While electric vehicles are all the rage these days, hybrids like today’s Porsche Cayenne may prove more practical in the near term. Let’s see if this Cayenne is a true Porsche, and more importantly, if it’s not priced like one.

The ad for yesterday’s listed a litany of handling, performance, and cosmetic updates that had been applied to the coupe. Surprisingly missing from the list was the obligatory Poison CD and flat-brim cap. BYO, I guess.

Not missing from the ad, but apparently missing the mark was the Camaro’s $18,000 price tag. The seller vowed that wouldn’t go any lower, but as far as the 68 percent of you who gave the car a No Dice loss were concerned, that was a vow that needed to be broken.

Speaking of breaking, let’s think about cars and trucks that have somehow broken the mold for their respective manufacturer. I think the most obvious example of this is the Porsche Cayenne. The mid-sized SUV was not only a significant departure in form and category for the traditional sports car maker but its adoption of non-Porsche engines in certain models worked even further against it being embraced by the marque’s purists.

As it turned out, however, the purists didn’t really get a vote on the matter. Not only did the Cayenne bring new buyers into the Porsche fold, but it became the brand’s best seller for over a decade. That success earned the model a second generation and even more variations that were less aligned with Porsche tradition than ever.

This takes its supercharged 3.0-liter V6 from the Audi arsenal and pairs that with an electric motor for a combined output of 380 horsepower and a staggering 430 lb-ft of torque. As fitted, the combo makes the hybrid almost as quick as a naturally aspirated V8-powered Cayenne, even though it’s carrying a nearly 400 pound weight penalty.

That added weight is the cost the hybrid system extracts. Those pounds comprise the motor between the Audi six and the eight-speed Tiptronic, all the necessary wiring, a more robust electrical system for the gas engine’s stop/start function, and the 288-volt nickel-metal hydride battery that sits under the boot floor in place of the spare.

The benefit of the hybrid system is significantly improved fuel economy over any other Cayenne save for the dirty diesel and a very smooth driving experience where the electric motor can power the car up to 37 miles per hour in short stints before the gas engine kicks in.

This one has been kicking it for 160,000 miles. It carries a clean title and while the white over beige color scheme isn’t the most exciting or elegant one might choose, it all looks reasonably clean and issue-free. The factory five-spoke alloys have mono-tone crests on their center caps, adding to the feeling of a pauper spec experience.

The interior, on the other hand, looks to be where the money has been spent. There’s leather practically everywhere, and the dash has the Cyclops clock on the top, hinting that the car has the Sport Chrono package. The ad says the car is “fully loaded” touting the included navigation system and panoramic moon roof as notable features. It’s also said to have “no issues” and to run and drive “great.”

Still, it’s a 10-year-old Porsche with first-generation technology. Heck, you couldn’t even plug in a Cayenne Hybrid for a recharge until the 2014 model year. That being said, these remain one of the most interesting, if admittedly not the most engaging of Porsche’s mid-sized SUVs and offer a balance of performance and efficiency that none of the others does. What could that actually be worth?

The seller has set the price for this hybrid Cayenne at $12,900. That’s a far cry from the $70K to $80K it cost when new just 10 years back. Now it comes with a good bit of mileage under its belt and is unsupported by any sort of factory warranty. That can be scary for the unprepared.

What’s your take on this efficiency-oriented Cayenne and that $12,900 asking? Does that seem like a deal to have one’s Porsche cake and eat it too? Or, do the miles and the lack of tradition make this a Porsche you would pass at that price?

You decide!

Atlanta, Georgia, , or go if the ad disappears.

H/T to RevUnlimiter for the hookup!

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