0-liter V6, eliminating turbo lag. The car rockets off the line as the 8-speed auto tranny fires off quick shifts, and Sport\u00a0Mode\u00a0adds appropriately louder exhaust note theme music.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-S1C8U_0OGK8\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/d4ea220e-8ff6-4af6-9da9-ae17ee607efa-porsche_teslaX-fr.JPG?width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Meet the new boss. The plug-in, 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid goes head-to-head with the all-electric Tesla Model X 9left). They take very different approaches to green luxury.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/d4ea220e-8ff6-4af6-9da9-ae17ee607efa-porsche_teslaX-fr.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2020\/06\/29\/PDTN\/d4ea220e-8ff6-4af6-9da9-ae17ee607efa-porsche_teslaX-fr.JPG\" \/>Meet the new boss. The plug-in, 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid goes head-to-head with the all-electric Tesla Model X 9left). They take very different approaches to green luxury.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Around 180-degree cloverleafs the rhino remained remarkably flat,\u00a0its all-wheel-drive digging in as I fed more throttle. This confident handling translates to twisty roads Up North as well. The Model X, its battery creating a low center of gravity, is no slouch in the cornering department either.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Old-school Porsche is the rare brand that can match new age Tesla for engineering curiosity. Ogle the Model X\u2019s graphics and big console tablet. Cayenne E-Hybrid is an airline cockpit by comparison, with a button for everything from volume to shock damping to radio source. Or you can use the touch screen to explore the ute\u2019s myriad\u00a0setups.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">On basic tech items, however, Porsche noticeably lags. Voice commands are a Stone Age behind Tesla, and my $90,000\u00a0E-Hybrid mule was naked of driver-assist items like blind spot-assist and adaptive cruise control that are standard on $25,000\u00a0Nissan Sentras. Adaptive cruise is (cough) $6,250 extra.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Such shortcomings will be deal-breakers for new age EV buyers. But for luxe shoppers who just want a taste of EV with their Porsche DNA, Cayenne E-Hybrid is your answer.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-S1C8U_0XAqw\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3 class=\"presto-h3\"><strong>2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Vehicle type: Front-engine, all-wheel drive, 5-passenger SUV<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Price: $81,150, including $1,250 destination charge ($91,220 as tested)<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Powerplant:\u00a03.0-liter turbo V-6 combined with AC motor and 14.1 kWh lithium-ion battery<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Power:\u00a0455 horsepower, 516 pound-feet of torque combined<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Transmission: 8-speed automatic<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Performance: 0-60 mph, 4.4 seconds (Car and Driver); towing capacity, 7,716 pounds<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Weight: 4,950 pounds est.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Fuel economy: EPA 24 city\/ 26 highway\/ 25 combined<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Report card<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Highs: Hybrid long range; Sports Response button take me to the moon<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Lows: Lack of standard safety assist features; infotainment tech lags competitors<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Overall: 3\u00a0stars<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-body-p-last\" class=\"p-text p-text-last\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2020 Porsche Cayenne E-Hybrid offers a dual personality of green, all-electric driving \u2014 and massive AWD, 455-horsepower when the driver has a need for speed.\u00a0(Photo: Henry Payne, The Detroit News) Tesla Inc. has set the luxury world on fire, challenging establishment automakers with compelling, all-electric products with Apple-like design simplicity. No one has been [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25645"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25645"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25645\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25646,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25645\/revisions\/25646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}