February 2019 Issue #26 February 2019 Issue #26 | Page 67

Porsche’s Sport Chrono package, which includes the mode switch integrated
into the steering wheel, is standard equipment on the Cayenne E-Hybrid. The
Porsche always starts in the purely electric E-Power mode. Select Hybrid Auto
mode, and internal combustion and electric drive are automatically mixed and
matched for ultimate efficiency. In addition to stiffening its sinews and sharpening
its responses, Sport and Sport+ modes change the powertrain mix and battery
charge protocol so the e-motor works with the internal combustion engine to de-
liver more performance.
Two more modes are accessible via the touchscreen: E-Hold, which conserves
the battery’s charge, and E-Charge, in which the internal combustion engine
generates more power than needed for driving in order to quickly recharge the
battery.
Left to its own devices the Porsche E-Hybrid system works just fine, delivering a
good combination of performance and efficiency. But there’s something deeply
satisfying about being able to hustle the Cayenne along a back road in Sport+,
the internal combustion engine and e-motor working together to deliver maximum
performance and response, and then simply twisting the Sport Chrono mode
switch to E-Power so it instantly glides smoothly and silently through a small
town.
The reality, of course, is most Cayenne E-Hybrid owners will let the onboard
computers figure it all out. But, like putting manually adjustable sway bars on a
911 GT2 RS, it’s nice to know Porsche still believes in offering the driver the abili-
ty to fine-tune the way their vehicles drive. Even plug-in hybrids.
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