Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid Review: Boost Job

What we like:

Strong performance at all engine speeds

it's a Porsche

practical and high quality interior

smooth gearbox

reasonable pricing

What we dislike:

Slightly soft handling

not exactly pretty

needs bigger wheels

Away from roadholding manners, the Cayenne Hybrid also suffers from compromised luggage space. With the batteries placed under the boot floor, the space saver spare tyre has to sit vertically on the right hand side of the boot floor, thus reducing boot volume significantly over a regular Cayenne model's.

Up front the driver is greeted by a pleasant driving environment that not only looks good but functional at the same time. The layout of the controls and the switches ape that of the Panamera's, which means the myriad of switchgear on the centre console looks messy and haphazard at first but they are thoughtfully grouped according to their functions. The instrument is laid out in traditional Porsche style, with the rev counter taking centre stage instead of the speedo while the grab handles on the sides of the centre console is a design detail that is carried over from the old Cayenne.

At the rear, Passengers will have little to complain about any lack of room. A disappointing detail is the blank space in between the rear air-con vents. This space is filled by controls for the climate control on cars with four-zone climate control presumably.

The hybrid commands a thirty grand price premium over the regular 3.6-litre base Cayenne V6, which isn't that significant when you consider the fuel savings in the long run and the extra performance it offers. Sure, the Cayenne S Hybrid's handling is a tad soft and blunt for a Porsche but this shouldn't bother most of its buyers as they probably also have a 911 in their garages.

Credits: Story and Photos by Raymond Lai