Finally managed a test drive in a Cayenne SEH from a local dealer. Hoping someone can answer a few questions.

I had asked that they fully charge the battery before my test drive but they did not. Only had 2 miles of electric range. With this low of a range will the gas engine kick in more often? I ask because I switched to electric mode but did notice the gas engine coming on during my test drive. Is there e detent on the gas pedal even when in e-power that starts up the ICE? Is it reasonable to drive in all electric mode (e-power) on a freeway commute of 20 miles without having to feather the 'go' pedal? What is the 'normal' e-range that shows when the battery is fully charged? When starting the car with ample or full e-charge I assume the ICE does not start up at all. Is this true? I would hope that my normal commute of less than 20 miles of errands with a full charge means I'd never start the gas engine...

I also noticed the range-to-empty showed 415 miles (with 2 miles of battery remaining). Does the Cayenne have an extra large fuel tank or is this just optimistic computer calculations?

Also what is the little icon (button?) next to the charge port, is it a light or charge indicator?

I was very impressed with the power in normal and Sport mode. The car had the nice 21' wheels and looked great but the option list (below) did not include many things I would want.

4A3 - Seat Heating (Front)
4D3 - Seat Ventilation (Front)
7E7 - Auxiliary Cabin Conditioning1
9Q - Meteor Grey Metallic
9VL - BoseŽ Surround Sound System
EH2 - Vehicle Cable (25 ft)
MA - Standard Interior in Black
OPC - Porsche Universal Charger (AC)
PE5 - Power Seats (14-way) with Memory Package
PJC - Premium Package
PJU - Infotainment Package w/ HD Radio
U01 - 21" 911 Turbo Design Wheels

Thanks in advance to anyone who might have answers.

 

Glad you had the chance to drive the SEH. Funny that dealers dont feel the need to charge the eHybrids. I went to test drive a panamera when I was looking and specifically asked them to charge it so I could test the electric mode...didnt happen, even with 24 hours notice. Then when I picked up my vehicle it wasnt charged either. jeez.

To answer your questions:
Will the ICE kick in more often if the battery is low - no, it will operate the same way until it is too low for the battery to be useful. The only exception that I noticed is if I have about 2 miles left and manually switch off ePower mode, it may not go back to electric when I switch it back on (until it has more charge)... the cars seems to figure that it is low enough to just stay in normal hybrid mode, saving the battery for stop/go traffic.

Notch on the gas peddle travel. I think that is always there as it is a physical resistance at the 40% of power level. But I have a hard time feeling it....so I am not 100% sure on this point.

Reasonable to drive 20 miles commute. - for commuting the ePower mode is more than enough power for anything but hard acceleration. I always drive mine in power ePower mode until the battery runs below 20%. In fact, this week I have been working from home and only driven around town (less then 15 miles / day) and have not started my ICE at all over the last 5 days of driving.

Normal ERange displayed. Mine normally shows 15-17 miles after a full charge. It is really based (I believe) on how you used the battery the last few times. Just like any fuel estimate range, it is not a perfect science...but I consistently get 16-17 miles on my charge. In fact, on my normally commute it runs out at the same place every time... regardless of what the Guess Meter said. The ICE motor does not come on during the battery span unless you call for more power (floor the throttle). I dont think you will get 20 miles (per your question), but you should get 16 of the 20 on pure electric. An exception here is if the car feels it needs to cool or heat the battery or run the motor for some other reason (rare).

Gas Range estimate. The gas range estimate is definitely inaccurate due to the variables on the SEH. I find I always go MUCH further then it says. I think it is based on just gas mileage calcs and does not include ePower. The SEH actually has a SMALLER gas tank then the normal Cayenne (21.1 for the SEH and 26 for the others). I think this is to make room for the battery in the back. I am currently on 460 miles on my tank and have nearly 1/2 of it left. On your commute (you mentioned 20 miles), you will get very high mileage, using your ICE for only about 3-4 miles.

And lastly, the button next to the charge port. That is the button for delayed charging (you plug it in at home but don't want to charge until rates are low). I have never used that, as my rates are flat all day.

I hope you decide to go with the SEH, as I love mine so far.

 

Thanks very much, this really helps. Dealer told me to come back as they now have it fully charged. Hopefully I'll get in and drive it again before it's gone.

 

How do you set the delayed charging to a precise time? Does the charge mode always default to 'immediate' charge each time you drive?

I have TOU metering with a PV system and I've been charging my Volt for the last three years after midnight at a low 3.5 cents/kW so I'd like to keep that.

BTW - I was very impressed with the power. I drove the GTS as well and to be honest I couldn't stop noticing the 14 mpg - it kinda killed the experience for me as it reminded me of my M5 (180 miles until gas light came on). The SEH had plenty of power for me in an SUV - it seems like a great SUV that would fit my well with my commute driving and longer trips to a newly purchased vacation home in the mountains.

Thanks again.

 

I agree, plenty of power in the SEH if you ask me.

@Robot

How many kilometers do you get off a full tank? Online they're saying about 750km but there's an 80 liter tank so I'm guessing you should get way more than that.

 

I don't use the delayed charge... but the way it works, is you set the charge start time on your MFD (ie. start charging at 2am) then you press the Delayed Charge button near the port to tell it to use the setting instead of charging instantly. I think you can also set it via the PCC (Porsche Car Connect) app.

3.5cents/kw is a great rate. It will only cost you about 30 cents to fill you battery.

 

It will vary based on how you drive / charge. My normal tank seems to run between 600-700 miles (965km - 1125km). So if you charge daily and dont do a high number of long (150km+) trips w/o charging..you should see 1,000 km on average.

Worst case, if you do a lot of highway driving, you would see 800km. That is what I got on one trip that I left the house on a full charge and didn't charge again until I refueled.

I have tracked all of my fuel use on Fuelly since I got my car (5,200 miles). You can use to link to see all my averages... a few of the recent ones are 38+ mpg. And those are real calcs, not exaggerated MFD display numbers. The two lower averages are my two road trips that were 300+ miles and no or very little charging.

http://www.fuelly.com/car/porsche/ca...otpedlr/341217

 

Very impressive numbers! My SEH is arriving in september so i'll be keeping track of the log to have an idea what to expect. Looks promising

Another question. Do you run the E-power mode until the battery is depleted or do you switch this mode off as soon as you're hitting the highway?

 

I run ePower mode to depletion normally. The exception is if I am cruising on the hwy during the first part of my drive and know that I will be in city or bumper to bumper traffic later in the commute, then I save the battery for that. I try to give each mode the max time in their swear spot.