Upgraded the Cayenne

 

When we bought our 2021 Porsche Cayenne back in 2023, I had been looking for a Cayenne eHybrid but could not find one. We ended up with the 2021 Cayenne which we owned for almost 2 years and 50k miles. It was a great vehicle but lacked some features I really wanted including: Android Auto, surround view, and of course the hybrid powertrain. There were also several nice-to-haves: 4-zone ATC, rear side window shades, head-up display, and air suspension. We also wanted light colored interior. I kept looking every couple months ever since we bought the 2021. In March 2025 the car we wanted showed up at the local Mercedes dealer. It was exactly the way I would have ordered it. It is a 2022 Porsche Cayenne eHybrid loaded with all the right features and the right color combination. We traded in the 2021 and bought it this week. 

The hybrid powertrain offers many advantages, the main advantage for me being the power delivery. Acceleration is very smooth and powerful across a much broader rpm range. The base Cayenne has automatic engine start/stop, as most new cars do. This is a problem when using the air conditioning, which is almost year round here in Las Vegas. Since it is hybrid, the start/stop does not require starting the engine to accelerate from a stop either so you don't have the interruption you get with straight gasoline start/stop. The hybrid has an electric air conditioning compressor so when the engine turns off, the AC does not. You can also start the AC before you get in the car using the Porsche app, like you can with battery electric vehicles (BEV). It offers most the benefits of BEV but with the benefits of the gas powertrain as well.  We can drive it fully electric for miles if we wanted to. I have solar on my house so the power is free. In hybrid mode it can greatly extend the fuel economy in town to about double what the gas powertrain can do. Most of our driving is in town so we will see this benefit. While most would view hybrids as all about fuel economy, hybrids are also about performance. In fact many modern supercars are hybrids. Formula One cars are also hybrid.     

The rear steering makes the back wheels better follow the front and allows the vehicle to turn much sharper at low speeds. It is great when trying to navigate very tight parking lots. At high speeds it adds stability by making the vehicle feel as if it has a longer wheel-base.  

Husqvarna 701 Enduro 5,000 mile update

 

I now have 5,000 miles on the Husqvarna 701 Enduro. Love this bike for sure. 

Here are some upgrades from my last update at 2,000 miles. 

• Replaced the Continental TKC 80 tires with Michelin Anakee Wild. I have also replaced the rear again with another Anakee Wild (front was about 80% still). Performance is very similar but the TKC 80's lasted almost twice as long (2900 miles versus 1700 miles). I replaced them when the center of the tread is down to about 4mm. The only reason I switched was due to availability of the TKC 80. I will be going back to TKC 80 when these wear out.
• Added a Garmin Zumo XT2 navigation system. My old smartphone navigation had some flaws, mainly screen brightness and size. The Zumo XT2 has excellent screen brightness and several other useful features. 
• Removed the kickstand sensor guard due to intermittent issues with kickstand sensor faults. I also had the sensor replaced under warranty. Worked fine for over 1,000 miles but the fault happened again just once. It has been another 1,000 miles with no issues. 
• Due to heavy dust on most of our rides, I went back to a factory paper air filter. No real evidence the K&N was not doing the job but just concerned it does not catch quite as small of particles as the paper. 
• Replaced the front bag due to the other one failing the zipper.  
• Seat Concepts Comfort XL seat. This does make a big difference. When you first sit on it you wonder if it was worth the $400. I long ride down the highway confirms that it is. Actually any ride where you are on the seat. 
• I added an external mic and fuzzy wind socks. I put the mic on the front bag to isolate it from all vibration. Now the audio in my videos is drastically better. 

I track my fuel economy and I am averaging about 50mpg.  It can drop as low as 35mpg on long fast highway segments. The worst I got was 33mph on a highway segment into a strong headwind. The best has been 65mpg. 

I finally learned how to use the quick shifter and it is magical! It is just a habit for me to let off the throttle when shifting, a habit very hard to break. The way you ride a quick shifter is stay even on the throttle and just make the shift. It even works great at full throttle. It works both up and down, automatically speed matching via engine control. It cuts engine power very briefly to make the shift but it is so fast it feels like constant power delivery. 

I hit 5,000 miles near Tecopa California on a Red Rock Rumble ride sponsored by Red Rock Harley Davidson. YouTube playlist from that ride: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZ4ONVypz2fZAOWldAgCFsl1RgZaQYVnw&si=01wwFbDfKNxm9ApB