About this car in Florence

Villas in the hills around Florence are reached by steep, narrow lanes, often finishing on gravel, and arriving at one late in the evening is where a plug-in hybrid shows its quiet side. The pastel-grey Cayenne E-Hybrid can cover the last stretch on electric power alone, without waking the house, and then switch to the 3.0-litre V6 for the motorway the next morning, 470 hp combined.

For families heading south, it is the practical choice for the Val d'Orcia: five seats, a 545-litre boot, all-wheel drive and enough ground clearance for the gravel roads that lead to many estates around Pienza and Montalcino, where a low sports car would struggle. The car wears winter tyres in the cold season, which also makes the Apennine roads towards Bologna or a winter weekend in the hills straightforward. Siena and San Gimignano make a good half-way stop, parking outside the walls.

One thing the electric mode does not change: the centre inside the viali is a camera-controlled ZTL, and access depends on a permit, not on the drivetrain. If your hotel is inside it, ask it to register the plate for its garage; otherwise we deliver the Cayenne to Firenze Peretola, Pisa Galileo Galilei, Santa Maria Novella or straight to your villa. The handover is arranged when you book.

• Silent electric arrival at your hill villa, 470 hp on the motorway
• Five seats, 545-litre boot, all-wheel drive for gravel estates
• Winter tyres in the cold season