From the January 2024 issue of Car and Driver.
The Porsche Cayenne Turbo is dead. Long live the Porsche Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid. As its name implies, the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid pairs a retuned version of the outgoing Cayenne Turbo’s twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 with an electric drive motor. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it is. The prior Cayenne Turbo S E-Hybrid relied on a similar setup. Whereas the old Turbo S E-Hybrid’s combined output maxed out at 670 horsepower, the new Turbo E-Hybrid throws down a combined 729 horsepower. That’s enough to get the approximately 5700-pound SUV to 60 mph in a manufacturer-estimated 3.5 seconds, although E-Hybrid will close in on three seconds flat when we test it. Here’s how Porsche added even more spice to the plug-in-hybrid Cayenne’s flagship powertrain.
Porsche’s various tweaks net the engine an extra 50 horses for 2024. Despite Porsche finding an additional 90 horsepower in total (40 from the electric motor, 50 from the engine), the powertrain’s combined output rises by only 59 horsepower, owing to the different power peaks of the V-8 and e-motor.
We believe the Turbo uses the same battery-electric components in all plug-in Cayenne variants, which include the six-cylinder E-Hybrid and S E-Hybrid trims, as well as the hair-raising Turbo E-Hybrid.
Despite their shared last name, Greg Fink is not related to Ed “Big Daddy” Roth’s infamous Rat Fink. Both Finks, however, are known for their love of cars, car culture, and—strangely—monogrammed one-piece bathing suits. Greg’s career in the media industry goes back more than a decade. His previous experience includes stints as an editor at publications such as U.S. News & World Report, The Huffington Post, Motor1.com, and MotorTrend.
