Farewell to the Cayenne E-Hybrid

In early August, we said goodbye to the Cayenne E-Hybrid that had been part of our family.

We hadn’t planned to part with the Cayenne so soon, but during a recent visit to the Porsche dealer, the conversation turned to how the Cayenne hadn’t been used much lately, which felt like a waste. Our sales representative, Mr. H, kindly offered, “If you like, we can check how much we could buy it back for.”

To our surprise, the offer was better than we expected. My husband said:

If you were driving the Cayenne regularly, it would be best to keep it. But lately, we haven’t been taking long drives, and the Cayenne has mostly been sitting in the parking lot. That’s such a waste, and since the buyback price was better than expected, it might be a good idea to let it go before the next model comes out.

The Excellence of the Hybrid Model

The Cayenne E-Hybrid. After about two years since delivery, it had covered around 16,000 km.

Looking back on this Cayenne E-Hybrid, my impression is that it’s a wonderful Porsche that perfectly balances comfort and performance.

Both my husband and I often said, “What a great car,” and the spacious interior was a hit with our kids. Our whole family loved it.

Before driving the Cayenne, I imagined that even though it’s a Porsche, being an SUV, it wouldn’t deliver the sporty driving experience we expected. But once behind the wheel, the handling, brakes, high-speed stability, and the feel on winding roads all strongly confirmed that it truly is a Porsche.

In fact, despite its high ride height, weight, and size, I was once again amazed by Porsche’s technology that delivers genuine sports car performance.

One of my favorite things about the Cayenne was its acceleration when merging onto the highway.

The motor assist provides smooth, instant power that feels fantastic and makes the car feel weightless.

Once you experience this, you actually feel that a non-hybrid just doesn’t quite measure up. This Cayenne completely changed my image of hybrid models. My husband even insists that the next Cayenne or Panamera he buys absolutely must be a hybrid.

Even though we didn’t drive it often, the fact that it surpassed 16,000 km shows that whenever we went on trips, the Cayenne was our go-to.

From Awaji Island, Fuji Speedway, Wakayama, to the Porsche Experience Center Tokyo in Chiba… long drives over 500 km one way were no problem at all. It was truly a reliable, fun, and trustworthy car.

The Cayenne’s Width…

So, why did such a wonderful Cayenne see less and less use? The only reason was its width.

It’s easy to drive and quite nimble, so length wasn’t much of an issue. But at about 2 meters wide, parking became a challenge.

We could hardly park it at the local children’s hospital, and many family restaurants and conveyor belt sushi places in the city have tight spaces. Considering the risk of scratches, the Cayenne’s usage naturally declined. (I actually scratched it once, which probably made me even more cautious…)

I kept thinking, If only it were under 1900mm wide… it would be so much easier to drive! But that was out of our hands, so with a heavy heart, we said goodbye to the Cayenne.

Since the Cayenne left, we’ve had quite a few occasions to travel as a family of five (maybe because of the Obon holiday), and now we all squeeze into my beloved little Swift Sport for trips.

Lately, the Swift Sport has been a real star, and as its owner, that makes me pretty happy, haha.

So, while we’ve parted ways with the Cayenne, it was truly a fantastic car that gave us many wonderful memories. I’m filled with gratitude and hope it finds a great new owner next.