Porsche Cayenne is a do-it-all E-hybrid that’s nearly the perfect family wagon… but you’ll pay a lot for the pleasure

EARLIER this month I told you all about the new Porsche 911 Hybrid – a mind-bendingly potent cocktail of cylinders and electric motors.

There’s not a day gone by since that I haven’t thought about that car.

Not least because this week I’ve been driving another electrified Porker, the Cayenne E-Hybrid.

As the monstrously big flagship SUV of the brand, it’s a very different prospect to the 911, and that includes the way in which it deploys battery power.

Where the 911 Hybrid uses discreet electric motors to nudge the power up – no plug, no electric drive mode – the Cayenne is a do-it-all hybrid.

And, honestly, it’s not far off from being a perfect family wagon as a result.

For this newest version, Porsche has upped the electric range to a respectable but not class-leading 46 miles.

An even better improvement is the charging speed.

You can now brim the 25.9kWh battery in around two hours.

Combining the 3-litre turbo V6 with an electric motor, the Cayenne E-Hybrid now knocks out 470hp and 650Nm of torque.

For anyone not familiar with performance figures, in plain English that translates to “it goes bloody fast”.

How fast? From 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds fast.

With the kids and two labradors in the back.

Out on the road, it’s everything you expect from a Porsche.

It carves through corners with an agility and preciseness no car this size has any right to, while maintaining ultimate levels of refinement within the cabin.

A note on refinement.

The car I drove had the optional adaptive air suspension fitted and, while I haven’t tried it without, I suspect it’s a must-have for our crumbling roads.

So we can mark Porsche down for charging extra for that, because it’s already an £85k car.

We can also mark it down for not offering a seven-seat version.

The Cayenne has been around for a long time now.

These days the class is packed with premium options that can carry a five-a-side team . . . and two subs.

PAY FOR THE PLEASURE

You’d think it would address that.

But Porsche is thought to be developing a new electric flagship SUV which will have three rows of seats.

Hurry it up.

For the latest Cayenne update there are a few nip and tucks to the exterior, all incrementally improving the look of what was already one of the most handsome SUVs on the market.

The interior gets a new 12.6in infotainment screen, which matches the quality and feel of the rest of the cabin.

And that’s more or less it, which is just fine by me.

The Cayenne E-Hybrid is in the top one per cent of best SUVs by my reckoning, but you have to pay a lot for the pleasure.

As you do for all Porsches.

But in terms of a dream garage?

I’d probably have this for business, the 911 Hybrid for pleasure.