Selling my loved Landcruiser for something a little more sporty and gas economy.

Looking at 2015-16 diesel or hybrid and can’t seem to make up my mind....love the low end tourqe of the diesel but know that hybrids are the new direction Porsche has decided to take. Anyone out there who has had both or?

Had a 02 Carrera 4 Cabriolet that i sold a few years back so understand the Porsche culture.

Thanks in advance!

From What I’ve read the hybrid isn’t a great drive, probably better with the diesel, especially after a remap if you still want a fun drive


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I just purchased a 2016 Hybrid Cayenne. If you buy a CPO from a dealer you will get extended warranty by Porsche for free. My warranty goes Oct 2021 with unlimited mileage. I did not go to look at a hybrid, I would have thought that would be the last thing I would ever buy. I absolutely love it. Drove it 5 hours home and wish I could have kept on driving. Smooth ride, great stereo, had fun playing with the echarge and e power on the way home. Super quiet, good power. Currently trying to learn how to maximize the e part. lots of features on mine. I thought I wanted a Macan , after comparing and taking my son with me on a test drive we realized the Macan didn't have enough leg room in the back seat for us tall folks 6'4". I'm age 54 so I was ready for a SUV (had a Nissan xterra and a 2001 boxster) If you're near NC call Amy or email Amy Cook at Hendrick in Charlotte. She has given me a lot of info. I purchased in VA Beach, was on a tight schedule and was headed that way to look at a Macan. Amy has still been talking to me even though I did not purchase from her. Very helpful and nice ! (704) 533.6276
My son searched facebook marketplace and I looked at all the local dealers along the way to look at the Macan, that's how I found the dealer in VA Beach that had the Hybrid. Did not go there to look at hybrid, went to look at 2016 black on black with 7k miles. They just bought it and it had not been delivered to the dealership yet. Good luck!

I have been test driving base CPO cayenne’s while waiting for a Diesel. The hybrid caught my eye because it is an S but I have heard mixed reviews, but it seems like a great idea for me.

Do you have the upgraded charging system in your garage? Is it absolutely necessary to charge it all of the time? Thanks!

I have a 2012 Cayenne S Hybrid that we purchased new. We now have 150,000+ miles on it. Car has been super-reliable with only 1 unscheduled repair (fuel gauge and sender relay had to be replaced) since we bought it new. That's the thing that has impressed me the most.

I would agree that the Hybrid does not handle as well as the other models because of the different weight balance issues associated with the hybrid system and battery. I also believe that the steel suspension cars corner better than the PASM setup we have, as the dealer loaners I get always impress me versus the hybrid. But the reality is, if you live somewhere that gets potholes or has "city" roads, the air suspension is a must.

I average 24mpg around town, but can regularly get 27-29mpg on drives into NYC or on I95 between NY and DC. My general highway mileage is only 21mpg because I tend to drive 75-80mph if traffic allows it. Running in Sport Mode can knock a few miles/gallon off of that. Best ever recorded trip over 50 miles was 31.6. Mileage is a big step up from my BMW X5 4.8 which only achieved 16.1mpg blended average. I think the 2016+ models should do even better as they have double the electric motor HP, which I've always thought would go a long way to keeping the car in electric mode longer.

The key to maximizing mileage is driving the car like a stick shift and using torque to accelerate instead of HP. Leave lots of distance between the car in front of you on local roads to make the most use of coasting and regenerative braking. Speaking of brakes, I have over 90,000 miles on my current set of brake pads, and the dealer told me to expect another 15k +/- out of them. That's insane. But you can really tell when the battery pack is full because the brake pedal gets soft very quickly.

My biggest complaint is the lack of a spare tire and no run flats. Get a flat tire and you have to call a tow truck. Finding someone who has your tires in stock is tough, and even more so for me because I run summer/winter setups. Usually the only tires available are all seasons. Some secondary tire makers are finally making run-flats in my size (265/50/19).

My wife has a Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland EcoDiesel, so while I have diesel experience, its really difficult to compare the powertrains because the cars are so fundamentally different. The turbo lag is certainly noticeable, much the way the Hybrid acts when it isn't in Sport Mode (with all of the extra boost and engine timing). Her diesel is same engine size (3.0L), and she gets about 5mpg better than the Porsche, but here in the Northeast, diesel is a good 10-15% more than Super Unleaded, so its almost a push on the fuel economy. I'd probably buy another hybrid before another diesel.

Good luck, you can't go wrong with either decision.

Thanks for the reply. Interesting about the brakes! Is the car still in hybrid mode when you are in sport mode? What does E-charge do to the driving experience? I’m slightly confused over these modes. The other thing that bothers me is the lack of a backup camera on the hybrids, but it looks like they changed that in 2017? Did you have a high output outlet installed in your home?

I think I really might just save my butt off until the fall or summer and get a 2017 or newer cayenne S or base Platinum. I really don’t like the looks of the old infotainment system. Gas mileage isn’t my top priority and I think the sweet spot might be the cayenne S. I loved the handling when ive driven the base cayenne, but the braking wasn’t quite as good and the comfort mode was a little sluggish. Such a huge discrepancy from sport mode!

The 2012 was not a plug-in, its regenerative braking only so didn't have to deal with having a charger installed. Talking to my guy at the dealer, he says plugin charging is not a must, but it is difficult to achieve a full charge without it.

When operating in Sport Mode several things happen: more boost and timing, and car will not go into hybrid mode (turn off the engine) unless you are stopped at a light for an extended period of time, or you are engaged in a fairly long no throttle coast. You also get the combined electric + gas motors on hard accelerations and you can feel the extra torque with the E-Power gauge pegged to full power for the first 3-4 seconds before it cuts out.

My 2012 came with a backup camera, but checking the sticker it appears it was part of an options package. Its quality is ok, my wife's Jeep's have been much crisper images.

If you don't care about the mileage, then go S and not the Hybrid. Sub 6 second 0-60 is good enough for me and I appreciate getting 50%+ better mileage. I just can't imagine having all the extra complexity is worth the potential headaches down the road.

Hey all!
Thanks for all the great information! I finally had time to drive the hybrid and found it to be quite the different driving experience over a diesel....suspension is different but can’t quite put my finger on it to figure out why.....anyhoo....i may just say the heck with it and buy the GTS which was phenomenal!

I had a diesel and liked most things about it. Surprisingly, it was quieter than any other Cayenne I have been in, except for a Turbo that had the insulated glass option. Another diesel owner made the same comment. I can't make a comparison with the hybrid there.
However, the diesel off-road drivetrain is a couple of steps down from the rest of the line, giving it a ho-hum off road capability. Unfortunately, the hybrid is the only other type that shares the diesel off road setup.
If off roading is important, or (like me) you just like exploring Forest Service roads, you may be disappointed in this. I was - it was a big reason I didn't have my '17 Cayenne updated. In retrospect, I miss the diesel and the Cayenne.

Oops I meant my '15 Cayenne, not '17.
Speaking of Land Cruisers and off-roading, I had a '63 Land Cruiser Pickup for 45 years, and with 600,000 miles I thought it was hard to beat off-road. But then I got a 2010 M-B ML diesel, and it was surprisingly more capable (unless i worried about body damage). Thus, the Ole FJ45 left.
The ML was replaced with the '15 Cayenne, which was not as capable. Unfortunately, the Cayenne was replaced with a '14 M-B ML Diesel, which was less capable than either the Cruiser or the '10 ML. I up a creek and searching for a paddle. (The wife's Macan is really good off road.)
I know you were comparing Hybrid to Diesel, and I am a bit off topic, but if you want to explore some trails, any Cayenne other than the Hybrid or Diesel will be a better option. Unless they change the configurations.