Kacey Green
02-27-2009, 10:52 PM
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/Canadian_Flag.jpg Another Guzzling Hulking Hybrid this time from Porsche, reviewed (http://www.nationalpost.com/life/driving/story.html?id=1333529)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2011_VW_Toureg_Hybrid.jpgClare Dear - National Post - Feb 27, 2009
Why??? Everyone has to drive at the same limits and they aren't trending upward as fast as vehicles are getting crazy powerful thank goodness. -- Ed.
It's no surprise mainstream carmakers are embracing the shift to green, but who would have thought a premium sports car brand such as Porsche would be keen to go green? Yet, here I am, driving a pre-production hybrid version of the German automaker's Cayenne SUV, a product Porsche expects to have in dealer showrooms by late 2010.
In a market that's high on such purposeful hybrid people-movers as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, combining high-performance products and hybrid technology isn't the expected norm, but Porsche says its advances into this field won't compromise its traditional values, including delivering the exciting type of performance its customers expect.
With the Cayenne project, Porsche has combined its best engineering expertise with colleagues at Volkswagen Group (including Audi) to explore new hybrid technologies. The result is a parallel system unlike any other hybrid in the world. Michael Leiters, the general project manager for the Cayenne Hybrid, says what distinguishes the Porsche system is a disengagement clutch that allows the powertrain to freewheel or coast at highway speeds, further improving fuel efficiency, compared with other hybrid systems that remain "connected," thereby creating engine drag. … http://www.nationalpost.com/life/driving/story.html?id=1333529
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/2011_VW_Toureg_Hybrid.jpgClare Dear - National Post - Feb 27, 2009
Why??? Everyone has to drive at the same limits and they aren't trending upward as fast as vehicles are getting crazy powerful thank goodness. -- Ed.
It's no surprise mainstream carmakers are embracing the shift to green, but who would have thought a premium sports car brand such as Porsche would be keen to go green? Yet, here I am, driving a pre-production hybrid version of the German automaker's Cayenne SUV, a product Porsche expects to have in dealer showrooms by late 2010.
In a market that's high on such purposeful hybrid people-movers as the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight, combining high-performance products and hybrid technology isn't the expected norm, but Porsche says its advances into this field won't compromise its traditional values, including delivering the exciting type of performance its customers expect.
With the Cayenne project, Porsche has combined its best engineering expertise with colleagues at Volkswagen Group (including Audi) to explore new hybrid technologies. The result is a parallel system unlike any other hybrid in the world. Michael Leiters, the general project manager for the Cayenne Hybrid, says what distinguishes the Porsche system is a disengagement clutch that allows the powertrain to freewheel or coast at highway speeds, further improving fuel efficiency, compared with other hybrid systems that remain "connected," thereby creating engine drag. … http://www.nationalpost.com/life/driving/story.html?id=1333529