There are occasions — and they are just occasions — when you're driving the new 183mph Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid and you almost feel sorry for it. This is, in part, down to how Porsche framed launch of the revised Cayenne line-up, complete with facelift looks, Taycan-inspired dashboard fascia and heavy bias toward plug-in electric hybrid (PHEV) drivetrains. First came the regular Cayenne, the Cayenne S and the Cayenne E-Hybrid. The first and last of these gained minor power and torque upgrades, but essentially, they use the same powertrains as the pre-facelift models. The major alteration was how the E-Hybrid, as part of the increasingly electrified Cayenne family, was equipped with a bigger battery and a more powerful e-motor to improve the model's eco-credentials.
Perhaps the best switch in the 2024 model year portfolio was reserved for the Cayenne S, which has reverted to a V8 engine for the first time since the second-generation Cayenne was facelifted in readiness for the 2015 model year, a change which saw downsizing of its engine from a 4.8-litre V8 (395bhp/369lb-ft) to a 3.6-litre twinturbocharged V6 (414bhp, same torque). In the eyes of most Porsche fans,so, after eight years, the issue has been rectified — the Cayenne S now sports a twin-turbocharged four-litre V8 delivering 469bhp and 443lb-ft, representing gains of 35bhp and 38lb-ft over the prefacelift Cayenne S and its 2.9-litre twinturbocharged V6.
