We review the Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid from price to economy and all its features

AMID all the doom-mongering about how disastrous Brexit would be, was the refrain that we wouldn’t buy any more German cars.

They would be too expensive, sales would drop by two per cent.

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Well, if Germany keeps making cars like the Porsche Cayenne it should be OK.

The impressive SUV is, like any Porsche, reassuringly expensive. You don’t buy one if you worry about the pennies.

The impressive SUV is, like any Porsche, reassuringly expensive

That said, you don’t want it to haemorrhage money. Which is where, perhaps, the Cayenne S Hybrid comes in.

Thanks to its electric engine, which gives you another 95hp to add to an already decent 333hp, this 2.3-tonne 4x4 is apparently capable of more than 80mpg. That seems high but, at times, it feels like you’re hitting it.

The electric range is up to 23 miles of “everyday driving”, whatever that is (doubtless not my journey to work through gridlocked London).

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Of course, if you must drain the tank you can. Flick on Sport Plus mode and charge from 0-62mph in under six seconds and top out at 151mph if you have access to a racetrack.

It is a funny sort of power. It’s there but it won’t rip the wheel out of your hands, which is either a good thing or frustrating if you’re after a true adrenalin burst.

I’m the latter. Not helped by the fact the last car I tested in the Cayenne’s category was Volvo’s extraordinary new XC90 hybrid which goes like a wild horse. But this is not to say it doesn’t pack a punch. And besides, driving is not all about raw power.

Cruising around the back roads of Norfolk, rarely nudging beyond 40mph, I was in a state of utter bliss. It handles beautifully, the fat tyres stick you to the road.

However you drive, it’s a smooth ride – and very, very quiet.

Inside is suitably plush, all leather and aluminium trim and the tech controls – digital radio, sat nav, etc – are located on a giant centre console.

If I had to find fault with the interior it would be the handles. They are everywhere and make the cab cosier than it need be.

Massive on the outside but pretty bijou inside

It’s a reverse Tardis – massive on the outside but pretty bijou inside.

Three adults in the back would know they weren’t in a Range Rover or the XC90. The boot is also on the lean size. Packing a family of four in for a week’s holiday and you’d find it hard to get the boot closed.

But the quibbles are few and the Cayenne isn’t a typical large SUV.

If practicality is your focus, don’t get one.

If you want a car that looks gorgeous and feels gorgeous, then do.

Stuff Brexit.