Gmoe01

It’s been a year now since taking delivery of our 2019 Cayenne E-Hybrid and I thought I’d post my thoughts:

1. Overall I think it’s the best car I have ever owned. Most of our previous cars were Japanese and very high quality, but the Cayenne has been the best overall experience so far. To be fair, we purchased just about every option available for the 2019 model… so it should be great! For the below performance comments, please know that we have the Air Suspension, Rear-Axle Steering and Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC), plus 21 inch wheels with Factory installed All-Weather tires.
2. We have driven the car about 7,000 miles in 12 months. We have driven in town, on county roads, state highways, interstates, gravel roads and off-road. Light and heavy rain, limited snow & ice, hot and dry weather.
3. Off-road is actually pretty spectacular. Mud, rocks, sand and grass, in all instances the car handles really well. We were crossing Northern California (west to east) and took the advice of a local as to which “scenic route” to take. Big mistake! The road went from poor, to terrible, to mud and rocks, to a cow path… then a locked gate that said “road closed ahead due to flood”. So we had to turn around and go through it all again in the pouring rain. 4 hour adventure. But the Cayenne performed fantastic the whole way.
4. In-town driving is great for us. We get 21 to 22 miles on electric only, however, we usually drive in Hybrid Auto. That way the electric motor takes the lead, and the gas engine comes on for short durations when needed, like a steep hill or speeding up onto the interstate. Unlike the gas-only Cayennes, the auto start and stop function is seamless in the Hybrid. The electric motor is always running, so you don’t notice the gas engine starting and stopping, even when you come to a full stop. Smooth as a baby’s butt. And rear-wheel steering really makes the car seem smaller and more agile for parking and moving through Portland’s narrow streets.
5. Highway driving - Very smooth and quiet. We have the insulated glass which helps keep the car quiet, also the rear window shades for cooling. We have massage seats with both heating and cooling functions, which really helps for a long drive. The rear-axle steering and PDCC really make the car stable through turns at any speed! The Porsche Innodrive is great on the highway. Literally does everything, speed and steering and works with the Hybrid Auto function to optimize electric motor use and regeneration. One problem though - it does NOT recognize the YELLOW speed signs that are usually attached to yellow curve or danger signs. So don’t use Innodrive on really curvy roads with lots of yellow speed signs!
6. Regeneration - the regenerative brakes are very smooth and the transition between regenerative and friction brakes is hardly noticeable. Also, in Hybrid Auto, the engine cuts out when going downhill (which Porsche calls “sailing”) and the system regenerates, as well as when you touch the brakes. When the engine starts and stops it is so smooth and silent that the only way you know it is happening is to look at the tachometer. And the regeneration is very efficient… you can literally see the battery bank filling when coasting down a long steep incline and using the brakes a bit.
7. A/C and heating - I have read a lot of comments about weak A/C on non-Hybrid models. Just the opposite on the Hybrid. The A/C compressor is huge and is driven by the High Voltage System because it has two functions, to cool the cabin and to cool the main battery bank. We drove across the desert from LA to Phoenix, and stayed in Phoenix for a week in 110 degree temperatures. The car just blasts cold air until it gets to the selected temperature, then maintains it easily. In the winter the car heats up very quickly since the electric heater is also powered by the High Voltage System.
8. The electronics are pretty stable. Every once in a while the Infotainment System has a glitch, like sub-menus don’t show up. But we found that if you shut the car off for 5 minutes, it all resets and the problem goes away. This has happened twice in the 12 months we have had the car.
9. We have the Burmester Sound System with the multi-CD changer and love it. Usually we stream music from Tidal through an iPhone, which is CD quality. Even Satellite sounds better on this system.
10. So our only real issues so far are: (1) wish the Electric-only range was 25-30 miles, although we get along fine with 22 miles in Portland, (2) The Innodrive needs to recognize YELLOW speed signs! And (3) hope the Infotainment glitches get fixed. I suppose the Infotainment and Innodrive issues will get fixed with a programming update at some point, and perhaps in 5 or 6 years there will be a battery bank replacement that will give 50 to 100% more electric-only range.
11. We wanted to be able to use the SUV for off-road, but we did a counter-intuitive thing. We chose the sport design package which removed almost all of the tough plastic on the bottom of the car body and replaced it with painted metal. So to protect the metal and paint, we did a full self-healing vinyl wrap, topped off with a hard ceramic coating. It has really protected the car. Not even the tiniest imperfection after one year of gravel and mud roads, and sideswiping branches.

That’s it, hope this is helpful for people making a decision about Hybrid or not. I think this hybrid is absolutely terrific!! We intend to keep it for at least a dozen years.

normp

Great write-up, I agree with all your points. Mine has just over 6,000 miles with most of your options but without the rear wheel steering or the Burmester. My big disappointment is the headlights, I paid for the + and of course they are not fully activated so right now I paid more and got significantly less functionality, maybe they will be approved in October, that’s the latest date I’ve seen.

Like many folks my life changed in early March, all of my longer trips were postponed. Most of my driving is to local places and the 20 mile round trip to a house we have under construction once or twice a day. The last time I bought gas was the end of February, I currently have 2,200 miles on this tank- pretty amazing.

8378hjlafdljfads

Do you e-hybrid owners have any thoughts on resale value of the e-hybrid models? Do you find any downside compared to the Cayenne S?

TXSchnee

Just picked up my '20 E Hybrid on 7/24, only 114 miles on it right now but have enjoyed all of them. It was nice to read your perspective as someone that has been living with it for a year.

london123

[QUOTE=Gmoe01;16829636]It’s been a year now since taking delivery of our 2019 Cayenne E-Hybrid and I thought I’d post my thoughts:

1. Off-road is actually pretty spectacular. Mud, rocks, sand and grass, in all instances the car handles really well. We were crossing Northern California (west to east) and took the advice of a local as to which “scenic route” to take. Big mistake! The road went from poor, to terrible, to mud and rocks, to a cow path… then a locked gate that said “road closed ahead due to flood”. So we had to turn around and go through it all again in the pouring rain. 4 hour adventure. But the Cayenne performed fantastic the whole way.
2. In-town driving is great for us. We get 21 to 22 miles on electric only, however, we usually drive in Hybrid Auto. That way the electric motor takes the lead, and the gas engine comes on for short durations when needed, like a steep hill or speeding up onto the interstate. Unlike the gas-only Cayennes, the auto start and stop function is seamless in the Hybrid. The electric motor is always running, so you don’t notice the gas engine starting and stopping, even when you come to a full stop. Smooth as a baby’s butt. And rear-wheel steering really makes the car seem smaller and more agile for parking and moving through Portland’s narrow streets.
3. Highway driving - Very smooth and quiet. We have the insulated glass which helps keep the car quiet, also the rear window shades for cooling. We have massage seats with both heating and cooling functions, which really helps for a long drive. The rear-axle steering and PDCC really make the car stable through turns at any speed! The Porsche Innodrive is great on the highway. Literally does everything, speed and steering and works with the Hybrid Auto function to optimize electric motor use and regeneration. One problem though - it does NOT recognize the YELLOW speed signs that are usually attached to yellow curve or danger signs. So don’t use Innodrive on really curvy roads with lots of yellow speed signs!
4. Regeneration - the regenerative brakes are very smooth and the transition between regenerative and friction brakes is hardly noticeable. Also, in Hybrid Auto, the engine cuts out when going downhill (which Porsche calls “sailing”) and the system regenerates, as well as when you touch the brakes. When the engine starts and stops it is so smooth and silent that the only way you know it is happening is to look at the tachometer. And the regeneration is very efficient… you can literally see the battery bank filling when coasting down a long steep incline and using the brakes a bit.
5. A/C and heating - I have read a lot of comments about weak A/C on non-Hybrid models. Just the opposite on the Hybrid. The A/C compressor is huge and is driven by the High Voltage System because it has two functions, to cool the cabin and to cool the main battery bank. We drove across the desert from LA to Phoenix, and stayed in Phoenix for a week in 110 degree temperatures. The car just blasts cold air until it gets to the selected temperature, then maintains it easily. In the winter the car heats up very quickly since the electric heater is also powered by the High Voltage System.

Thank you Gmoe01 for the detailed update - that's v useful. May i know what setting you use for snow - fresh & slush - as for reasons unknown, there are options for sand, mud etc etc but not snow!
I've recently swapped over from a 'S' & the various Porsche issues, which they deem 'characteristics' rather than faults, put me off and rather to my surprise, the e-hybrid turned out to be a rather elegant solution to the brake graunch, & stop-start hazard problems faced by the 'S' & base models. The superstrong air cond as a result of the lithium battery is a bonus i guess.

Gmoe01

Answering the snow question: When the snow was very light, I just stayed in regular driving mode, when it got a little heavier (going over the Coastal Mountain range in Oregon) I shifted to MUD. Seemed to work quite well.

TheTorch

Can you selectively lock the front+rear diff and the center diff like in my 2016 Cayenne, or do you have to choose a driving "style" (eg MUD, etc.) ?

Gmoe01

Select a Driving Style as far as I can tell.