To achieve such relatively low consumption figures, while nearly equaling in performance the 400 hp (298 kW) V8 Cayenne S, the hybrid variant of the firm's SUV makes use of a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 gasoline engine, capable of delivering 333 hp (or 248 kW), and a 47-horsepower (34 kW) electric motor. The latter is able to power the German SUV at low speeds and for short distances, so you can minimize fuel consumption in heavy traffic.

Interaction between the motors is governed by the Hybrid Manager, which uses a decoupling clutch to power the car by either the electric motor or the combustion engine alone, or by both drive units together.

The hybrid system's combined output is rated at 380 hp (279 kW) with a peak torque of 428 lb-ft (580 Nm) delivered at just 1,000 rpm.

Performance is equally good, as the Cayenne S Hybrid can reach 60 mph (96 km/h) from standstill in just 6.1 seconds and continue on to a top speed of 150 mph (241 km/h).

By Csaba Daradics

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It doesn't really matter to pencil-pushing government officials that, in the real world, high performance vehicles aren't driven as much, so, in the overall scheme of things, they actually pollute a lot less than your suburban folk's Prius. They just want to see numbers.

So, Porsche is going greener with each new model it is launching, the Cayenne being the vanguard of this effort. The Germans achieved significant fuel savings in the New European Driving Cycle (or NEDC), ranging from 13 to 23% for all available model series in comparison with their predecessors. This means all Porsches using naturally aspirated engines consume 0.5 to 0.6 less liters of fuel per 100 km.

The Stuttgart firm's engineers achieved this by switching over to direct fuel injection and adopting newer transmissions like the PDK dual-clutch auto and the Tiptronic S eight-speed automatic. Other measures taken to make Porsche as green as ever are massive weight savings (i.e. 185 kg/408 lbs for the new Cayenne Turbo) - and we'll be seeing more of that in future models.

The 911 Carrera with PDK consumes only 9.8 lt/100 km (24 US mpg), while the Boxster S and the Cayman S do with 9.4 liters per 100km (25 US mpg).

The Cayenne is even more frugal, with the Cayenne S Hybrid really shining on this task. Good for a total output of 380 hp (283 kW), Porsche's hybrid is almost as powerful as the previous generation Cayenne S (385 hp/287 kW), yet it returns a combined 8.2 lt/100 km (28.7 US mpg) representing a 40% gain in fuel economy with CO2 emissions of 200 g/km. Wealthy tree-huggers rejoice.

By Csaba Daradics

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